Gobekli Tepe & Ancient Turkey Tour September 2022 - Gobekli Tepe, Karahan Tepe and Tas Tepeler Sites
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Megalithomania and Andrew Collins presents
GOBEKLI TEPE & KARAHAN TEPE TOUR
Ancient Turkey, 4 - 16 September 2022 (13 days)
Hosted by Andrew Collins, author of Gobekli Tepe: Genesis of the Gods, with Megalithomaniac Hugh Newman, author of Earth Grids and Stone Circles, and special guest from the USA, Jj Ainsworth, a leading authority on ancient symbolism.
The breath-taking plains and steppes of eastern Turkey, the traditional Garden of Eden or terrestrial Paradise, was the setting for the Neolithic revolution and the rise of civilization. We will visit some of the world's most exciting archaeological sites including Göbekli Tepe, the oldest stone temple complex and now a World Heritage Site, and Karahan Tepe, a newly excavated site from the same era, as well as numerous other Tas Tepeler sites that are currently under excavation. The new Urfa Archaeological museum has hundreds of artefacts from Gobekli Tepe, Nevali Çori and other pre-pottery neolithic sites. We also explore the ancient city of Harran, and Çatal Höyük, the world's first city. We visit the city of Konya, home of the Whirling Dervishes; Alaca Hoyuk and Hattusa that have incredible megalithic polygonal masonry similar to Peru, Sanliurfa, the ancient Christian city of Edessa, birthplace of Abraham; and the traditional area of the Garden of Eden, home of the Watchers and Nephilim of the book of Enoch, and the Annunaki of Sumerian myth and legend. We will also visit the huge underground city of Derinkiyu as well as the Fairy Chimneys of Cappadocia. Andrew, Hugh and Jj will be presenting evening lectures throughout the tour, plus they will be discussing theories and new research on site.
Turkey Tour Costs:
Main Tour: $4995 USD (meet Istanbul)
based on double occupancy
Single occupancy supplement: $700 USD
Tour deposit: $400 USD
Please email info@megalithomania.co.uk for more info
Pay $400 US deposit to confirm your place:
Single Supplement Y/N ?
Proposed Itinerary: subject to change
Day 1 - Sunday September 4th - Arrival Day
Arrive Istanbul, Overnight Istanbul. Pick up at airport & to hotel. In the evening Orientation and "Origins of Turkish Civilization" presentation by Andrew Collins.
Day 2 - Monday September 5th - Istanbul Old City
After breakfast, we will visit the Sultanahmet district, called the "historical peninsula". First we will visit Ottoman ruins and after that the Blue mosque, the most important mosque in Istanbul with its more than 20,000 handmade ceramic tiles and 200 stained glass windows. Visit Byzantine monuments including the St. Sophia Museum (Hagia Sophia, the former Byzantine Church) – the greatest example of Byzantine architecture. Then we will see the Basilica Cistern, which was the main water provider for "Constantinople", and we will also see the Byzantine Hippodrome where we will view beautiful obelisks and columns from the Egyptian, Greek, and Roman periods. Transfer to the airport for a flight to Ankara. Overnight in Ankara. B-L-D.
Day 3 - Tuesday September 6th - Ankara and Hattusa
After breakfast visit Anatolian Civilization Museum of Ankara , and see artefacts and reconstructions from Neolithic sites such as Catal Hoyuk. Lunch in Ankara. After lunch drive to the Hittite capital of Hattusa, c. 1800-1200 BC. Visit the massive city walls, Sphinx entrances, polygonal walls and polished green nephrite naval stone in the Great Temple dating from the age of the Hittite Empire (time for meditation at site). Hattusa was once the centre of the Hittite Empire, dating back to the late Bronze Age. Set in what were once rich agricultural fields and among scenic, rolling hills, the city has some fine examples of early ancient architecture. Originally the inner city was a vast array of temples and monuments, overlooked by the royal residence on the acropolis. An architectural masterpiece in its time, the city gateway was once adorned with reliefs of warriors, lions and sphinxes, framing four temples, each of which had their own courtyard. The city was destroyed, along with the Hittites themselves, in the 12th century BC. By the 20th century, the principal remains of Hittite inscriptions were found on over 10,000 tablets. B-L-D.
Day 4 - Wednesday September 7th - Alaca Hoyuk
Visit the magnificent ruins of Alaca Hoyuk, a Hittite city with origins dating back to the Chalcolithic or Copper Age. Visit the museum, and see the extraordinary polygonal walls, like those in Peru, Easter Island and ancient Egypt. Drive to Cappadocia, arriving at your hotel in Göreme, for a late dinner. B-L-D.
