An Archaeological Study Tour
Hidden Treasures of Eastern Turkey
September 17 - October 6, 2010
Led by Professor Antonio Sagona


Hidden Treasures of Eastern Turkey is scheduled for September, before the snows begin in the mountainous areas of Ararat and the Transcaucasia. The tour will touch the warm Mediterranean coast, visiting Adana and ancient Antioch. We will travel through the fertile Mesopotamian steppe around Diyarbakir, visit the mountaintop sanctuary of Nemrut Dag, continue to the rugged highlands north of Lake Van and drive through the dense forests and tea plantations of the Black Sea coast. After visiting the Hittite center at Bogazköy and a huge pre-Hellenistic city on the Anatolian Plateau, the tour ends in Ankara, with the wonderful Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. Tour highlights will include two very exciting sites newly opened to tourists, Göbekli Tepe, dated to 10,000 BCE and believed to be the oldest man-made place of worship discovered to date, and Kerkenes, the largest pre-Hellenistic site known on the Anatolian Plateau. Recalling ancient rulers - the Hittites, Assyrians, Urartians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Armenians - we will see a land little changed over the centuries.

Friday, Saturday, September 17 & 18: ISTANBUL: Our Turkish Air flight departs New York in the evening and arrives into Istanbul the next morning. We will transfer to the well-located Marmara Hotel and meet for dinner Saturday evening.
Meals: Dinner

Sunday, September 19: ADANA: This morning we will meet for an orientation lecture with Professor Sagona and visit the Archaeological Museum before flying to Adana. Hilton Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast & dinner

Monday, September 20: ANTAKYA: We depart for Anavarza (ancient Anazarbus), an Eastern Roman colony. We then continue to Karatepe, the neo-Hittite capital of Azitawanda. Here we will see a number of monumental sculptures and reliefs that have been restored and are in situ. Our drive to Antakya takes us through the historic Plain of Issos, where Alexander the Great won a decisive victory over the forces of Asia. We will spend two nights at the Savon Hotel, well located for strolls in town.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Tuesday, September 21: ANTAKYA: Our morning touring begins with a drive through the Plain of Amuk, dotted with hundreds of tells dating from the Neolithic to the Hellenistic periods. We visit the ancient site of Acana (Alalakh), then return to Antakya to visit St. Peter’s Church and the Archaeological Museum, which houses an outstanding collection of mosaics from the region.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Wednesday, September 22: URFA: Driving north we stop at Yesemek, a neo-Hittite stone-carving workshop, where we will see dozens of partially completed sculptures and reliefs scattered on a hillside now situated in the middle of a tiny village. We continue to Gaziantep, where we will visit Göbekli Tepe, which has been dated to 10,000 BCE and considered to be the oldest man-made place of worship yet discovered. Here ongoing excavations have revealed seven stone circles precisely carved and erected with great care on top of a hill that is the highest point on the Urfa Plain. Many of the large T-shaped megaliths are covered with carved reliefs of animals. After exploring this fascinating site, we cross the Euphrates and continue to Urfa, ancient Edessa. Dedeman Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Thursday, September 23: KAHTA: This morning we drive through the plains of Mesopotamia to Harran, where Abraham stopped on his way from Ur. We will explore the ruins of ancient Harran, known as Carrhae in the Roman period and the place of the decisive battle of 53 BCE. We will also visit the Ulu Cami, thought to have been founded by the last Umayyad caliph, who made Harran capital of his empire, and the unusual “beehive” mud-brick houses of modern Harran. We will return to Urfa to complete our touring before driving to Kahta, a small village in the mountain foothills. Our route to Kahta is via cultivated fields made possible by the new dam. Hotel Zeus.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Friday, September 24: DIYARBAKÍR: An early morning ascent of Mt. Nemrut brings us to the impressive funerary sanctuary of King Antiochus I of Commagene, erected 2,000 years ago. Here colossal headless statues of gods and kings tower above the site and their enormous heads are scattered over the terraces. We continue to Eskikale to visit the ruins of Arsameia and the burial mounds of the queens and princesses of Commagene. After lunch, we continue on to Diyarbakir and visit the imposing city walls and gates. Dedeman Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Saturday, Sunday, September 25 & 26: VAN: Our drive to Van takes us through the valley of Guzel Dere and the towns of Bitlis, Tatvan, and Ahlat, where we stop to visit a unique Seljuk cemetery and museum. Touring in Van begins with a cruise across Lake Van to Akhtamar Island to visit the 10th century, Church of the Holy Cross, famous for the reliefs on its outer walls. We will also visit the local museum and study the Urartu civilizations at Çavustepe, where excavations have revealed the temple, altar, storage areas, water system and Royal Palace. There will also be time free for browsing in the local rug shops or wandering in the market. Hotel Tamara.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner daily

