The Euphrates and Tigris Basin
At the East of the Mediterranean coast, you leave touristic Turkey behind. Yet for many, this area, a broad plain ringed on three sides by the mountains, is the most exotic part of Turkey, offering ancient sites and fascinating, isolated towns.
At all times Eastern Turkey has always been a border zone witnessing wars between civilizations and empires.
Very close to the Syrian border, ethnic Turks are a minority and Arab influence is very strong though through the North, the Kurdish proportion of the population increases.

Travelling in the area
Travelling around presents few problems, with good bus links between the major cities or by rental car. The roads have been repared and are generally in good shape. Hotel facilities have been improved except for in little towns. In summer, the heats bakes everything and to visit the region at its best, travel is recommanded in spring or autumn.
The most attractive places in Eastern Turkey are Gaziantep, an industrial center and the outpost of Europeanized Turkey and an excellent departure point for a tour to Zeugma, then Sanliurfa (Edessa), (know by the Turks as Urfa), mentioned in the Bible as the birthplace of Abraham, for an excursion to Harran known for its beehive houses and Diyarbakir, the region's most interesting destination.
From Adiyaman you go to the spectacular temple and tomb of the Nemrut Dagi (Mount). And then Mardin on the shores of the Tigris.

Adiyaman :
The archaeological museum houses regional finds from the lower Fırat which date from the neolithic and chalcolithic ages. Good quality kilims woven in bright colours sell for reasonable prices in the bazaar. Surrounding monuments include the ruins of an Abbasid citadel (restored by the Seljuks) and the 14th century Ulu Mosque. The discovery of oil in the region has brought prosperity to Adıyaman. 5 km to the north is Pirin (Perre), that boasts a large Roman necropolis dug out of the rock and soil.
Adıyaman, as well as Kahta (which also has good accommodation and camping facilities), make good bases from which to visit Nemrut Dağı (Mt. Nemrut) National Park. You can hire transportation in either town. On the summit of Nemrut Dağı, at 2,150 meters the highest mountain in Northern Mesopotamia, sits the gigantic funerary sanctuary erected in the first century B.C. by King Antiochos I of Commagene. The engineering involved continues to amaze visitors seeing for the first time the artificial tumulus as it is flanked by terraces on which rest the colossal statues of Apollo, Zeus, Heracles, Tyche and Antiochus. Time has inflicted heavy damage on the sculptures - their torsos sit with their beautifully carved heads at their feet.
At ancient Eskikale (Arsameia of Nymphaios), a magnificent relief in the ruins of what scholars believe might have been the Commagene Palace depicts Heracles greeting the Commagene king, Mithridates. Opposite this site, separated by the Eski Kahta river, are the remains of Yenikale (New Castle) built by the Mamelukes. Other nearby sights include the Roman bridge at Cendere and another Commagene royal tumulus, Karakuş.

Diyarbakir :
Diyarbakır, known in ancient times as Amida, spreads across a basalt plateau close to the banks of the Dicle river. The black basalt triple walls which encircle the old town give the city a rather ominous appearance. These ramparts are 5.5 km in length, have 16 keeps and five gates, are decorated with inscriptions and bas-reliefs, and represent a superb example of medieval military architecture.
The Ulu Mosque, built by the Seljuk sultan Melik Shah, is notable for its original design and for its utilisation of both Byzantine and more ancient architectural materials. The mihrab of the nearby Mesudiye Medrese is made of the local black basalt. The Nebii Mosque represents the typical Ottoman style, while the Safa Mosque exhibits Persian influences in its tiled minaret. The third century Aramaic Church of the Virgin Mary (Meryemana Kilisesi), which is still in use today, also makes for an interesting visit. For an example of early domestic architecture, stop at the restored home of the writer Cahit Sıtkı Tarancı.
The Deliller Hanı (1527) by the Mardin Gates, convened and refurbished into a hotel, recreates the atmosphere of the days when trading caravans stopped in Diyarbakır. Just outside the city walls, by the river, stands Atatürk's house, now a museum. South of town at the Dicle Bridge, built in 1065, you can take a great picture of the Dicle River, the bridge and the city walls.
In Silvan, 77 km east of Diyarbakır you should stop at the graceful Ulu Mosque, which dates from 1185, to admire the fine flowing lines of stone-relief work that outline the pointed arch portal.
Çayönü, one of the earliest Neolithic settlements yet to be discovered, dates from the 7th millennium B.C.

