Exploring the Black Sea and Eastern Turkey
This program may
be consider in two chapters; Black sea and Eastern Anatolia. These are two
diverse regions in terms of landscape, etnic variety, food etc. The drive from
Rize to Kars via Artvin/Hortum Valley is like a trip between different
dimensions. Often reminds me of transmitting people from the planet to
Enterpriser in Star Trek. Along the Black Sea Coast, we will explore the
ancient monasteries, alpine mountains, lakes, evergreen lush Black Sea tea plantations,
hazelnut groves, yaylas(high pastures), wooden homes, bag pipe, rich folklore
and jokes. Then we sneak into the eastern borders of Turkey where where
Turkish, Georgian, Armenian, Caucausian, Kurdish, Arabic, Persian cultures
clush on the volcanic highlands.
Day 1: Istanbul to Trabzon:
Arrive in
Trabzon. Check in to our hotel, and enjoy a superb welcome dinner.
Day 2: Trabazon
Formerly
Trebizond and in ancient times Trapezus, is a busy, modern provincial capital.
Visitors reared on stories of the peacock brilliance of the Comneni and expecting to find the
remains of their glittering places will be disappointed. The Towers of
Trebizond, Rose Macaulay’s ‘fabled city' is in the past now, but there is still
a lot of charm and an original character here to impress the visitor.
Sumela Monastery and the Hagia Sophia Church are
the highlights of the day.
Sumela Monastery
According to an ancient tradition Sumela Monastery was established c 386 by
two monks
from Athens, Barnabas and Sophronius. In his dream Barnabas was told by the Blessed Virgin to found a monastery in her honour in the Pontus. He and his companion were guided by a famous icon, the Panayia Atheniotissa, which it was believed had been painted by St Luke, to a cave sited near a spring high up on Mount Mela. The monastic settlement was known as Panagia tou Melas, Our Lady of the Black Mountain. In time, this became Soumelas in the Pontic Greek dialect.
Trabzon’s most
renowned monument is the magnificent Church of Haghia Sophia, which stands on a
high terrace overlooking the
Black. After the Latin invason to Constantinople in 1204, Komneni Dynasty has
escaped to Trabzon and established the Komneni Kingdom and built this church, referring
the glorious Hagia Sophia Church of Justinian in Constantinople. The
restoration of Haghia Sophia and its priceless works of art is now complete and
it is open to the public as a national monument, recreating something of the
past grandeur of the past of Trabzon.
Day 3 Uzungol
(Long Lake)
Trabzon and
eastwards is always known with its “yayla”s (highlands), where one can see the
all tones of green, beautiful wooden houses, the most picturesque villages,
mystically grazing cows in the mist. Uzungol, often disappears in the mist, one
great spot, the most glandour of all yayla villages. We hike around the lake
and the village and stay one of the local wooden inns.
Day 4-5 Rize/Ayder
Today we drive
back to the coast and continue eastwards toward Rize, the tea capital of
Turkey. We go up to the famous yayla of Rize called Ayder, where many trekkers
and mountaineers approach the summit of Mt. Kackar. For two days we explore
very panoramic yaylas hamlets, with breathtaking views of Firtina(Thunder) Valley,
enjoy the incredible number of wildflowers, meet friendly Laz or Hemsinli
people, may coincide a gentlemen playing “tulum” ( Turkish Bagpipe – Were celts
around here? Yes they were.)
Of course, during
our Black Sea expedition we taste the famous local dishes, trout in famous
black sea butter, honey, muhlama, hamsi (national fish in this area – a myth),
kaygana (omlet with hamsi). (Did you know that in Black Sea area they have
parfume made of hamsi and tea)
Day 6 Artvin:
After our morning hikes, including spectacular castles and waterwalls, in the afternoon, we drive to Artvin, a small city on Georgian border, on hilltops like a falcon crest. Artvin area accommodates 4 national park, which are among the ecological hotspots of the world.
Day 7: Kars
We drive through
the one of the most beautiful gorges from Artvin to 6000 feet Kars. This is the
passage from Black Sea to the east of the world. Little is known about the
early history of Kars, but it seems likely that it attracted settlers from the
earliest times. In AD 961 the Bagtarid kingdom of Kars was founded by Mushegh,
the brother of Ashot III, the Merciful, (951-977) who had made Ani his capital.
The Bagtarid dynasty came into being in 806, when Ashot Bagratuni was
recognised as prince of Armenia by the Abbasid Caliph Harun ar-Raschid. The
Bagdarit continued to rule until the mid 11C when, weakened by the attacks of
the Byzantines and the Seljuks, they disappear from history. In 1053 the
Seljuks Turks attacked Kars and in 1064 the city was taken by Alp Arslan.
It is an amazing fact that in 1950s there
was an opera house, local culture centres for improvised music and drinking tea
in Kars. Now there is not much of it left, but it is still an amusing and poor
city. Kars is the home of the impressive Armenian site called Ani, which is the
highlight of the day.
Day 8: Dogubayazit is
the last town of any size before the Turkey-Iranian border. Sited on a plain
1800m above sea-level it is wreathed in dust clouds in summer and racked by icy
winds in winter. A place of few attractions, it is just a convenient centre for
visiting one of the most attractive and most exotic buildings in Turkey, Ishak Pasa
Sarayi, and for exploring the bleak, fascinating, countryside around Mount
Ararat.
Dogubayazit owed
its importance in the past to its proximity to a trade route, which linked NW
Iran with the Black Sea port of Trabzon. It suffered severely during the 19C
wars with Russia and during the first World War, when it came under Russian
rule again. More recently it became a staging post for the long-distance
lorries which carry goods to and from Iran.
Day 9-10: Van is a hub to
explore the extensive amount of
historic relics of the Iron Age Urartu Civilisation, Seljuk and Ottoman Turks
and 10 century Bagdarit Armenian Kingdom. Our visits in van area
include, the unique Akdamar Church on Akdamar island, the 10 century Armenian
Church with the most exquisite stone carved exterior decoration, Urartu relics
in Van, which was the capital of Urartu Kingdom, and Hosap, Van Castle, one of
the best location on earth to watch the sunset, and maybe an opportunity the
see famous Van kilims and Van cats (indigenous to this area, with one yellow
and one blue eye)
Day 11 Istanbul
Return to
Istanbul. Have a farewell dinner and whatever you may wish.
Day 12 Transfer
to Airport.
DURATION : 12 days (11 nights)
STARTING POINT: Istanbul Airport
ENDING POINT: Istanbul Airport
GROUP SIZE : 2 to 12
DATES : July-October
Price includes :
* Best accommodation available.
* All bus, minibus and boat transportation in Turkey.
* All meals, bottled drinking water and all beverages,
beer, wine and other locally produced drinks.
* All entrance fees to museums and archeological sites.
* Certified professional guide.
does not include :
* All air fares to, from and within Turkey.
* Personal expenses such as drinks, laundry, tips.