YOUR JOURNEY THROUGH TURKEY
Anatolia’s Silk Road: Mardin & Şanlıurfa: Honey-Stone Cities & the World’s Oldest Sanctuary
A 7-Day Handcrafted Journey Across Mesopotamian Plains, Göbekli Tepe & Silk Road Artisans
Destination Overview
Embark on an unforgettable 7-day luxury journey through deep southeastern Turkey — from the honey-stone city of Mardin overlooking the Mesopotamian plain to Şanlıurfa’s Göbekli Tepe, the oldest known monumental structure on Earth. This slow-travel journey blends silence, deep history and near-zero tourism. Designed for the cultured slow traveller.
Best period
From April to June, September to October
Ideal duration
7 Days
Airport
Mardin (MQM) / Şanlıurfa (GNY)
Transfer
Executive Master Chauffeur Fleet & Private Regional Transfers.
Your Tour
Indicative price range
9000 – 17000 USD per person
What's Included
6 nights in hand-selected heritage sanctuaries (Kırklar Kasrı Mardin & Boutique Heritage Hotel Şanlıurfa)
Gourmet Full Board: Daily breakfasts, family-hosted regional lunches & fine-dining Halal Mesopotamian gastronomy
Executive Mobility Fleet: Chauffeur-driven luxury vehicles throughout all regional land transfers
Dedicated private archaeologist, art historians, and native Anatolian heritage experts throughout
Mardin & Midyat Curations: Private old town stone-architecture walk, Deyrulzafaran Monastery & telkari silver-filigree workshop
Göbekli Tepe & Silk Road Expeditions: Private uncrowded access to Göbekli Tepe alongside a specialist archaeologist, Balıklıgöl & Zeugma Mosaic Museum
24/7 Elite Logistics: Dedicated concierge support throughout the entire journey
The price indicated below is for informational purposes only. Prices depend on various factors. The final price of your handcrafted journey will be curated by our Travel Designers on your personalized quote.
YOUR JOURNEY THROUGH TURKEY
7 Days Through Ancient Mesopotamia & Anatolia’s Silk Road
Journey through southeastern Türkiye, where some of the world’s oldest civilizations left their mark across timeless landscapes. From the honey-coloured streets of Mardin and centuries-old monasteries to the archaeological wonder of Göbekli Tepe and the cultural traditions of Şanlıurfa and Gaziantep, every experience reveals a deeper chapter of human history. Designed for travellers with a passion for archaeology, heritage, and authentic cultural discovery.
Day 1
Arrival in Mardin
You arrive in Mardin, a city of honey-coloured stone stacked up a hillside above the vast Mesopotamian plain — a place that has watched the same horizon for a thousand years. Settled into a restored stone mansion in the old town, you take the first evening in the lanes as the light turns the whole city gold and the plain below fades into dusk.
Day 2
Mardin’s Architecture
With a historian you walk the Artuqid and Ottoman architecture — the carved madrasa terraces, the fifth-century monastery on the plain’s edge, seen as architecture and history — and visit the workshop of a silversmith practising the ancient craft of telkari, silver drawn into filigree thread. The plain of Mesopotamia lies below the whole day, the oldest inhabited landscape on earth.
Day 3
The Region
A day into the country around Mardin — Midyat, with its carved stone courtyard houses, and a traditional meal shared with a local family, the food of a region where cultures have overlapped for millennia. It is the kind of day that can’t be rushed and isn’t.
Day 4
To Ancient Edessa
A scenic drive west to Şanlıurfa — ancient Edessa, city of the sacred pools, where legend says Abraham was born. You walk the old bazaar of coppersmiths and kilim traders and the courtyards of the carp pools, a city that has been holy to three faiths and is read here as living history.
Day 5
Göbekli Tepe
The reason you came. Early, before anyone else, with an archaeologist, you stand before Göbekli Tepe — carved stone pillars raised eleven and a half thousand years ago by people who had not yet invented agriculture or writing, the oldest monumental architecture ever found. It is a place that makes the pyramids seem recent, and the silence around it is unlike anything else.
Day 6
Gaziantep
A day in Gaziantep, a city that has fed armies and merchants along the Silk Road for millennia. The mosaic museum holds Roman floors of astonishing delicacy pulled from a drowned city; the copper bazaar rings with hammers; and a master shows you how the city’s famous baklava is layered and baked. Craft, history and food, all in one day.
Day 7
Departure
A final southeastern morning before your master chauffeur provides an executive transfer to the airport for your onward flight.
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