Gaziantep :
This lievely crowded modern city with the largest population of the region, boasts fine domestic architecture especially in the Christian quarter and several fine mosques.
Gaziantep, also known by the locals as Antep, was first occupied during the Hittite times and then survived all future civilizations from Assyrian through the Crusaders, the Byzantine and Arab before finally becoming Turkish after the defeat of the French in 1920.
Amongst other worthwhile places to be seen, we propose the Archeological Museum, the Kale (castle), the bazaar, the Hasan Süzer Ethnography Museum (not for the exhibits but for its architecture) and the Kurtulus Camii (mosque).

Mardin :
Mardin, overlooking the Mesopotamian Plain, has preserved the old- style carving in its houses. Dating from 1385, the Sultan Isa Medresse is an interesting, beautiful Turkish monument with its magnificent carved portal. The Kasim Pasa Medresse, is also significant for its dome of beautiful stonework and the Ulu Mosque with its well-decorated minaret, is another sightseeing spot. On a hill, 7 kms east of Mardin, you will see something you do not expect: Deynulzaferan, a Syriac- Jacobite monastery. Several kilometres further, there is another Monastery, Deyrelmur dating from the 5th- century. If you would like to see the best examples of Artutid architecture then you have to head for Kiziltepe, 21 kms south of Mardin, 13th- century Ulu Mosque with its fine mihrap relief and beautifully decorated portal. At Hasankeyf which is on the borderline with Batman province, you will see the ruins of the ancient 12th- century capital of the Artutids. The bridge which once connected the two parts of the city over the Tigris and the palace, are others. The 15th- century Zeynel Bey Mausoleum nearby, is attractively decorated with blue tiles.
A ruined Roman citadel, rebuilt in medieval times, crowns the summit of the highland as evidence of Mardin's earlier existence as the Marida (Marde, Maride, Merida) of antiquity. Marida was taken by the Seljuk Turks in the late 11th century and was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire by Sultan Selim I in 1516. The Ulu Cami (Great Mosque), dating from the Seljuk period, and the Sultan Isa Medresesi, a religious school built in the 14th century, are still standing.
Mardin is an important regional trading center on the east-west trade routes of southern Anatolia. It is connected by a branch line with the Istanbul-Baghdad railway and is linked by roads with Gaziantep (west), Aleppo (in Syria), Nusaybin (southeast), and Diyarbakir (northeast).

Sanliurfa :
On the great plain of High Mesopotamia, Sanli Urfa, known in ancient times first as Ur and later as Edessa, proudly exhibits the legacy of all the civilizations that have prospered in this region. In the second millennium B.C., it was a city of a Hurrite state. Tradition relates that Abraham was born in a cave near the area where the Mevlid Halil Mosque now stands. Today the cave is a pilgrimage site and flocks at pigeons don't seem to disturb the elderly men praying around the entrance. The remains of a castle with two lane Corinthian columns rising above the ruined walls, stands a tob a small crest. At the foot of the hills, the lovely Halil Rahman Mosque is built around a quiet pool in which sacred carp swim.
The 17th century Ottoman Ridvaniye Mosque aria the Firfirli Mosque, formerly the Church of the Apostles, are worth a detour. The archaeology and ethnography museum houses important Neolithic and Chalcolithic finds from the Lower Euphrates region. To capture the spirit of Sanli Urfa, wander through the vaulted eastern bazaar and linger in the courtyards of the old hans (inns); try to find Gumruk Hani and Barutcu Hani-they are the the most interesting.