The East And Southeast

   Boldly contoured in crayon colours of ash-grey, rust-red, and tawny yellow the great mass of Eastern Anatolia stretches away from the central plateau to the snowcapped peaks of the eastern border; it is an amazingly diverse land differing profoundly from the rest of the country. As the battlefront of Eastern and Western cultures between the Romans and Parthians and the Byzantines and Sassanids, culminating in the final conquest of Anatolia by an eastern people, the Seljuk Turks this region has active past.

In the area where the central steppe gives way to the more mountainous terrain of the east are the interesting former Seljuk centres of Sivas Divriği Eski Malatya and Harput all of which possess monuments testifying to the brilliant achievements of Seljuk art.
Situated at a height of 1950m is Erzurum. In the city are mosques and mausoleums of the Seljuk and Mongol periods and the well preserved walls of the Byzantine fortress. To the north is the much fought over frontier city of Kars, dominated by a formidable fortress, and nearby are the ruins of 10th century Ani.
Overshadowed by Ağrı Mountain where Noah's Ark came to rest is the ıntrıguıng 17th century mosque and palace of Ishak Pasha at Doğubeyazıt. On the banks of the immense but beautiful Lake Van is the city of the same name, with its Urartu citadel deting back to the 1st millennium B.C. and mosques and mausoleums of the Seljuk and Ottoman periods. In the lake is Akdamar Island, where stands the fascinating 10 th century church of the Holy Cross.

In the region that was once Upper Mesopotamia in the basin of the Dicle and Fırat are the cities of Diyarbakır, Mardin and Şanlıurfa all former centres of the Hurri-Mitanni in the 2nd millennium B.C. Diyarbakır is characterized by its massive black basalt walls while Mardin's striking white mediaeval architecture is peculiar to this city alone. Şanlıurfa is famed for its pool of sacred carp beside the Mosque of Abraham. South of Şanlıurfa is the village of Harran with its curious domed dwellings which is believe to be the ancient Charan mentioned in the Book of Genesis, where Abraham lived for several years.