The Eastern Anatolia Region is the largest geographical region in Turkey. It covers 21 percent of Turkey with a surface area of 163,000 km2. It is adjacent to the Black Sea, Central Anatolian, the Mediterranean and the Southeastern Anatolia Regions. It also has borders with Georgia, Armenia, Nakhichevan, Iran and Iraq.

It is a city in South east of Turkey.   It is located on hill side of a little mountain around its famouscastle.   Most of the houses  were built with yellowish Stones…
The narrow old street  curve in the town. There are many  old buildings from Islam Era, Syrian Christian Era here. Some of the Syrian churches are stil active.   It is still multi cultural  where the christian, muslims and some Yezids  living togteher.
The City is mentioned in Assyrian  documents first time.  The assryians conqured the city around 9th C bc. Later the persian and Roman took over.  The Arabs  Re-took it  around 7 th C AD.  Than Akkoyunlu (Turkish state )  conquered the city around 15 th C AD. Most of the visible old buildings from  this era. Later on the Otoman turks conquered the city and  ruled it until republic period…

Medrese means teological  school. When these schools were established they were a kind of university where the students study, Astronomy, Medicne, Social Studies  and Islam studies. Butlater on they became  only religous schools…

This Medrese was built by  KAsim Sultan (Akkoyunlu  Turkish State Sultan) in 15 th C.  It has two floor.  It is in rectagular form. And there is a little ppol in middle  of the courtyard. May be they  observed the stars and planets motion  here. The students room and the Class rooms  stil can be seen very well preserved.  Turabidin Plain can be seen very well from the terrace of this school

It was  offical residence  of thePatriarch of Syrian Ortodox for many centurys. The syrain ortodox they are also called the Jacobites. Bsihop  of Edessa (Urfa ) Jacob  refused the Chalcedon Council decree  in 451. The decree said  that jesus had 2 natures. But jacob claimed that jesus had only one nature ‘’divine’’  so they are called the monophist too even they dont accept it…

There are about 42.000 Syrian ortodox  people in Istanbul and South east of turkey.

There was  sun temple in place of this  Monastery around 2000BC. But the monastery was  built around 8 th C AD.  The monastery is a large complex  located on a hill side.  It was built with yellowish Stones.  The complex  form a courtyard.   Here  we can see the  school, batisery, monk rooms.. There are stil  monks living here and it is not  head quarter of the syrian ortodox any more.

is also an old building housing the findings which found from the neighbourhood cities.. It is possible to see the artefacts from Paletheolic  age including neolthic, bronz,  Armenian era, Roman and Turkish era here. But most of the visitor  admire beauty of the building rather than the  objects inside it…

This is another masonry (Stone building ) Syrian Orthodox monastery.  It was established around 4 th C AD by  Samual  a prist  who came from persia.  He cured    Simeon a rich villager’s son. Than the father donated him Money to establish a  church. Than the  complex was enlarged  when Simeon  became the abbot  after  Samul died. There were about 400 monks in this complex around  5 th C AD. The roman empirers donated a lot of gold to this monastery.   Here I think the most important thing is  stil they bury the  monks  in the walls of the monastery.. Wehn some one dies they  open the Cemetery which is in the wall  they push the skeletions  further inside they put the dead person  in sitting positon and they  cover the wall again.   There is a  monks comunity here. It is in the middle of no where and  it looks like a castle  from Distance..

It is possible to stay and live the Monks life her efor a few days in order to make  reservation in advance…

is an active Syrian orthodox Church.  From 18 C. It is  devoted to  40 martyres who were killed by the romans in North of Anatolia

It is little CAppadocia located  on Bank of Tigris River.  The caves here carved  in the cliff of the River… There are many hundreds CAve dwellings.  Hasankeyf  was established by the roman as strong hold against the persians. It as called  Kiphas.  In 7 th C the arabs canquered the town and named it Hısn Kayfa than the name was chnaged to Hasankeyf. In 11 th Century AD the Artukids (Turkish Tribe )conquered the city and they re-built the city. 

Here  The ruins of the  Places, Ulu camii (mosque) Necropolis, The sheb valley are  to visit… The view of the  River and   its surroundings is  fantastic.  The old bridge , zeynelabidin tomb and the tunnel  from the river up to top of the city is  about 100 meters. Unfortunetly  a dam is  being built and the ruins will remain under the water soon…

one of the biggest city  in South east of turkey. It has the second longest standing  city walls in the world after the great chinese wall…very strange but  the walls of the city shape turbot fish when you look at it from air… there are several towers  in the walls.  All the city  once was  inside the walls  but today mora than half of the city outside of the walls.

The walls were built  first by  Romans in 4 th C AD.  Selcuk turks re-built the walls in 12 th AD. So  it is possible to see the Selcuk and Roman symbols on the walls . 12 m high and  about  5.5 km long…

It was a church. It was called Saint Thomas church in 7 C AD.  In  770  one part was used church the other part mosque . The building was destroyed by fire and  earthquake in 1115 and re-built as a mosque by Selcuk Turks.

It is built that the first structer here was built about 12 th C BC.   It  was built  in 3 C AD and  re built in 6 th  again. İt is on of the  syrian orthodox  church in Diyarbakir.

It is one of the best it is example. It  was built by Artuk Turks  on Tigris in 1146 AD:  It is 35 meters high.  There are rooms and toilets in bothe ends of the bridge fort he travellers to refresh.

It is a small island in Van lake. There is an armenian Monastery  in the Islands. We have to sail from The land to the island for 30 min to arrive. The Church  is decortaed with carvings from outside and  it was painted by fresco from Inside. The church from 9 th AD.

It is belived that the cty was established  by Salman Asar (Asyrryian King) around 9 C BC. It was known Tushba and it was capitol of Urartu Kingdoms.

is located on a little  Ridge whihc is 2 km long and   facing to Van lake. The North was fortificated by  man made walls and the South 200 meters high cliff. From the air this castle look like kneeling Camel.

There are Towers from Urartu (9 C BC) . The Castle was renovated by the otoman turks. So it is possible to see  mosque too. From the castle the sun sut is very good. The ancient Tsuhba  city  traces can be seen from the castle…

It is on the way from Van to  Kars.  It is not very big but very pretty . Very little in summer.