A first-timers guide to Eastern Turkey

Stuck in London and longing for a foreign, adventurous experience, I was drawn to the allure of far Eastern Turkey. Everyone I knew who had been to Turkey had simply completed a loop of Istanbul, Cappadocia and the Lycian coast (an amazing experience i might add but not exactly what I wanted to achieve). Striving to explore a more “off the beaten track” experience, I was originally drawn to the ancient mausoleum of Nemrut Dagi. An astonishingly spectacular 1st century BC tomb perched on top of a remote peak within the Taurus Mountains.

Once I started to research Nemrut Dagi, I found myself looking around at what else was on offer in this interesting and historically significant part of the world, that I had heard little about. Wondrous archaeological discoveries, medieval castles, beautiful nature and so much more. Once I set my mind on exploring Eastern Turkey, I was disappointed to find much in the way of itinerary’s or well put together information to assist me. In fact, the Lonely Planet Guide I bought in Istanbul did not cover the Eastern side at all. So, I thought that I should share my thoughts and experiences here, for anyone looking for a fantastic adventure through an enchanting, and historical part of the wonderful country that is Turkey.

Getting there

For most, a venture into Eastern Turkey will begin with a flight from Istanbul. There are numerous airports you can fly to throughout Eastern Turkey (most popular are Gaziantep, Urfa, Van and Kars). I chose to start my trip at Nemrut Dagi (the place that had initially piqued my interest) arriving at the airport in Adiyaman.

Years of travel experience under

my belt, I got off to a rough start in Turkey. In an incredibly rookie mistake, I mixed up the date of my midnight flight and ended up spending a night sleeping on the floor of Istanbul airport. but after a restless night on the cold tiles and occupying myself for 24 hours we were away.

Nemrut Dagi

Once in Adiyaman I was lucky to be able to book a transfer to my hostel the Karadut Pension (which is about as close as you can stay to the famous mausoleum) through them. Other

options of how to reach Mount Nemrut are booking tours which will take you from any of surrounding cities such as Kahta, Gaziantep, Sanilurfa or many others. However, for those looking for a more inexpensive option you can find a dolmus (turkish minibus locals use) to Kahta then another towards Karadut And walk from there. Unfortunately, there is no public transport up to Nemrut Dagi itself, you can organise a ride through a driver or your hotel, get your own vehicle, or strap in for a long walk. Having already wasted 12 hours at Istanbul Airport, and not wanting to miss the sunset I opted for the easy option.

After paying an entry fee of about 20 Lira, it is about a 10-minute walk up a rough path to the Eastern Terrace. Beyond that a couple more minutes is the Western. A tip for photographers; try and visit the site at both sunrise and sunset, as different sides of the mausoleum are spectacularly lit up during the respective golden hours (For more tips on photographing Nemrut Dagi click here). After the sun sets I found the park closes quite abruptly, with guards giving you notice that it is time to leave.

Sanilurfa

After Nemrut Dagi, I travelled to Sanilurfa to see the world famous excavation of Göbeklitepe. To get from Nemrut Dagi to Sanilurfa you can catch a Dolmus (bus) to Khata, then swap there to a Dolmus to Sanilurfa. I though was lucky enough to have befriended a Turkish traveller at my hostel that was driving to Sanilurfa on the same day as me and let me tag along (this was a common occurrence on my trip and a credit to the incredible hospitality of the Turkish people).

Travelling in a car, and with a fellow traveller, was a stroke of good luck, because it allowed me the opportunity to stop and see some unexpected and truly incredible, lesser known sites along the way. We stopped at the Cendere Bridge, the Kahta Castle and The Ancient City of Arsameia,

I couldn’t recommend it enough. This experience made me wish I had hired a car or motorbike to drive the route and allow me to explore more as a lot were not on the usual sightseeing maps or dolmus routes. For many of these sites we were the only visitors for miles. Personally, when I return, I am planning to rent a vehicle and spend 3 days just exploring this astonishing region.

After exploring and sightseeing all day, we finally decided to head onto Göbeklitepe, stopping at a roadhouse outside of Siverek for a lovely meal.

Once at Göbeklitepe it is a fairly straight-forward experience. You just buy your ticket and a bus will take you to the excavation site. The site itself is now covered in a large white dome tent, and upon arrival you follow the other visitors on your bus around the perimeter of the site, along a newly erected boardwalk. It is important I point this out, as this is a relatively new part of Göbeklitepe

and a lot of the current marketing images depict open air ruins exploration. Whilst I was disappointed by the lack of photographic opportunities, I understand that it is necessary to keep people at a distance to preserve such a historic site. For those without a personal means of transport, there are constant public buses from Sanilurfa to Göbeklitepe running regularly.

Sanilurfa is an incredible city. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit hesitant staying there, seeing the cities name appear in the news about it being a place where people were smuggled through to Syria during the height of ISIS’ power. Any fears, or nerves I had were immediately taken away when I arrived. Sanilurfa is a beautiful city, filled with culture and kind people. I spent my evening exploring the large bazaar. Having just arrived from tourist-centric Istanbul, I found this bazaar a refreshingly genuine shopping spot for locals, giving me insight into the daily life in this Eastern Turkish city. After curiously wondering the streets for hours I found somewhere that smelled good, and enjoyed a cheap and delicious meal amongst the locals.

The next morning I explored the Balikligol and its gorgeous surrounds before heading towards the Castle Urfa and enjoyed a wondering view over the city. During the night I made friends with a fellow traveller at my hostel, who let me tag along with him to visit the famous beehive houses of Harran.

Harran was an interesting experience. It was not at all what I expected, to be entirely honest, and felt like a tourist trap to guilt travellers into buying everything in sight. Whilst this soured my experience a bit, the historical sites were remarkable, and I had some very insightful discussions with a local about the effects of the Syrian War on the region.

