⛰️ Eastern Anatolia in Colour

ERZURUM

1 day · A high city, almost 2,000 metres up

1. Double Minaret Medrese (Çifte Minareli)

   A 13th-century Seljuk school with two fluted brick minarets, the symbol of the city.

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2. Yakutiye Medrese

   A Mongol-era school from 1310 with a tiled minaret, now a museum of Turkish arts.

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3. Cağ kebabı

   Lamb on a horizontal spit, cut onto small skewers. Erzurum's pride.

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4. Tortum Waterfall

   A big waterfall in a deep valley, 2 hours north.

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💡 Local tip: Palandöken, just above the city, is one of Türkiye's best ski resorts.

KARS & ANİ

2 days · Russian buildings, cheese and a ghost city

1. Ani

   The ruined medieval Armenian capital, once called the City of 1001 Churches, on a gorge at the border. A UNESCO site. Big, empty and beautiful.

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2. Kars Castle

   A castle on the rock above the city, with views over the old stone bridge.

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3. Baltic-style houses

   Kars was Russian from 1878 to 1918. Walk the grid of grey stone mansions in the centre.

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4. Çıldır Lake

   In winter it freezes. Ride a horse sleigh on the ice and eat fish caught through a hole.

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💡 Local tip: Buy Kars gravyer and kaşar cheese, and honey, to take home.

DOĞUBAYAZIT

1 day · Under Mount Ararat

1. İshak Paşa Palace

   A palace finished in 1784 on a rock shelf, mixing Ottoman, Persian and Armenian styles, with Mount Ararat behind it.

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2. Mount Ararat (Ağrı Dağı)

   Türkiye's highest mountain, 5,137 metres, a snow-covered volcano. Climbing needs a permit and a licensed agency.

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3. Durupınar site

   A boat-shaped rock formation that some believe is Noah's Ark. Visit for the legend and the view.

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VAN

2 days · The lake, the castle and the cats

1. Akdamar Island

   Take a boat from Gevaş to the Church of the Holy Cross (915–921), covered in carved Bible stories, on an island in the lake.

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2. Van Castle (Tuşpa)

   The Urartian royal fortress on a long rock by the lake, nearly 3,000 years old. Climb up for the sunset.

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3. Van breakfast street

   Van is the capital of Turkish breakfast: dozens of small plates, herb cheese (otlu peynir) and murtuğa.

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4. Van Cat House

   Meet the white Van cats with odd-coloured eyes, at the university's cat house.

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5. Muradiye Waterfall

   A waterfall with a little suspension bridge, 1 hour north-east.

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