Walk the arc of civilisation from Göbekli Tepe’s 12,000-year-old pillars to the Hittite capital and the colossal god-kings of Mount Nemrut, camera always ready.
Expedition overview
This carefully paced expedition follows the birth of settled life and the rise of early states across the Anatolian heartland, from Ankara’s grand museum to the Mediterranean ruins above Antalya. You will photograph sunrise over the giant statues of Mount Nemrut, the first-light silence of Göbekli Tepe, the dazzling mosaics of Zeugma, and the painted Neolithic houses of Çatalhöyük. Travelling in a comfortable large coach with generous photo stops, an archaeologist guide brings each stone to life. Between the ruins, the famed kitchens of Gaziantep and Şanlıurfa make this a feast for every sense.
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1 – Ankara
Arrive in the capital and transfer to your hotel for a relaxed welcome. In the late afternoon we gather for an orientation and a first Anatolian dinner, setting the thematic arc from village to state. Evening at leisure to recover from travel.
Stay: Ankara Transfer: Arrival
Day 2 – Ankara
We begin at the superb Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, whose Neolithic, Hittite and Phrygian halls preview every site we will visit. After lunch we photograph the solemn colonnades and changing of the guard at Anıtkabir, Atatürk’s mausoleum. A first taste of the long human story written in stone.
Stay: Ankara Transfer: City day
Day 3 – Boğazkale (Hattusa)
Driving east into the rolling Yozgat highlands, we reach Hattusa, the UNESCO-listed Hittite capital. We walk the Lion Gate, the King’s Gate and the great temple terraces, then photograph the open-air sanctuary of Yazılıkaya with its procession of carved gods. Golden afternoon light makes the limestone reliefs glow.
Stay: Yozgat Transfer: Ankara → Yozgat
Day 4 – Kayseri / Cappadocia
We continue south to Kayseri beneath snow-capped Mount Erciyes, pausing for the volcanic landscapes and fairy chimneys at the edge of Cappadocia. Time for photography among the rock-cut valleys and a stop at a traditional Kayseri kitchen. Evening arrival in the old caravan city.
Stay: Kayseri Transfer: Yozgat → Kayseri
Day 5 – Adıyaman / Mount Nemrut
A scenic drive brings us to the foothills of Mount Nemrut, with stops at the Roman bridge of Cendere and the Commagene tumulus of Karakuş. We settle near the mountain and prepare cameras for tomorrow’s pre-dawn ascent. A relaxed dinner under southeastern skies.
Stay: Adıyaman Transfer: Kayseri → Adıyaman
Day 6 – Mount Nemrut → Şanlıurfa
Before dawn we climb to the 2,150-metre summit of Mount Nemrut to watch the sun rise over the giant toppled heads of gods and the king Antiochos. After a long photographic session we descend and travel to Şanlıurfa, the ancient city of prophets. Evening stroll through the atmospheric old bazaar.
Day 7 – Göbekli Tepe / Şanlıurfa
We reach Göbekli Tepe at first light to experience the world’s oldest known temple, its T-shaped pillars carved with foxes, boars and cranes some 12,000 years ago. Back in the city we visit the outstanding Şanlıurfa Archaeology Museum and the sacred carp pools of Balıklıgöl. A day at the very dawn of settled life.
Stay: Şanlıurfa Transfer: Şanlıurfa
Day 8 – Gaziantep
A short drive west brings us to Gaziantep and its world-famous Zeugma Mosaic Museum, home to the haunting ‘Gypsy Girl’ and acres of Roman mosaic. We explore the restored citadel and the copper-smiths’ bazaar, then sit down to one of Türkiye’s greatest cuisines. An evening of kebabs, mezze and pistachio baklava.
Stay: Gaziantep Transfer: Şanlıurfa → Gaziantep
Day 9 – Adana
Crossing into the Çukurova plain we arrive in Adana, where the Roman Taşköprü still spans the Seyhan river after eighteen centuries. We photograph the gleaming Sabancı Central Mosque, one of the largest in the region, and sample the city’s celebrated grilled cuisine. Riverside light makes for fine late-day images.
Stay: Adana Transfer: Gaziantep → Adana
Day 10 – Konya / Çatalhöyük
Climbing onto the Anatolian plateau we reach the UNESCO site of Çatalhöyük, the 9,000-year-old proto-city of mudbrick houses and wall paintings that marks humanity’s shift to urban life. In Konya we visit the turquoise-domed Mevlana Museum, shrine of the poet Rumi. A profound day linking first villages to spiritual states.
Stay: Konya Transfer: Adana → Konya
Day 11 – Sultanhanı / Antalya
En route south we stop at the magnificent Sultan Han, the largest Seljuk caravanserai in Anatolia, its stone portal a masterpiece of medieval craft. We then descend through the Taurus Mountains to the Mediterranean coast at Antalya. Evening at leisure in the harbour-side old town of Kaleiçi.
Stay: Antalya Transfer: Konya → Antalya
Day 12 – Antalya
On our final morning we visit the Roman city of Perge with its colonnaded street and stadium, and the astonishingly preserved theatre of Aspendos. A last walk through Kaleiçi’s old town and the rich Antalya Museum rounds out the civilisational arc before airport transfers. We end at the sea, where Anatolia’s stories meet the Mediterranean.
Stay: —Transfer: Departure