Mardin

From Sanilurfa, I caught a dolmus from the bus terminal to the medieval city of Mardin. Mardin is a stepped, medieval city along the Syrian border, and quite an interesting stop on my journey. It is fast becoming a popular tourist destination for Turkish locals, and the few tourist catered shops popping up on the main street still look quite out of place in the otherwise very traditional city.

As of 2021 there was still a noticeable military presence, and you are unable to visit the castle that rests spectacularly above the town, as it is utilised as a military base. Apart from that, Mardin is full of amazing history, dotted throughout the rat warren of streets and tunnels. To say it is easy to get lost here would be an understatement.

The twisting, turning and ducking you must do to wander the street tends to leave you dizzy and slightly disoriented.

In the morning, the streets are swept by a man and his donkey, and the sight of a person riding their horse through the cobblestone alleys I soon realised, was common. I think it is important I note, that Mardin is where I found myself struggling the most with language barriers. I was quite reliant on google translate for almost every interaction and conversation I had.

After a few days enjoying exploring the street and surrounds of Mardin, I was able to find a bus to take me to Van. I wanted to note here that given my short timeframe I moved on straight to Van, but if you have more time I would recommend a trip to the ruins of Dara, accessible once again by Dolmus, based on what I have heard and seen, and if you posses more time and flexibility then i did a visit to the towns of Diyarbakır, Bitlis and Tatvan on your way towards Van.

Van

I can confidently say, Van was my favourite city I visited on this trip. In stark contrast from the other Eastern Turkish cities I has visited so far, Van felt uniquely European in an area that had been quite traditionally Islamic in nature. Young people lined the streets at night, and couple publicly displayed affection, holding hands in public without any discouraging or a second-glance.

Geographically, you are beginning to enter Kurdistan proper, and the kindness and openness of the locals was almost comical and all-encompassing.

I arrived at the hostel I had booked in advance to be welcomed by a construction site. After some discussion I was told that the hostel was not currently open, and evidently, under construction. Frustratingly I followed up a refund through Expedia and was recommended by the site workers another option.

I spent the night taking in the sights of the city, enjoying the change in atmosphere and feel of this unique town. In the morning I set off on a dolmus to the ferry that would take me to Akdamar island. The ferry to Akdamar does not run on a set timetable, but instead sets off once enough people are aboard. This can be frustrating, and lead to a lot of waiting around. I personally was waiting for almost 3-hours for the boat to be full enough to depart. However, the wait was entirely worth it. Once you arrive the landscape is stunning, you have almost entirely free run to explore the remarkable, ancient Armenian church in the middle of Lake Van.

That evening I caught the dolmus back to Van just in time to make it to Castle Van before sunset. The sight is not entirely signed, so I got lost trying to find the main entrance. Asking some locals about the entrance and path, I soon realised I had been directed to the local path where a lot of people from the town sit and hang out for free after work, which was an amazing addition to the experience itself.

Doğubeyazıt

The next morning, I went to the Bus Terminal again to head to Doğubeyazıt to see the famous Ishak Pasha Palace. Once in Doğubeyazıt I first set out finding some cheap accommodation, sometimes you will find that booking online in advance is not super easy, and asking for recommendations once you arrive is a much better, and cheaper option. I negotiated some transport to the Ishak Pasha Palace with my hostel. Whilst it is not an overly long distance away I had been warned by many others that there were dangerous wild dogs along the road and even told multiple times to take a big stick with me if I was attempting the walk alone….

The Palace is staggering, perched atop jagged mountains, overlooking the valley below. It was truly one of the most impressive things I have ever seen. After exploring the inside of the Palace, I recommend heading up on the hills behind to get a glorious view that has become synonymous with the site itself. While there are no explicit signs, I will warn you not to fly a drone. I was flying mine when a few people came to talk to me. I couldn’t understand them and my google translate was running slower than I could keep up, but eventually my translate picked up the sentence, “If you don’t take that down we will shoot it down”. Needless to say I learnt my lesson.

I would have loved to stay in Doğubeyazıt longer, but I was off the next day to my final stop of Kars.

Kars

Kars is famous, as a jumping off point to see the ruins of the ancient Armenian capital of Ani. The town itself is also worth spending some time in the town itself.

As you start to head north, towards the black sea, the landscape becomes noticeably more green and lush. The main sites within the city of Kars, is the medieval castle and the town square. Both are easy to explore by foot from anywhere in the town.

Unfortunately, as far as I could find out online and discussing with hostel staff, the only way to visit Ani was via a taxi. The cheapest way to organise, is to go with a group, and find other travellers at your hostel, and split the costs between you. Once you are out at Ani, you are free to explore. It is an astonishingly large open field right on the Armenian border, dotted with amazing ruins, some in better condition than others.

This was definitely an amazing way to end my journey through Eastern Turkey and summed up

the amazing historical and cultural nature of this wonderful part of the world.

The next morning, I walked from my hostel to the airport to board my flight back to Istanbul, then onto London (my home at the time) ending my Turkish adventure. My biggest piece of advice I can offer for any travellers like me, looking to experience this area for the first time, would be to let people help you. The amount of times I was lost, confused, or struggling with language difficulties and a well-meaning local would come to my aid and help me with no personal gain in mind, was lovely. It is something that is talked about anywhere you read about Turkey and its neighbours in the Middle East, but I still did not expect the extent of hospitality I experienced from the locals. The sites were amazing, but it was the people that truly made my trip so special. Whether it was spontaneous rides, free food, or just people wanting to practice their English through conversation, it was a memorable experience of being welcomed, that I will never forget.