All-inclusive Private Guided 10-day Tour of Mesopotamia

iyarbakir over the Tigris River in southeastern Turkey. Completed in 1065 during the Marwanid dynasty, it numbers ten arches with a total length of 178 m. Hence, it is locally called the 10 Arches Bridge (On Gözlü Köprü / Pira Dehderî).

This historical river mentioned in the Book of Genesis is a must-see place with its natural beauty. Its length is 1900 km, with 523 km of it in Turkey. Surrounded by four countries (Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and Syria), the Tigris River is the second largest river in western Asia. With the Euphrates, it makes up a river system that borders Mesopotamia in the area known as the Fertile Crescent. An important source of both travel and irrigation, the Tigris also has a rich history that dates back to the earliest known civilizations because of its importance to a largely arid region.

The Grand Mosque of Diyarbakir is the oldest and one of the most significant mosques in Mesopotamia. Various sources stated that the structure was transformed from the Mar Toma church upon the entry of Islam into the city in the year of 639. The plan and dimensions of Mar Toma church are not known today. After the city passed into the rule of the Seljuks in 1085, the building underwent comprehensive repair. Completed in 1092, the mosque is similar to and heavily influenced by the Umayyad Great Mosque in Damascus (which was repaired under the same Sultan Malik Shah in the twelfth century prior to work in Diyarbakir). The influence of the Damascus mosque brought Syrian architecture and decoration to Anatolia. The many inscriptions on the building show that in the following periods, it was restored by many different civilizations, with multiple additions made.

The caravan saray was built between 1572 and 1575 by Vezirzade Hasan Pasha, the son of Sokollu Mehmet Pasha, the Governor of Diyarbakir. Its architecture is beautiful, and it has many places inside to have a cup of tea, meals and souvenirs.

With its length of 6 kilometers, the City Walls of Diyarbakir are the second largest in the world after the Great Wall of China. It is situated 100 meters above the valley of the Tigris River. Diyarbakir still carries a medieval atmosphere with its walls encircling the city with its almost intact and impressive, 10-12 meters high and 3-5 meters thick walls.

At Mount Nemrut, you'll see tombs of the Commagene Kingdom and the Colossal Statues of Gods. This iconic sight is unforgettable! The mausoleum of Antiochus I (69–34 BC), who reigned over Commagene, a kingdom founded north of Syria and the Euphrates River after the breakup of Alexander the Great's empire, is one of the most ambitious constructions of the Hellenistic period. The syncretism of its pantheon, and the lineage of its kings, which can be traced back through two sets of legends, Greek and Persian, is evidence of the dual origin of this kingdom's culture.

Kahta is a city and district in the Adiyaman Province of Turkey. The city is populated by Kurds from the Reswan tribe. On 12 October 2018, cave drawings which date back to the Paleolithic era, were discovered in the Kahta district, due to the decline of Ataturk Reservoir waters by 10–15 meters.

Gaziantep Castle is a castle first built by the Hittite Empire as an observation point and later built into a main castle by the Roman Empire on top of a hill at the center of Gaziantep, Turkey, in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. It underwent further expansion and renovation under Emperor Justinian between 527 and 565 AD. The circumference of the round shaped castle is 1200 meters. The walls are built of stone and the castle consists of 12 towers. The castle has been renovated numerous times and took its final shape in 2000. Today, the castle is used as the Gaziantep Defense and Heroism Panoramic Museum, and a documentary regarding the defense of the city against the liberating French forces after the fall of the Ottoman Empire runs periodically.

The bazaar has a 250-year history, and it is the first bazaar of the city.

Located in Gaziantep, Zeugma Mosaic Museum is of great importance in terms of art and ancient history. Invaluable mosaics are exhibited in the museum, which also holds the title of being the world's largest mosaic museum. Standing out with the largeness of the museum building, Zeugma Mosaic Museum attracts many foreign tourists to the region every year. Another important feature is that it is home to the artifacts unearthed from Zeugma Ancient City, one of the most important archaeological discoveries of our age. The most popular artifact in the museum is the mosaic unearthed during the excavations in the Ancient City of Zeugma in 1998 and called "Gypsy Girl" due to the hair braids and prominent cheekbones.

The Gaziantep Museum of Archaeology is home to a large and varied collection of exhibits, some purchased and some obtained from archaeological excavations. As an area that has seen continuous settlement from the Lower Paleolithic Period until today, Gaziantep began establishing its museums back in 1944, with the Archaeology Museum on Istasyon Caddesi opening its doors in 1969. Mosaics excavated from the ruins of ancient Zeugma and a growing number of other artifacts resulted in the museum running out of exhibition space, so in 2011 the mosaics were moved to their own Zeugma Mosaic Museum, and the government announced plans to redesign the Gaziantep Museum of Archaeology. In line with contemporary museum concepts, the exhibition halls have been enlarged creating new, modern display areas, and on 18 May 2017, the museum was reopened to the public.

