2002 Trip
Eastern & Central Anatolia

We started in the eastern provinces and headed west to end at the Aegean coast in Kuşadası. Adventurous Eastern Turkey, is a magnificent country with vast steppes and high mountains. It offers a magnificent scenery full of remains of ancient and lost civilizations. Among the highlights of this vacation were: the fairy-tale like castle of Ishak Pasha overlooking the vast plain at the foot of Mount Ararat, the ruins of the ancient Urartian civilization at Van, exotic mysterious Urfa, ancient Harran with its beehive houses, Mount Nemrut with its mysterious idols, the fairy chimneys of Cappadocia, and pieceful Lake Egirdir. Nature in Eastern Anatolia is splendid and unspoiled with landscapes one is never to forget. There are the vast steppes, the snow-capped top of Mount Ararat, the blue-green waters of the Van lake surrounded by snow-capped mountains and grazing herds of cattle.

Here's a detailed itinerary of the June 2002 travel:

1. Monday June 3: Flight TK1938 Brussels 12:25 - Istanbul 16:45
2. Tuesday June 4: Flight TK806 Istanbul 07:45 - Van 09:45, dolmuş to Doğubeyazit
3. Wednesday June 5: Stay at Doğubeyazit visit of İşak Paşa Saray
4. Thursday June 6: Dolmuş Doğubeyazit - Van, visit of Van Kalesi
5. Friday June 7: Stay at Van
   Visit by private car Hoşap Kalesi, Çavuştepe, and Akdamar island
6. Saturday June 8: Bus Van - Diyarbakır
7. Sunday June 9: Visit of Diyarbakır
8. Monday June 10: Visit of Mardin by taxi
9. Tuesday June 11: Bus Diyarbakir - Şanlı Urfa
10. Wednesday June 12: Guided visit of Harran
11. Thursday June 13: Bus Şanlı Urfa - Adiyaman
    Dolmuş to Kahta
    Afternoon and evenıng guided tour Mount Nemrut
12. Friday June 14: Kahta - Adiyaman - Kayseri - Göreme
13. Saturday June 15: Visit Cappadocia
14. Sunday June 16: Göreme - Konya - Eğirdir
15. Monday June 17: Stay at Eğirdir visit of Sagalassos
16. Tuesday June 18: Bus Eğirdir - Kuşadası
17. Wednesday June 19: Stay at Kuşadası
18. Thursday June 20: Stay at Kuşadası
19. Friday June 21: Stay at Kuşadası
20. Saturday June 22: Stay at Kuşadası
21. Sunday June 23: Stay at Kuşadası
22. Monday June 24: Flight Izmir - Istanbul Ataturk Airport, followed by Istanbul - Brussels