An incredible journey from the shores of the Black Sea, through the ancient lands of the Uratians, to the spectacular Lake Van. The monuments include fortified towns from the 8th century BC, an obsidian mine, early Christian churches and monasteries and Seljuk and Ottoman architecture.
£2500 (sgl supp £310) | Price without flights: £2155
Mon 6th - Sat 18th September 2010, 13 days with Dr Geoffrey Summers
Tour Manager: Terry Richardson | Availability: Singles Last one| Doubles Last one
Introduction
The dramatic landscapes between the Black Sea and Lake Van includes mountain ranges and fertile plateaux, wherein lies the snow-capped peak of the highest extinct volcano in eastern Anatolia - Mount Ararat. The name is a derivation of Urartu, an ancient kingdom which wielded great power over a huge highland territory from the Early Bronze Age until the political and military upheavals of the later 1st millennium BC.
The Urartians are an intriguing people about whom little was known until relatively recently. They managed their inhospitable terrain by extending cultivation with the use of dams and irrigation canals, and produced wine at an extraordinarily early date, as demonstrated by both inscriptions and the huge storage jars found in their strongly fortified citadels. We visit a number of the latter, spectacularly situated.
The kingdom was taken by the Armenians, whose conversion to Christianity in AD301 by St Gregory the Illuminator brought a new religious landscape to the region, as did the Seljuk and Ottoman Turks in their turn.
Our journey finishes at the glorious Lake Van, with time to explore its islands and surroundings. Previous guests have found this journey to be exceptionally beautiful, through an area of Turkey which lies far beyond the itineraries of most tourists.
Itinerary
Day One
Fly to Trabzon and drive to hotel.
Day Two
A day in Trabzon, ancient Trapezos, to where Xenophon marched in 401BC with his 10,000 from the Zigana Pass en route westward, as recoded in his Anabasis. The city became rich and powerful after the Fourth Crusade, in the 15th century, when two brother, Alexios and David Comenos took control. Many rich churches were built, and we visit the Church of Ayia Sofia, with fine late Byzantine murals, and the citadel.
Day Three
The dramatically situated Sumela Monastery dates from the 6th century, although most visible remains are 13th and 14th. It was hastily abandoned in 1923, when Christian and Muslim populations were separated in Turkey and Greece, and it deteriorated greatly, but recent restoration work has been carried out. We continue over the Zigana Pass and along the old silk road to Erzurum, the highest city in Turkey.
Day Four
Erzurum, for the Cifte Minare Medrese, a 13th century mosque, and the archaeological museum, with some fine Urartian pottery. Continue to Kars, a town original founded by the Armenians, and briefly their capital until this transferred to Ani. Its terraces of belle epoque houses date from the end of the 19th century, when it was held by the Russian Tsar.
Day Five
Ani, the former capital of Bagratid Armenia, is a natural fortress, defended on two sides by deep ravines, and with built fortifications of sandstone and volcanic rock to the north. The resulting shape of the medieval city is triangular, and includes some impressive remains, including a Cathedral, a Citadel, and the Church of the Holy Apostles. The 13th century Church of St Gregory the Illuminator followed the Orthodox rather than the Gregorian rite, and still has some fine frescoes.
Day Six
Drive to Dogubayazit, a town, castle and palace, with a fine view of Mount Ararat, seen from the highway to Iran. The castle probably originated in the 4th century AD, but was substantially rebuilt inthe medieval period. There is a fine Urartian rock relief to the west of it which can be seen from afar. We visit the nearby 17th century Ishak Pasha Palace.
Day Seven
Wonderful views this morning of Ararat and the ancient lava flows from the crater as you leave Dogubayazit. Continue to the Medieval city of Ahlat with monumental tombs (kumbets) and elaborately decorated gravestones, largely of the Mongol period. Continue to Tatvan Fortress.
Day Eight
Drive up to the volcanic crater rim of Nemrut Dag, overlooking the west end of Lake Van. NB this is not the site of the famous Commagene statues, but another mountain of the same name (the name means ‘Mountain of Nimrud’, the legendary hunter). Continue around the south shore to visit the famous 10th century Akhtamar Island Church with Old Testament scenes in relief, including David and Goliath. On to Van.
