WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
South East of Turkey has been long forgotten as a touristic destination just waiting to be rediscovered by bold travelers. It feels like walking on fresh snow, as if you are the only one living on earth. Sometimes you get to feel like a 19th century explorer when you see the boy on a donkey, herding his sheep, along the Syrian border and you are just coming back from a visit to the oldest sanctuary build by human kind on earth that dates to 12.000 BC.
The easiest way to explore the culture is through the food but here each city we visit it reshapes its form as if we change continents. The magic touch of the Eastern Mediterranean is at the end of the area that we cover when we reach Antioch. Not only the cuisine changes, languages and religions of Mediterranean starts to be visible. This is unique and in many ways dating way earlier as the starting point of major civilizations and religions. It is always brings me new appreciation when I go back to this area. I feel like I am in my true color after two days of drinking its water and eating its bread.
CITIES OF SE TURKEY
Mardin — A City Above the Plains**
Honey-coloured stone houses stacked upon a hilltop, gazing southward over the vast Syrian plains. Here, Syriac Christians have lived for centuries beside their Turkish, Arab and Kurdish neighbours — minarets and church bells sharing the same sky. Ancient Aramaic, the language of Christ, is still spoken in nearby villages. Mardin does not just preserve the past — it lives inside it.
Urfa (Edessa) — The City of Prophets and Prehistory**
By tradition the birthplace of the Prophet Abraham, Urfa’s sacred pools of Balıklıgöl remain a site of pilgrimage to this day. But the city holds an even older secret:
Gaziantep (Antep) — The Hidden Gem of Turkish Cuisine**
One of Turkey’s great culinary capitals, Antep rewards those who wander. Copper workshops, spice-scented bazaars, and baklava places where pistachios meet paper-thin pastry with near-religious dedication. Ottoman craftsmanship and centuries of culinary refinement meet in every alley — this is a city best discovered without a map.
Antioch (Antakya) — Where East Met West**
Once one of the great cities of the Roman world, Antioch is where followers of Jesus were first called *”Christians”* — in the Grotto of Saint Peter, the oldest known Christian place of worship. Beneath the city, extraordinary Roman mosaics still shimmer underfoot, preserving the wealth and ambition of an ancient empire in tile and stone. The crossroads of Syrian/Arabic cuisines colliding with Turkish flavors and the epicentre of glorious humus, which is to-die-for.
Adana — Fire, Flavour and the Contemporary South**
Adana moves at a different pace — vibrant and forward-looking, yet anchored by its most famous tradition. The Adana kebab is not simply a dish here. It is a civic pride, a daily ritual, a reason to gather.
Day One
Overnight: Mardin
Welcome to southeast Turkey
Morning meeting at Istanbul hotel (this tour it is important to arrive the day before tour starts) before we head to the airport and fly to Diyarbakır. Tour of Diyarbakır, a Kurdish-majority city packed with history and known for its black basalt walls. Drive to enchanting Mardin filled with honey-coloured stone houses. Welcome dinner with local music and a dizzying array of mezze.
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Day Two
Overnight: Mardin
Exploring Mardin and Roman fortress
After breakfast, we visit the Kasımiye Medrese before leaving Mardin to visit an amazing half-ruined East Roman fortress city, Dara. Explore the nearby 6th century Byzantine cisterns before enjoy lunch, We come back to Mardin for a walking tour of this city where Syriac Christians, Turks, Arabs and Kurds all rub elbows with each other, Small food bites and drinks as we explore bazaars and historic quarters.
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Day Three
Overnight: Mardin
Syriac Monasteries and traditions/crafts
Day trip to see Syriac Orthodox monastery near Midyat, a charming smaller version of Mardin, which we tour as well and meet local artisans working with Filigree, a 5,000 year old tradition. Dinner in a small village at a famed pizzeria run by returning Syriac Christians from Europe. It serves wood-fired pizza featuring local ingredients like goat cheese and za’atar.
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Day Four
Overnight: Urfa
City of Prophets
We depart Mardin and travel to Sanliurfa, shortened to Urfa usually, the “City of Prophets,”. We will tour this deeply historical and culturally rich city including the sacred Pool of Abraham (Balıklıgöl) as well as Abraham’s mosque and cave. You can explore the Barutcu Han and grab a lunch in this renovated caravanserai. Dinner with live music.
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Day Five
Overnight: Gaziantep
Depart Urfa and visit one of the most astounding archeological sites in the world, Göbeklitepe. These megalithic stone circles were raised over 12,000 years ago, long before Stonehenge, before the pyramids, before agriculture itself. The oldest known sanctuary on Earth, and a place that quietly rewrote human history. Stop along the Euphrates River for lunch where the speciality is eggplant kebab. Continue on to Gaziantep, a UNESCO culinary heritage city, surrounded by pistachios orchards making it a great place to try baklava and other pistachio meet paper-thin pastries. Walking tour of the city.
