Category: Eastern Anatolia Region

THE LIGHT RISES FROM EAST (In the Footsteps of Noah) The Toros (Taurus) Mountains which parallel Turkey’s southern border, and the Black Sea Mountains in the north join together to form a mighty mountain range which defines the country’s eastern border. The tremendous diversity of the eastern and south eastern lands surprises travellers: the red […]

Adiyaman Adiyaman’s Archaeological Museum houses regional finds from the Lower Firat which date from the Neolithic and Chalcolithic ages. Good quality kilims woven in bright colors sell for reasonable prices in the bazaar. Surrounding monuments include the ruins of an Abbasid citadel (restored by the Seljuks) and a 14th century Ulu Mosque. The discovery of […]

NEMRUT DAGI (MT NEMRUD) Nemrut Dagi (Mt. Nemrut) is the first impressive peak rising from a flat plain in Northern Mesopotamia and stretches to a height of 2150 metres. It is matchless in its historical treasures. The original peak was removed and in its place was constructed the Tumulus of Antiochos 1, one of the […]

Van, the ancient Urartian capital of Tuspa, tempts visitors to its location on the eastern shore of the lake. This remote but important city is set in a verdant oasis at the foot of a rocky peak. An imposing 9th century B.C. citadel overlooks the new and the old parts of town. Steps carved in […]

ADILCEVAZ As you drive around the lake you come to Adilcevaz, where the Ulu Mosque, built of the region’s dark volcanic stone, stands on the lake shore. Ten kilometers west of Adilcevaz is Kef Castle, and the nearby Urartian temple of Haldi dates from the 9th century B.C. Artifacts from this site can been seen […]

The ruins of Ahlat, 44 km north of Tatvan on the western shore of Lake Van, once an important city of Turkish art and culture, are scattered today among more recent constructions. In the 12th century this city was the capital of the Turkish state that ruled the Van Basin. Several mausoleums, notably the Ulu […]

BITLIS The lively city of Bitlis, an important center of tobacco production, stands in the middle of a green oasis. The city’s architecture uses the local dark stone, and the masonry monuments include the Serefhan Medrese, the 12th century Ulu Mosque, the Seljuk Gökmeydani Mosque and the Ottoman Serefiye Mosque. Bitlis Ski Center is close […]

MUS Mus, a subdistrict of Korkut and a little out of the way for most tourist routes, were founded in the 6th century. Many of the city’s monuments, including the remains of a citadel and the Asianhane Caravanserai, are in poor condition. The Seljuk mosques of Alaeddin Pasa and Haci Seref, however, are certainly worth […]

BINGOL Bingol means “a thousand lakes”: a name given to the town because of the many glacier lakes in the surrounding mountains. In the city stand the remains of a medieval fortress. Bingol-Yolgati (Kurucadag) Ski Center is 20 km to the west.

MALATYA Malatya is a busy city situated on a fertile plain at the foot of the Anti-Taurus Mountains. The archaeology museum houses new find from the Lower Firat region that date from the Neolithic and Chalcolithic ages. Next to the city museum, you can shop in the bazaar where an entire passageway of shops is […]