This 7-night and 8-day tour explores the history, archaeology and culture of the fascinating region of north-east Turkey. From gorgeous Lake Van we journey through magnificent mountain scenery to the Eastern Anatolian plain passing by Mount Ararat, Turkey’s highest peak, to finish at the Black Sea coast at Trabzon. On the way we admire atmospheric Byzantine monasteries and churches, Ottoman mosques, madrassas and palaces, and Urartian citadels all set within the vibrant modern culture of the modern Turkish nation. This is an exciting opportunity to visit the remote Georgian churches of Tao-Klarjeti and the remarkable lost Armenian city of Ani.

This is a region of incredible diversity with traces of intriguing cultures, both past and present, including Urartians, Byzantines, Ottomans, Zazas, Kurds, Armenians and Georgians. Set within the breathtaking scenery of Turkey’s most spectacular region it is a tour of contrast and discovery

The history of northeast Turkey is marked by a host of differing kingdoms which move on and off the stage like actors. The first organised historically attestable kingdom in the region is the Hayasa-Azzi who came into conflict with the Hittite Empire to the west in the 14th century BC. Within a century the kingdom had been absorbed by the Hittites. In the southern part of the region the Kingdom of Urartu flourished between the 9th century BC and 585 BC with its capital at Tushpa (Van). The kingdom is known for its formidable fortresses and cuneiform writing. Urartu gradually succumbed to the growing power of Assyria and then the Iranian Medes who eventually extended their hegemony over most of the area. By the 6th century BC a new regional superpower, the Achaemenid Empire, had extended its control over the whole of Anatolia. Between 334 and 331 BC the Empire was decisively conquered by Alexander the Great ushering in the westward expansion of the Kingdom of Armenia which ruled the area up to the Euphrates by the 1st century AD. In 387 AD the western part of the Kingdom became part of the Roman Empire which ruled – in the guise of its Byzantine successor – until its conquest by the Seljuk Turks in the 13th century. The dominant religion of north-east Turkey has been Islam ever since. A rump Byzantine court ruled from Trabzon until 1461 when the Ottomans conquered the area. Ottoman rule continued until the modern Republic of Turkey was created in 1923 ending warfare between Russian, Armenian and Turkish armies over the region.