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Day Six
Overnight: Gaziantep
Sweets of Gaziantep
This morning we leave the hotel for a morning culinary walk. The Old Town of Antep city is where you will be seeing several crafts in your free time after our walk for morning soup, Turkish Coffee and Baklava stops. This city is known as the Baklava Capital in the country.
Afternoon visit will be to the Antep Museum. This museum has the best Roman Mosaic floors that are excavated along the river Euphrates. A mythological heaven with the mosaic depictions. The day will end with a visit to a local house to experience a local dinner with a local family.
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Day Seven
Overnight: Hatay region
Treasures of Hatay region
After breakfast we head West for the Hatay region. Visit to a winery outside of Antioch/Antakya with a light lunch an of course vino. After wine we will visit the St. Pierre cave monastery where the early name “Christian” as the followers of Christ was found. Antioch is at the crossroads of Syrian/Arabic cuisines colliding with Turkish flavors and the epicentre of glorious humus, which is to-die-for. A short visit to the archaeological museum before we head to the Culinary Park for a free time for dinner with many options to choose from and visit with our favorite humus artisan at his shop.
Check into our hotel in Arsuz, small town on the Mediterranean coast.
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Day Eight
Overnight: Hatay region
Cooking workshop with locals
After breakfast we visit an a flood control tunnel made by the Romans, Tunnel of Titus. After spending some beach time, we will visit our local guide’s house in a village for “kibbeh” workshop and lunch. Kibbeh (known as Oruk or baked icli kofte in Turkey), are stuffed, boiled (or fried) bulgur wheat meatballs filled with spices and ground meat inside. Back to Arsuz and the rest of the day on your own. Make sure to try a Tepsi Kebabı, unique to Hatay region, which is prepared by pounding down minced meat with finely chopped onions, spices, and herbs then molded into a large circular baking tray and topped with tomato sauce before it is baked in a stone oven.
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Day Nine
OVERNIGHT: ADANA
As we drive north to Adana, we visit an ancient Hittite city called Karatepe. Great history and scenery together with a picnic lunch awaits us. Driving to Adana city we will shortly stop at an Ottoman landmark called Yılanlı Castle. After check in to the hotel in the late afternoon we will have a quick orientation walk with dinner suggestions.
Day Ten
OVERNIGHT: ADANA
An easy morning and leave the hotel at 11am for a leisurely visit to the nearby city of Tarsus where is the birth place of St.Paul. Plenty of places to try the great hummus of the region. Afternoon visit to the newly restored Adana Museum and one final dinner, a kebab night, together at a local restaurant before we say goodbye.
Day Eleven
OVERNIGHT: TOUR ENDS
Our SE Turkey tour ends after breakfast. Your guide will be on hand to help with transfers to the airport or wherever your adventures take you.
MEET YOUR GUIDE: Taylan Tasbasi
Taylan is a history enthusiast with a particular passion for the Middle East and Mediterranean region. He holds a bachelor’s degree in History of Art and Archaeology, which has only fueled his interest in the rich and diverse histories of these regions. He spends leisure time in outdoor activities such as sailing the Aegean, motorcycle riding, and hiking the ancient routes that allows him to not only engage with nature, but also learn about different cultures and histories through firsthand experiences.
Taylan is always eager to learn more about the region around him and excited to continue exploring and discovering new things and carefully adding them to his list of tailored and improvised services.
MEET YOUR GUIDE: Andrew Villone
Twenty-five years ago, Andrew got bit hard by the travel bug when he took his first trip abroad, backpacking around Europe for 6 months. Eventually, he took the big plunge and in 2014 he moved to Slovenia, the charming Alpine/Balkan/Mediterranean country where east meets west.
Andrew has been leading & organizing tours for the past 20 years. He loves to champion countries and regions that many travelers have yet to explore. His three favorite aspects of traveling are sampling the local cuisine and wine, sharing travel escapades with other travelers and hanging out with the locals.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Price: $4875 (International air not included) per person for a double occupancy room. Single Occupancy room is $5575. We welcome singles and if you do not have a travel partner, please sign up for a single spot. In the event that a roommate is found, your booking can be changed to a double before final payment is due.
Click the Book Now button to start the booking process. Remember, you can save yourself the credit card fees (2.9%) by choosing US Checking Account/ACH instead as your payment method on our booking system.
You can reserve with a nonrefundable deposit of $600.
What’s Included: all breakfasts, 5 lunches, 5 dinners, transportation during the tour, entrance fees, local guides, tips, and 10 nights lodging in comfortable, clean, and centrally located hotels.
Turkey in a Teacup tour begins in Istanbul (IST), Turkey and tour ends in Adana (COV), Turkey.
Please email with questions info@adventureswithsarah.net
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