Day Nine
The impressive Urartian fortress of Sarduri II (c 767 - 735BC) at Çavustepe, made with exceptionally fine limestone masonry. Drive on to the medieval castle of Hosap (Guzelsu) and bridge. Urartian sites at Upper and Lower Anzaf.
Day Ten
Uniquely preserved Urartian temple in fortress of Rusa II (c 685-645BC) at Ayanis, with excavations currently directed for the Aegean University of Izmir. Mehr Kapisi in Van -an Urartian rock inscription listing offerings to gods and goddesses.
Day Eleven
Long (c1.5 hours) and beautiful boat trip to Carpanak Island, with the remains of a Monastery of St John, founded in 1414 and heavily restored during the early 18th century.
Day Twelve
Van Citadel and old city including museum.
Day Thirteen
Fly to Van to London via Istanbul.
Included
WHAT’S INCLUDED
- Scheduled flights from London to Trabzon; Van to London (via Istanbul)
- Transfers private coach provided to coincide with group flights
- Local Travel Private a/c coach.
- Meals All meals included, drinks (except water) are not.
- Guide Lecturer Not to be confused with "guest lecturers"! The guide lecturer will be with you from breakfast to supper, and probably even a drink in the bar afterwards. There is the occasional site where they may not be allowed to guide because of local regulations (we normally manage to circumnavigate these) but otherwise the guides are just that. They will have been chosen because of specialist knowledge and their ability to communicate and interest you. After 24 years of making tours worldwide, we are highly appreciative of the attributes of a good guide, and intensely critical of people who do not possess them. If you would like to know more about Dr Geoffrey Summers, please click his name.
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Tour Manager We never know how best to call the very special people whom we choose to accompany you on your tour. They are usually employed in this capacity only by us, and have been trained to do things in the Andante way - unobtrusive, friendly and quietly efficient.
- Local Guide
- Fieldnotes written for the tour
- Entry & tips Entry to all sites in programme; tips included.
Flights & Visa
Airline and schedules to be confirmed when available
Visa and Passport Requirements (for British passport holders only)*
Note: Visa obtained on arrival upon presentation of £10 note.
Passport should be valid for at least 6 months on entry to Turkey
Hotels
2 nights in a hotel in Trabzon, best available;
1 night in a vast but comfortable hotel in Erzurum;
2 nights in a hotel in Kars, best available;
1 night in a newly opened and comfortable hotel in Dogubeyazit;
1 night in a rather basic hotel in Tatvan;
5 nights in a hotel in Van, best available
Reading List
This list is no more than a guide to some books that you may find useful to read in advance of the tour. Talks given on the tour will attempt to fill in the background to what we are seeing, so no prior knowledge or pre-tour cramming is expected or needed. In many cases, we expect that you will find some of these books even more interesting and useful to read once the tour is over.
Please note: We shall be providing you with a set of field notes to accompany your study tour. These will be sent to you before departure with your air tickets and final travel details. Some volumes are hard to obtain.
Travel books
We recommend to you a publishing company with a mission to keep the classic works of travel literature in print. Eland and Sickle Moon Books produce an excellent catalogue of travellers' literature, old and new.
0207 833 0762 - www.travelbooks.co.uk - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Archaeology books
Oxbow Books, based in Oxford, are suppliers of probably the biggest range of archaeology and history books. They produce a quarterly catalogue, and can be contacted on
01865 241 249 - www.oxbowbooks.com - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
General
Darf Publishers Ltd - specialises in good quality facsimile reprints of out-of-print and rare books written in the 18th and 19th centuries, predominantly books on the geography, culture, history, literature and theology of the Middle East and North Africa. 0207 431 7009 www.darfpublishers.co.uk
Book Now
Price and confirmed details for this tour will appear in our full 2010 brochure due out in October 2009. You can reserve a place on this tour before October on payment of a deposit. If you then change your mind, we will refund your deposit in full.