Day 5 - Thursday September 8th - Cappadocia
After breakfast walk through the Red Valley, followed by Ortahisar Castle which offers a magnificent panorama over the fairy chimneys of Hallacdere and the snowy peak of Mt. Erciyes. Lunch. Visit Uchisar natural castle and finally Goreme open air museum, capital of Turkey's eastern province of Cappadocia, with its lunar landscape dominated by conical rock towers known as Fairy Chimneys. These fairy chimneys were formed where the resistant rock remains protecting the underlying rock directly beneath it from erosion. The mineral-rich volcanic soil is excellent for growing fruit and vegetables, making Cappadocia a rich agricultural region. It has always been one of Anatolia's prime grape-growing areas, and still boasts many productive vineyards and wineries. The Bible's New Testament tells of Cappadocia, but in fact this part of central Anatolia has been important since Hittite times, long before the time of Jesus. After lunch we visit the enigmatic underground city of Derinkiyu, constructed perhaps as early as the last Ice Age. Derinkuyu Underground City is an ancient multi-level underground city of the Median Empire. Extending to a depth of approximately 60 m, it was large enough to shelter approximately 20,000 people together with their livestock and is the largest underground city in Turkey. Meals: B,L,D
Day 6 - Friday September 9th - Catal Hoyuk
Visit the Selime Rock Cathedral & Monastery en route to Konya. We continue on a drive towards Konya. Stop for lunch. Visit Çatal Höyük, The worlds oldest city, then return to Konya for a tour around its archaeological museum, with its spectacular Çatal Höyük exhibition. Overnight Konya. Meals: B,L,D
Day 7 - Saturday September 10th - Drive to Urfa
Drive to Sanliurfa (7 hours driving). Full day drive with stop off in Alanya Höyük and Sayburç (both 'Tas Tepeler' Sites en route will hopefully be visited if open to the public).Discussion and lectures on the bus journey. Dinner in local restaurant. B,L, D
Day 8 - Sunday September 11th - Urfa Museum and Karahan Tepe
Visit Urfa Archaeological Museum to see display of compelling exhibition of artefacts from Göbekli Tepe, Karahan Tepe and Nevali Cori, including the mysterious bone plaque with an artistic image of Gobekli Tepe discovered on our tour in September 2015, pictured below (see video here). We also see a full size reconstruction of the original site on display.
One of the most important parts of the museum is the Nevali Çori reconstruction, that was completly transported stone by stone from its original location to the museum. Also on display is the famous carved head with a Vedic looking serpent on the back of the head. See the Megalithomania film about the site below, that includes a visit to its original location, that has now been completely flooded by the Ataturk Dam.
Our journey continues eastwards into the Tektek Mountains where we will visit Karahan Tepe, Göbekli Tepe's sister site, where some of the most extraordinary discoveries anywhere in the world are being made at this time. We explore its astronomically aligned stone enclosures and see its estimated 250 T-shaped pillars. Many of the site's more portable carvings are now on display at Sanliurfa's archaeological museum. Hugh and JJ discovered a remarkable Winter Solstice Sunrise Alignment and you can watch the video here.
Both Hugh Newman and Andrew Collins have been visiting Karahan Tepe for many years and have developed a strong knowledge of its Pre-Pottery Neolithic culture. Now that it has been excavated, there are revelations here that could rewrite history. If possible we will visit the nearby Kecheli Hill, where Hugh and Andrew have previous investigated hypogeum caves and rock-cut features. Haverbetsuvan (a Ta? Tepeler site near Karahan) where T-shaped pillars hace been unearthed. B,L, D
Day 9 - Monday September 12th - Göbekli Tepe and Harran
Visit Göbekli Tepe, the world's oldest stone temple complex, constructed nearly 12,000 years ago, making it the oldest megalithic site on the planet. See its extraordinary rings of T-shaped standing stones with carved reliefs of birds, animals and other abstract forms. Learn its history and place in the origins of civilization.
Göbekli Tepe, the oldest place of worship in the world, is an archaeological site without equal. Prior to its discovery in 1994 and its subsequent excavation it was widely believed by anthropologists that religion evolved as a result of living in larger communities which was itself the result of the change from foraging to agriculture. However Göbekli Tepe has turned our theories of our own evolution on their head. The vast religious site dates from the hunter gatherer period and there is no evidence of any agriculture or even human habitation suggesting that it may have been the emergence of religion that lead us to civilisation and thus to agriculture. It is hard to overestimate the significance of this finding. The site contains a vast array of circular structures and huge pillars, some with beautiful limestone carvings of lions, foxes, snakes and birds, believed to be gatekeepers of the entrance to the next world. There are striking similarities to sites in Peru, Bolivia and Easter Island that Hugh has written about in an article on Graham Hancock's website (read article here). To date less than ten percent of the site has been excavated.
