“And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.”Genesis 8:4
Where the Bible tells of Noah's Ark, it gives a name that still stands over Eastern Anatolia today: Ararat. On this tour you come so close to the mountain that you can read, in its very presence, the verses about the end of the flood and God's covenant with every living thing. The land of the Urartians, which Scripture knows by the same name, also lies on the way.
The arc of the route is a wide one. It begins on the green coast of the Black Sea, where Sumela Monastery clings to the rock face and Hagia Sophia of Trebizond preserves its frescoes. In the tea gardens near Rize you meet the people of the region, before crossing the passes of the Pontic Mountains into the highlands of Erzurum. In Ani, once the capital of the Armenians, church ruins stand above a border gorge – silent witnesses of a Christian East that is now barely known.
To conclude, you cross over to the island of Akdamar in Lake Van. Its Church of the Holy Cross tells in stone the story from Adam and Eve to Jonah. A state-licensed, English-speaking tour guide accompanies you; the tour can be booked by churches, groups and individual travellers of all denominations.
The First Epistle of Peter greets the Christians in Pontus – the region to which the Black Sea coast around Trebizond belonged.
The ark rests upon the “mountains of Ararat” – read with the mountain before your eyes.
God's covenant with Noah and the bow in the cloud as a sign of his faithfulness.
The sons of Sennacherib escape “into the land of Armenia” (Hebrew: Ararat) – meaning the kingdom of Urartu with its capital on Lake Van.
Jeremiah calls together the kingdoms of Ararat; the fortress of Çavuştepe comes from this very kingdom.
Among the reliefs of the Church of the Holy Cross are Adam and Eve – an occasion to read the story of the garden anew.
Jonah and the great fish are among the best-known images on the church walls of the island.
Tip: bring your own Bible – at each place we open the relevant passage together.
Bible quotations: King James Version.
Trabzon Airport → Trabzon
After landing, your local, state-licensed tour guide welcomes you in person; the hotel is only a few minutes away. Trabzon, ancient Trebizond, was a port on the Silk Road and opened the way into the highlands of Armenia and Persia. At the welcome drink you meet your fellow travellers and receive a first overview of the route. A word of blessing accompanies you into the days together.
Trabzon → Rize → Andon → Trabzon
Along the coast you head east to Rize, where tea grows on steep terraces on the slopes. In a tea factory you follow how the fresh leaf becomes finished tea, and drink a glass of çay high above the town. At midday there is a picnic in the mountain village of Andon, with muhlama and cornbread from the region. In the afternoon you are guests of a local family and experience the humour of the Laz people. In the evening, return to Trabzon.
Trabzon → Maçka → Sumela → Trabzon
Through the Maçka valley a shuttle takes you up to Sumela Monastery, which nestles against the rock face of Karadağ and was a place of prayer for over one and a half millennia. The rock church, chapels and frescoes give a sense of the monks' life; a forest path leads back down. In the afternoon you view the 13th-century wall paintings of Hagia Sophia of Trebizond. In the old town follow the Orta Hisar Mosque, once the Cathedral of Panagia Chrysokephalos, and the Atatürk Villa.
Trabzon → Gümüşhane → Bayburt → Erzurum
Today the coast is left behind. The road climbs through mountain forests to the passes of the Pontic Mountains; in Gümüşhane and at the castle of Bayburt you stop for photos. In the afternoon you reach Erzurum, which lies at almost 2,000 metres and for centuries was a border fortress and a caravan station. You see the Çifte Minare Madrasa with its twin minarets, the Ulu Camii and the Hatuniye Mausoleum.
Erzurum → Kars → Ani → Kars
Across the Sarıkamış plateau you drive to Kars and on to the gorge of the Arpaçay. There lies Ani, once the capital of the Armenians and one of the most splendid cities of the Christian East, today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On partly unpaved paths you walk to the cathedral, the Church of the Redeemer and the Church of St Gregory with its remains of frescoes. In the evening the 10th-century Church of the Apostles in Kars is on the programme, along with a taste of Kars honey and Gravyer cheese.
Kars → Iğdır → Doğubayazıt → Van
Through the plain of Iğdır, Ararat comes ever closer – at 5,137 metres the highest mountain in Turkey. In its presence you hold a devotion and read how the ark came to rest and God made his covenant with Noah. At midday you reach the 18th-century Ishak Pasha Palace, in which Ottoman, Persian and Armenian architecture come together. After a short stop at the Muradiye waterfall you continue to Lake Van, the largest lake in the country.
Van → Çavuştepe → Gevaş → Akdamar → Van
The morning is devoted to Çavuştepe, a fortress of the Urartians – the kingdom the Bible calls “Ararat”. From Gevaş a boat crosses to the island of Akdamar. The 10th-century Church of the Holy Cross bears on its outer walls reliefs of biblical figures, from Adam and Eve to Jonah and the fish. In summer there is time for a swim in Lake Van. You experience the sunset on the rock of the fortress of Van, ancient Tushpa; then a farewell evening looking back together.
Van → Van Airport
Depending on your flight time, the transfer takes you to Van airport. If you do not want to end the tour yet, you can add beach days on the Aegean or the Turkish Riviera – simply let us know in your enquiry. You take home the images of a week that led from the Black Sea past monasteries and church ruins to the foot of Ararat, and the blessing under which you set out.
The tour price depends on dates, group size and room allocation. You will receive your personal offer – free of charge and without obligation.
Enquire →⛔ No shopping stops: carpet, jewellery or leather showrooms are not part of this tour.
You arrive in Trabzon and fly home from Van. In between are 8 days with 7 nights – without retracing your steps.
The focus is on Noah and God's covenant (Genesis 8–9) at Ararat, the biblical kingdom of Ararat near Van and the reliefs of Akdamar with scenes from the Old Testament. Sumela and Ani show how deeply Christianity was rooted in the East.
The longest day leads from Kars via Doğubayazıt to Van, around 420 kilometres with about six hours of driving. Other days are considerably shorter; at Sumela Monastery and in Ani you should be reasonably good on your feet.
Yes. As a church or group tour we plan from 9 people, as a private tour from just one person. We are happy to coordinate devotions and readings with you.
No, you book the outbound flight to Trabzon and the return flight from Van yourself. On request we will enquire about suitable connections for you or your group.
The price is available on request, as it depends on dates, group size and choice of rooms. You will receive a personal offer – free of charge and without obligation.
From the Black Sea to Ararat – Bible Tour from Trabzon to Van
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