Route: Kars – Iğdır – Doğubayazıt – Van – Ahlat – Bitlis – Diyarbakır – Elazığ – Tunceli – Kemaliye – Divriği – Sivas
Theme: Lost Armenian capitals, Urartian fortresses, Seljuk masterpieces & sacred mountain landscapes
This is a chronological-cultural journey across Eastern Anatolia’s most dramatic and least explored regions, following ancient trade corridors between the Caucasus, Mesopotamia, and Central Anatolia.
DAY 1 – Kars | Caucasian Frontier City
Arrival in
Visit:
Kars Citadel
Fethiye Mosque (former Armenian Cathedral)
Russian-era Baltic architecture district
Themes:
Armenian–Ottoman–Russian transitions
19th-century imperial geopolitics
Multicultural frontier identity
Overnight: Kars
DAY 2 – Ani | The Abandoned Medieval Metropolis
Excursion to:
(UNESCO)
Explore:
Cathedral of Ani
Church of St. Gregory
Seljuk Mosque of Ani
City walls above Arpaçay Gorge
Themes:
“City of 1001 Churches”
Silk Road prosperity & abandonment
Armenian Bagratid Kingdom
Return to Kars
DAY 3 – Iğdır & Ararat Plain
Visit:
Ararat plain villages
Karakale ruins (Urartian remains, if accessible)
Themes:
Noah’s Ark traditions
Urartian frontier settlements
Agricultural oasis in volcanic plains
Continue to Doğubayazıt
DAY 4 – Doğubayazıt | Palace on the Silk Road
Visit:
Old Beyazıt Mosque
Meteor Crater (optional
excursion)
Themes:
Ottoman–Persian border diplomacy
Kurdish emirates
High plateau caravan trade
Overnight: Doğubayazıt
DAY 5 – Van | Urartian Kingdom
Van Museum (Urartian artifacts)
Boat to Akdamar Island (Church of the Holy Cross)
Themes:
Urartian statecraft (9th–6th c. BCE)
Armenian medieval architecture
Lake Van trade networks
Overnight: Van
DAY 6 – Ahlat & Tatvan | Seljuk Tombstones & Volcanic Basin