Visit also the ancient city of Harran, once the centre of Egypt's Hermetic tradition. See its ominous Astronomical Tower, citadel and local village, and take in one of the most atmospheric sites anywhere in the world. Mentioned in the book of Genesis, Harran is believed to have once been home to the Prophet Abraham. The site of the first Islamic university in Anatolia, Harran also boasts the remains of an 8th century mosque, a citadel and some 300 year old beehive mud homes. Meals: B,L, D
We will also visit the Pools of Abraham, and the birthplace of the great prophet. Urfa (a.k.a. Sanliurfa, "the prophet's city", or Edessa in ancient times) is the most spiritual city in East Turkey. It is a major centre for pilgrimage and its traditions are very much alive and well. The "Sanli-" part of its name (meaning "great" or "dignified") was awarded by the Turkish legislature in 1984 in recognition of the city's pivotal role in the Turkish war of Independence. Of particular note for visitors are Urfa castle (the current walls were constructed by the Abbasids in 814AD), the Pool of Sacred Fish where Abraham was thrown into the fire by Nimrod, the park of mosques, the market area and Urfa museum. B,L, D
Day 10 - Tuesday 13th September - Kurt Tepesi and Sefer Tepe
If possible we will visit two more pre-pottery Neolithic sites which are part of the 'Tas Tepeler' complex, Kurt Tepesi and Sefer Tepe both where T-shaped pillars have been found and are still under excavation. After leaving the area of Sanliurfa the tour group will journey onward to the beautiful ancient city of Mardin. B,L, D
Day 11 - Wednesday 14th September - Boncuklu Tarla and Mardin Town
In Mardin, this is where we visit various sites of historical and mystical importance. It will be a chance to comtemplate and reflect on what has been seen and experienced across the past two weeks before finally heading out to Bonkoklu Tarla and Kortik Tepe, two very important Tas Tepeler sites in the area. B,L, D
Day 12 - Thursday 15th September
After a relaxing morning we continue west for a sunsetvisit to Nemrut Dagi (Nimrod's Mountain), but on the way stop at Karakus Timulus and Cendere Bridge. Cendere Bridge is one of the world's oldest bridges still to be in use, constructed during the empire of Septimus Severus. Composed of 92 stones, each weighing around 10 tons, it is thought to be the second largest Roman bridge still in existence, spanning an impressive 122 metres. The bridge today appears as a simple, unadorned arch, but was originally decorated by four Corinthian columns dedicated to Septimus Severus and his wife. Mount Nemrut is the site of the original Tower of Babel and Mountain of God of biblical tradition. Gaze out over the terrestrial Paradise as enjoyed by the biblical patriarchs of the book of Genesis that is the perfect place to experience a sunrise or sunset. One of East Turkey's most spell-binding attractions at the peak of this mountain (at over 2000m) sit enigmatic statues of a pre-Roman king, Antiochus I Theos of Commagene, and the various gods he believed to be his ancestors. The views from the summit are sublime. (NOTE it is a 20-30 minute walk up steps to reach the summit). Farewell Dinner. Meals: B,L, D
Day 13 - Friday 16th September
Optional trip to Mount Nemrut for sunrise with additional cost for people who want to join. After breakfast travel to Adiyaman airport. Fly back to Istanbul for completion of tour. B. (flight included at 1.20pm, arrive in Istanbul 3.10pm)).
- All transportation on luxury coaches
- Two Domestic flights within Turkey
- Quality 4-Star, 5-Star and boutique Hotels
- English-speaking guides
- Entrances to sites and museums
- All VAT and local taxes
- All Breakfasts, Lunches & Dinners (Full Board)
Price does not include
- Visas
- Tips and items of personal nature
- Any meals or activities not included in the programme
- International Flights
Feedback from 'Origins of Civilization' Turkey Tour 2013 with guest host Graham Hancock
"It was a great trip"- Graham and Santha Hancock, UK
"It was a fabulous journey with the best of company!" - Anu Nagappa, India
"What a fabulous trip - one which we will be integrating into our minds for some time."
- Terry Fitzsimmons, USA
"Thanks for a great Megalithomaniac Tour! The whole group gelled together with a great positive energy in this wonderful adventure."
- Robert David, USA
"Had a great though exhausting time on the tour. It was wonderful to meet Graham and Santha and hear his lectures, also to have the opportunity to share Andrew's passion for and knowledge of so much of interest to me. Others on the tour were very interesting and such good company - it's so good to travel with like-minded souls. So impressed with Arda' efficiency and patience!! It was all really well organised and I'm sure everyone enjoyed it all." - Christine Levy, Australia
Feedback from 'Gobekli Tepe Mini-Tour' in September 2015
"Pat and I loved the Tour. We've never done anything like that before."
- Harold White, USA
"Thank you Hugh and Andrew for a fabulous tour. The thing i liked best was the quality time we got at Gobeki Tepe and with each of you sharing your extensive knowledge. It warmed my heart to see how utterly enthralled Andrew is with Gobekli Tepe e as if he had lived there in a prior life and was coming home. It is one thing to enjoy and appreciate a historical site, but Andrew is in rapture. And his enthusiasm enhanced my appreciation too. My sister and I look forward to another tour with your team."
- Colleen McGuire, USA
"Fantastic trip! Well organized with great guides and an fun group."
- Bob Patterson, USA
"Many thanks to You and Andrew for a great trip."
- Anthony Deleo, USA