Finish off your time in Gaziantep with a boat tour on the Euphrates River and see the sunken city of Halfeti. Much of Halfeti was submerged under water due to the Birecik Dam, which flooded the area in the 1990s. So a new town was subsequently built about 15 kilometers away. As such, the settlement is divided into New and Old Halfeti. The remnants of Old Halfeti, sunken into the river, have attracted visitors who marvel at the sight that could be compared to an underwater museum. The town’s history goes back to 855 BC when the Assyrian King Shalmaneser II first established the settlement. During the Roman era, a settlement under the name of Akamai thrived, later changing to Koyla. After the Roman period, the town witnessed many civilizations including the Sassanians, Arabs, Umayyads and Abbasids who ruled over the area from the 6th until the 8th century AD. By the 11th century the Seljuks took over Halfeti and by the 16th century it became part of the Ottoman Empire.

See the Biblical city of Harran (also spelled Haran) where Abraham’s family settled when they left Ur of the Chaldeans (Genesis 11:31–32). Harran is an ancient city of strategic importance and is now a village in southeastern Turkey. It lies along the Balikh River, 24 miles (38 km) southeast of Sanliurfa. The town was located on the road that ran from Nineveh to Carchemish and was regarded as of considerable importance by the Assyrian kings. Its chief cult in Assyrian times was that of the moon god. One of the first science centers of the world and the first universities of the world were established here. The names of the city and university of Sanliurfa come from the cuneiform tablets. The name 'ha ra na' is written on them.

Jacob was sent by his mother to find Laban to be safe. He travels a great distance to find Laban. Rachel, Laban's younger daughter, comes to the well to water her father's flock and Jacob sees her there. He falls in love with her and accepts to work for her father for 7 years just to marry her. Since Rachel has an older sister, Laban forces Jacob to marry the older sister and asks him to work for him 7 years more to marry Rachel. Jacob accepts the offer and works for Laban 7 years more. Finally, he marries Rachel.

The museum opened in 2015, and replaced the former museum of Sanliurfa. With a closed area of 34,000 square meters (370,000 sq ft), it is one of the biggest museums in Turkey. Sanliurfa has hosted many civilizations, so the museum is very rich in terms of artifacts. The museum consists of two major sections. To the north is the mosaic section and to the south is the archaeology section which is a three-story building. In addition to exhibition halls there are offices, a museum lab, a library, restaurants, markets and a playground for kids.

Experience a picturesque sunset at the famous Pool of Abraham (Fish Lake or Balikligol). This pool is believed by Jews and Muslims to be where Nimrod threw Abraham into the fire. Abraham is an important patriarch in Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. Sanliurfa is where Abraham lived before his migration to Canaan. Balikligol and neighboring Aynzeliha pools are among the most visited places in Sanliurfa.

Abraham's Cave, the cave of Abraham, is often said to be the birthplace of the prophet. The cave is a gaping mouth flanked by two columns. The cave has two entrances, one for each gender. Visitors, especially women, are required to wear appropriate clothes, so headscarves are handed out at the entrance. The cave itself is a sort of cave church and is usually hot because of the lack of ventilation and the large number of visitors.

The cave where Job is believed to have stayed for a while due to the diseases in his body.

Head to "Potbelly Hill" or in Turkish, Gobekli Tepe. This is believed to be the world's oldest temple. Experts date these incredible ruins to 10,000 BC, predating Stonehenge by a whopping 6,000 years!

Spend the day exploring the streets of the old limestone city (no cars allowed!) including mansions and stone houses. Every turn in this maze-like town brings a new sight to see or a shop to visit.

See the Mardin Archeology Museum, with exhibits showcasing the vast history of the region and artifacts up to 4000 years old.

ar about the intriguing story behind its fountain.

The sight has been the center of religious worship for many centuries; the monastery itself is built over an ancient temple. This temple was built in 1000 BC and dedicated to the worship of the sun. When the people here converted to Christianity in the 1st century, they buried their temple and built a monastery on top of it! The temple has been recovered and you will visit both the monastery buildings and ancient temple.

The ruins located in the Oguz village on the Mardin Nusaybin road are spread over an area of approximately 10 kilometers within the village. The fact that the first dam of Mesopotamia was built in this region and that the Silk Road passes through the city of Dara is one of the features that make the city important. The excavations of the Dara Ruins started in 1986 from the Cistern and Agora, since most of the places in it were private property of the villagers. By examining the excavations, the palace, dungeon and bazaar of the ancient city can be observed. Dara ancient city has 2 entrance gates. Built with large blocks of stone along the Dara stream flowing north from the south gate of the city, the Agora was used as the city’s public space during that time.

Say goodbye to your tour guide who is sure to have become a friend. Your driver will escort you to the airport. You have just experienced the trip of a lifetime!