Tur Abdin - For group leaders

Introduction

High on the plateau which waters the Euphrates and Tigris lie the Christian villages and monasteries of Tur Abdin. A border territory in Roman days between Rome and Persia today it is the end of Turkey and looks over Syria and Iraq. Despite a history of occupation and migration it is the centre for the dispersed Syrian Orthodox community throughout the world, and a centre of pilgrimage. In ancient times it flourished with unique styles of art and architecture, its churches resonating to St Ephrem’s hymns, some written in Nisibis on the southern edge of the area. Although Tur Abdin means ‘Mountain of the Servants’ (i.e. of God) it was not just the monks who defined its nature, but the determined faithfulness of the laypeople who still live amidst the rest of the Kurds, Arabs and Turkomen who have come to inhabit the area.

This tour is available for group of between 18 - 30 participants

Basic Itinerary

DAY ONE

Scheduled flight by Turkish Airlines departing from Heathrow airport. Dinner and overnight in our Istanbul hotel.

DAY TWO

Full day in Istanbul including visits to Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. Dinner and overnight in Istanbul hotel.

DAY THREE

Full day in Istanbul including a boat tour on the Bosphorus and visits to the Spice Market and St Saviour of Chora. Dinner and overnight in Istanbul hotel.

DAY FOUR

07:15 flight to Diyarbakir to visit the city and the churches of The Mother of God and St Peter. Visit Hasankeyf and then to Mardin. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.

DAY FIVE

Depart for the churches in the villages of Urnus and Kfarze, then on to the Monastery of the Mother of God in Hah and the ruins of several other churches. We will have lunch at the Monastery. After lunch we travel to Salah to visit the Monastery there and then on to the town of Midyat, with its characteristic Christian houses and churches, and finally to the ancient Mor Gabriel Monastery. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.

DAY SIX

This morning we depart for Nusaybin (ancient Nisibis). We visit the Church of St James (Mor Yakub), built in 359 and then we will walk to the Mor Augen Monastery, formerly a 'Nestorian' centre. Dinner and overnight at our Hotel.

DAY SEVEN

Today we visit the monastery of Deyrulzafaran (noon prayers). Return to Mardin to visit the church of the Forty Martyrs, the Kasimiye Medresse and the shopping streets. We depart in the late afternoon for Urfa (ancient Edessa). Dinner and overnight at Urfa.

DAY EIGHT

We visit the historic and holy sites of Urfa; crusader citadel, Abraham's Pools and Cave. In the Afternoon we visit Haran and then return to Urfa for dinner and an overnight stay.

DAY NINE

After breakfast we have time for shopping in Urfa. We then travel to Gaziantep, its citadel and old bazaar. We will also visit the museum there. Transfer to the airport for our flight to Istanbul. Dinner and overnight stay in Istanbul.