6 Nights / 7 Days
From Fairy Chimneys to Mesopotamia
6 Nights | 3 Cappadocia · 1 Gaziantep · 1 Şanlıurfa · 1 Diyarbakır — surreal landscapes and the cradle of civilization.
Turkey / Ancient site
Cendere Roman Bridge
A well-preserved Roman bridge of ashlar limestone spanning the Cendere River, built under Emperor Septimius Severus and once flanked by sphinx statues.
Also part of The Kingdom of Commagene
The Cendere Bridge carries the remnants of a Roman road across a river valley in southeastern Türkiye, its ashlar blocks worn smooth by centuries but its arches still true. The structure dates to the late second or early third century AD, a period when the Roman Empire was consolidating its presence in the upper Mesopotamia corridor and rebuilding infrastructure to move troops and commerce efficiently through the region.
Construction and Design
The bridge was built in the Roman tradition using local limestone, dressed and fitted without mortar. Four segmental arches spring across the riverbed and its lower banks, allowing floodwater to pass beneath without stressing the structure. The roadway rises gently to a central span, following the contours of the valley floor. At each end, the approach walls are cut at an angle to ease the transition for anyone arriving on foot or by cart.
Sphinxes and Imperial Dedication
Two sphinx statues once stood at the bridge's entrances, carved from the same limestone as the structure itself. One remains in place at the southern end, its head weathered but the body largely intact, with the haunches still resting in the original position. The other was removed in the early twentieth century. Roman bridges of this scale often carried dedicatory elements at their termini, a practice that connected public building works to imperial authority and the patronage of local elites.
The Setting
The bridge sits in a quiet valley where the river runs shallow in summer and swells with winter rains. The surrounding landscape is dry and open, with scrub and low rock outcrops on the slopes. The ancient city of Samosata, once capital of the Commagene kingdom and later a Roman administrative centre, lies a short distance to the north, though little remains visible above ground today. Walking the bridge, you move along a surface little changed from antiquity, the stone slightly hollowed by generations of passage. The sound of water below is often the only noise.
On the map
Find it on the map
- Cendere Roman Bridge Ancient site
Tours that visit Cendere Roman Bridge
8 Nights / 9 Days
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3 Nights / 4 Days
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3 Nights | 1 Gaziantep · 1 Şanlıurfa · 1 Diyarbakır — Göbeklitepe, Mount Nemrut and the cradle of civilization.
11 Nights / 12 Days
The Ultimate Eastern Turkey Expedition
11 Nights | 3 Cappadocia · 1 Gaziantep · 1 Şanlıurfa · 1 Diyarbakır · 3 Mardin · 1 Van · 1 Kars — fairy chimneys, Mount Nemrut, Mardin and the haunting ruins of Ani.
14 Nights / 15 Days
The Ultimate Journey Across Turkey
3 Nights Istanbul | 3 Nights Cappadocia | 1 Night Gaziantep | 1 Night Sanliurfa | 1 Night Diyarbakir | 3 Nights Mardin | 1 Night Van | 1 Night Kars
9 Nights / 10 Days
Turkey's Grand Cultural Journey
9 Nights | 3 Istanbul · 3 Cappadocia · 1 Gaziantep · 1 Şanlıurfa · 1 Diyarbakır — imperial capitals, surreal landscapes and the cradle of civilization.
Good to know
Before you book you should know
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Is this trip right for you?
Our groups are capped at eight travellers, which is about a third of what the industry calls a small group. Eight people share one vehicle, one table at dinner and one guide's attention, and the day can change on the road without anybody being left behind. If you are looking for a coach, a fixed script and a microphone, this is not that.
Most days involve real walking, often on ground that was laid two thousand years before walking shoes: marble worn smooth, cobbles, uneven steps and long site paths with little shade. Bring shoes you can spend a morning in.
Some days move between regions and are largely a drive, with stops along the way. Summers are hot — well over 35°C inland — and winters are colder than most people expect, so layers, a hat and sunscreen earn their place in the bag whatever the month.
How demanding a particular trip is, is written on the trip itself: the physical rating in the header, and the day-by-day itinerary above.
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Rooms, and travelling on your own
Trip prices are per person, sharing a twin room. Each traveller picks their own room while booking, so a party can mix the three:
- Twin share — two single beds, shared with someone you are travelling with or with a traveller of the same gender.
- Travelling as a couple — one double room.
- Individual room — a room of your own, for a single supplement on top of the trip price. Availability is limited, and the supplement for a given date is shown next to the option when you book.
Solo travellers are welcome on every departure, and most of our groups have one or two aboard.
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Accommodation
The hotels named in an itinerary are a guideline rather than a guarantee. Where one is full, or has dropped below the standard we booked it for, we substitute a property of a similar standard in the same area — we would rather change the hotel than the trip.
Check-in is usually mid-afternoon. If you arrive early we will ask for the room, but no hotel can promise one before its own check-in time; luggage can normally be left at reception in the meantime. If you want the room from the night before, ask us and we will add the extra night to your booking.
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Passports, visas and insurance
Entry requirements depend on your nationality and change without much notice, so the only reliable source is the official one: the government of the country you are travelling to, and your own foreign ministry's travel advice. Check both before you book a flight.
Many countries ask for a passport valid for at least six months beyond your travel dates, and for blank pages. It is worth looking at yours now rather than at the airport.
We ask every traveller to carry travel insurance covering medical treatment and repatriation, and we would strongly encourage cover for cancellation and for your luggage as well.
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Your departure is guaranteed — the day can change
Once a departure is on the calendar it runs. We do not cancel a trip for want of a minimum number of bookings, so a booked date is one you can plan flights and leave around.
What can move is the shape of a day. Museums and archaeological sites change their hours, roads close, weather turns, a local holiday lands in the middle of the week. Where that happens your guide reorders the day, or swaps a stop for one of the same weight, and tells you why. Changes to a booked itinerary are covered by our Booking Terms & Conditions.
