7-Day Mesopotamia Biblical Tour from Mersin with Göbeklitepe

• Meet your tour guide at the airport or your hotel in Mersin (or Tarsus), then depart for Tarsus in the southern part of Turkey.
• Visit the homeland of St. Paul, including St. Paul's Well, a textile atelier, the ancient Roman road, St. Paul Church, and Prophet Daniel's Tomb.
• Enjoy a lunch break in Tarsus and learn about the Şahmaran, or master of snakes, legend, which is very popular there.
• Drive to Adana city.

Overnight in Adana.

• Check out and drive for a sightseeing tour of Adana and Çukurova. If time permits, visit one of the ancient city ruins called Anavarza.
• Stop for a lunch break and then drive to Antioch for about 3 hours.
• Visit Payas Castle, a castle built by Crusaders on the way to Jerusalem, and its surroundings en route. Reach your hotel around 5 pm.

Overnight in Antioch.

• Start in the very southern part of Antioch in the morning. Your first visits will be to Roman-period heritage sites, including Titus Tunnel and Cradle Cave.
• Visit Moses' Tree and the sacred water called Ab-ı Hayat. Learn the stories about these places as well, and drink this healing water of life.
• Stop for a lunch break in Antioch city center. Then visit St. Pierre Church (St. Peter), Habibi Neccar Mosque, and the burial place of the three apostles of Jesus - Johannes, Pavlus, and Semun-safa.
• Walk through the longest bazaar of Antioch, called Uzun Çarşı. During the walk, try delicious cookies, snacks, desserts, and fresh bread from traditional wood fires. Antioch is also popular for its kağıt kebap dish and künefe dessert, and you will try them as well.

Overnight in Antioch.

• Check out and depart for the archaeological, or mosaic, museum of Antioch.
• Spend around 1.5 hours here, then drive to Gaziantep for about 3 hours. After reaching Gaziantep, stop for a lunch break in the city center and taste the delicious food of Gaziantep, whose gastronomy is considered the best in Turkey after Antioch.
• Visit Gaziantep Castle, which dates back to ancient periods. Then enjoy random walks around the old authentic bazaars of the old city. Take a tea or coffee break, especially for its famous tahmis coffee and baklava. Since the founder of baklava is from this city, you cannot miss trying its delicious baklava.
• Check into your hotel.

Overnight in Gaziantep.

• Check out from the hotel and drive to the

• Check out early and depart for a busy and full-day tour.
• Drive to Harran, a village of spellbinding mud-brick beehive houses, as mentioned in the Book of Genesis, where Abraham spent the last years of his life.
• Visit the ruins of Harran, including the city walls, the oldest Islamic university, and the castle dating back to the 18th century.
• Continue towards Karahantepe, a Neolithic excavation area similar to Göbeklitepe. Take a lunch break en route. Next, visit the tomb of Prophet Ayyub on the way. The drive to Mardin takes around 2 hours, followed by check-in at the hotel.

Overnight in Mardin.

• Check out and start the day at 8 am. Enjoy a panoramic walking tour of Mardin old town, including its back streets and passages, the old post office building, old bazaars, the Great Mosque of Mardin, Zinciriye Madrasa, the archaeology museum, and Kırklar Church. All of these places are explored on foot and panoramically. During the walk, you can also try the most popular snacks of the city en route.
• Stop for a lunch break at a restaurant where you can try the best local and traditional food of Mardin. After lunch, visit the most popular Deyrulzafaran Monastery of the Assyrian Christian population living in Mardin.
• Try their popular homemade wines. You will also have a chance to see the making of the city's most popular handicraft, telkari silverwork.
• Transfer for an evening flight back to İstanbul.