5 Nights / 6 Days
Eastern Anatolia & Ancient Kingdoms
5 Nights | 3 Mardin · 1 Van · 1 Kars — honey-colored limestone, Akdamar Island and the haunting ruins of Ani.
Turkey / Museum
Church of the Holy Cross (Akdamar)
A 10th-century Armenian church on an island in Lake Van, celebrated for its intricate exterior stone reliefs depicting biblical scenes and interior frescoes.
Perched on the rocky southern shore of Akdamar Island, the Church of the Holy Cross rises from the deep blue waters of Lake Van. Built between 921 and 922, this 10th-century Armenian sanctuary stands as one of the finest examples of medieval ecclesiastical architecture in eastern Anatolia. Its pale volcanic tuff walls have weathered a thousand years of mountain winters, acquiring a weathered silver-grey tone that shifts with the light and the time of day.
The Stone Carvings
The church's most celebrated features are the high-relief carvings that cover its exterior walls. The southern façade bears an elaborate procession of figures including crosses, lions, eagles and grapevines, while the eastern wall depicts scenes from the Hebrew Bible alongside New Testament narratives. A large relief of the Holy Cross dominates one section, flanked by carved medallions containing busts of saints and angels. The level of detail in the stonework reveals the skill of the original Armenian sculptors — the flowing drapery of robes, the delicate treatment of foliage, and the expressive faces that emerge from the weathered surface.
Inside the Church
The interior consists of a central domed space with a cruciform plan, typical of Armenian church design. Painted decoration once covered every surface; fragments of frescoes survive on the dome, the drum and the altar wall, showing traces of deep reds, golds and blues. Though much has been lost to time and earlier damage, the remaining pigment gives a sense of the richness that original visitors would have experienced. Light enters through narrow windows cut high into the drum, casting measured beams across the stone floor.
Visiting the Island
Boats depart from the Van shoreline for the short crossing to Akdamar, the largest island in Lake Van. The island is rocky and sparse, with dry scrub and a handful of trees surrounding the church. From the landing point, a path leads uphill through this landscape of scrubland and stone to the church. The lake stretches flat and immense in every direction, bordered by distant mountains. The crossing itself and the walk up offer a sense of arrival that suits the building's isolated setting.
On the map
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Tours that visit Church of the Holy Cross (Akdamar)
8 Nights / 9 Days
From Mesopotamia to the Caucasus
8 Nights | 1 Gaziantep · 1 Şanlıurfa · 1 Diyarbakır · 3 Mardin · 1 Van · 1 Kars — Göbeklitepe, Mardin and the haunting ruins of Ani.
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
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.