Monday, September 27: KARS: Our day begins at Van Kalesi, where, having reached the citadel, we will see the site of the Urartian temple and several tombs of Urartian kings. The view from these heights is magnificent and well worth the climb. We then drive along the foothills of Mt. Ararat, sacred to Armenians, where, according to tradition, Noah’s Ark came to rest after the Flood. After visiting the baroque Turkish Palace of Ishak Pasha Sarayi in the tiny town of Dogubayazit, we continue through the heartland of ancient Armenia to Kars and the centrally located Simer Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Tuesday, September 28: KARS: We begin our day touring Ani, located near the Georgian/Armenian border. Ani, once the capital of the Bagratid Princess, is now a site of romantic beauty. Strolling through the Lion Gate, we can almost visualize the city as it was before the terrible earthquake of 1319. We return to Kars for lunch and to visit the local museum.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Wednesday, Thursday, September 29 & 30: TRABZON: Today begins with an ascent through the wild landscapes of Transcaucasia and the Pontus Range, the most unspoiled and spectacular scenery of Turkey. After lunch in the charming mountain town of Artvin, we descend to the Black Sea coast with its lush vegetation and vast tea plantations. The day ends at the Zorlu Grand Hotel in Trabzon. Sunday touring begins at the Byzantine Monastery of the Virgin in Sumela. Returning to Trabzon we tour its major sites: the Yeni Cuma and Fatih Mosques, the Byzantine Chapel of Hagia Anna and the well-preserved frescoes of Hagia Sophia.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch daily & 1 dinner

Friday, October 1: AMASYA: Our drive to Amasya is along the Black Sea coast through seaside villages and the port of Samson. We will stop for lunch, reaching the Apple Palace Hotel in time for a stroll in this award-winning town, renowned for its old wooden houses that overhang the Iris River.
Meals: Breakfast &, lunch

Saturday, October 2: BOGAZKALE: This morning we will tour the charming town of Amasya. After visiting the many Seljuk and Ottoman monuments and the museum, we depart for Bogazkale, stopping to visit the newly installed Archaeological Museum in Çorum and the fortified Hittite city of Alaca Hüyük, known for its Sphinx Gate and Royal Tombs. We will overnight at the small Hotel Asikoglu, overlooking the site of Hattusas.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Sunday, October 3: CAMLIK NATIONAL PARK: This morning we will visit the most exciting Hittite site in Turkey, Hattusas, capital of the Hittite empire and its adjacent cult center, Yazílíkaya, where we will see a procession of deities and royalty carved from the living rock. The monumental architecture and sprawling temples and palaces add to our understanding of this great empire. After visiting this extensive complex, we continue to the Camlik Hotel in the Camlik National Park, where there will be time to enjoy the park before dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Monday, October 4: ANKARA: Today we will visit the largest pre-Hellenistic site known on the Anatolian Plateau, Kerkenes (possibly ancient Pteria). Pteria was founded around 600 BCE by people of Phrygian background. According to Herodotus it was first captured by the Lydian king Croesus in 547 BCE and soon after by the Achaemenid king Cyrus the Great. The city was huge with a palace complex, at least one temple and a large residential area. We will have an oportunity to tour the site and meet the excavation team before driving on to Ankara. Hilton Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Tuesday, Wednesday, October 5 & 6: ANKARA: Our last morning of touring will bring us to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, with its outstanding collection of artifacts from sites we have visited. The afternoon is at leisure, followed by our farewell dinner. Saturday we will transfer to the airport for our Turkish Air flight to New York.
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Please Note: Tourist facilities in Eastern Turkey are not well developed. Hotels are simple and there are early morning departures with long drives on roads that may be in poor condition. Though the rewards are great...an unspoiled wilderness and a scarcity of tourists...this is a strenuous trip, and only those willing to accept some discomforts should consider taking it.