Here is a new touristic train route for you to realize your dreams of train travel, which everyone wants to travel once in their life but never has the courage to do: Touristic Diyarbakır Express…
We invite you to realize your dreams with our article in which we will share our experiences from the promotional trip we carried out with the officials of TCDD Transportation Customer Services Department between June 14-17.

The Touristic Diyarbakır (Mesopotamia) Express, which TCDD added to its touristic train route as an alternative to the Eastern Express, which attracts great attention in the winter months, departing from Ankara station, made its first journey on April 19, 2024. The touristic train, which consists of 9 sleeping and 1 dining car with a capacity of 180 people, is a candidate to be the new favorite of travelers who want to witness unique landscapes.
Titles in the Article
Four Routes with the Tourist Mesopotamia Express
The train serving between Ankara and Diyarbakır consists only of sleeping cars. Because two nights of the three-day, four-day journey are spent on the train.
After spending the night on the train departing from Ankara at 15:55 on Friday, our first stop in the morning is Malatya. After a three-hour Malatya trip, the train departs and arrives in Diyarbakır in the afternoon. After spending our second night at a hotel in Diyarbakır, the train sets off on its new route at 12:00 noon. We stop at Yolçatı station around 16:00 and head towards Harput. At the end of the four-hour Harput trip, we spend the night on the train again. Our last stop, where we will take a three-hour break in the morning, is Kayseri. At the end of the three-hour break in Kayseri, we head towards the train to depart again. And our journey ends with our train arriving in Ankara at around 18:00 in the evening.
The train departing from Ankara makes touristic stops in Malatya, Diyarbakır, Elazığ and Kayseri
Our First Stop is Malatya
We arrive at the Malatya train station in the morning hours and are greeted by the local music group. After shaking off our morning hangover with pleasant music, we head towards the buses allocated by the Malatya Governorship. The Malatya Metropolitan Municipality Art Center, which we arrive at in five minutes by bus, includes the Malatya Metropolitan Municipality Camera Museum, a first in Turkey, and the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism Cultural Heritage Carrier-State Artist Demirci Yusuf Art Workshop, as well as various workshops and food and beverage venues.
The largest Camera Museum in Asia and Europe

The Camera Museum, which has been home to 5,673 cameras brought from all over the world and in working condition for 33 years, is open from 09:00 to 17:00 except on Mondays. The most interesting machines in the museum, which we visited with the magnificent narration of İrfan Tunay, are the detective and spy cameras hidden in a water bottle, hung from the neck of a pigeon or placed under a shoe. The ones that caught my attention are the cameras specially produced for the Olympic Games. After visiting the museum library, which is a first in Turkey, you can visit the other art workshops in the bazaar and then have a nice breakfast at Çamlıca Restaurant.
After a three-hour break, we board our train and spend the night on the train. Instead of staying in our room for a long night, we move to the dining car of the train and continue our journey with the other passengers, accompanied by the songs of the two musicians accompanying our team.
Our Second Stop is Diyarbakir

After arriving in the center of Diyarbakır in the afternoon and settling into our hotel, Mitra, our intention was to eat liver at Ramazan Usta, which was right across from the hotel and which we had heard of especially from the locals, but since it was the eve of Eid al-Adha, it was closed like many other shops. So we headed to Ciğerci Hüsnü Usta. The prices were half of Istanbul, the liver was tender and the appetizers were great.
The City That Keeps the Spirit of History Alive

After lunch, we visit the Four-Legged Minaret, which is on our walking route, the 1376 Surp Giragos Armenian Church, whose workmanship and garden we admired, the Mar Petyun Keldani Catholic Church, and the Suriçi with its renewed face. Then, we finish the day by going to Sülüklü Han, where we will sip our wines in a wonderful atmosphere.
The Second Largest Wall in the World

We have breakfast early in the morning and continue to wander the streets of Diyarbakır. Our first stop is the Ulu Mosque, located in the center and at the foot of the city walls, where reliefs, inscriptions and ornaments from different periods are harmoniously located on the courtyard facades. The mosque, which also houses the sundial made by Al-Jazari, defies the years with its 800-year history. We leave the mosque and immediately climb onto the 5.5 km long city walls, which are the largest after the Great Wall of China and visible from space, and see the city from above. Our next stop after the city walls is Hasan Pasha Inn, where we preferred to have tea but also has breakfast, souvenir, local food and book shops.
The Ten-Eyed Bridge Connecting the Two Banks of the Tigris

We continue our trip with our vehicles that depart from the hotel before noon. As our vehicles head towards the Tigris Bridge, known among the public as the Ten-Eyed Bridge, which is 10 minutes away, we see the Hesvel Gardens and Gazi Mansion on the way. As you know, June is a hot month in Diyarbakır, and everyone has come to the banks of the Tigris Bridge to cool off. After taking a short break to rest in the greenery, we set off for our train that will depart at 12:00.
Our Third Stop: Open Air Museum Harput
At the end of our approximately four-hour journey, we stop at Yolçatı station to go to Harput, where we will have a four-hour break. We head towards Harput, which is half an hour away, with our vehicles waiting for us. In the Harput Historical City, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage Temporary List, also known as Taş Kale or Yukarı Şehir, which has hosted many civilizations, we first visit the Harput Ulu Mosque, also known as the Eğri Minare, which Evliya Çelebi mentioned in his Seyahatname. Then we go to the Arap Baba Mosque and Tomb, and finally we head towards the Music Museum.
Balakazi

We are sitting at Balakgazi Facilities, which is our only alternative since other shops are closed due to the holiday. We liked the restaurant for its view, spacious garden and fast service as well as its delicious food. I recommend you to try the lahmacun as well as the local Elazığ dishes.
Murder on the Orient Express

After spending part of our second night on the train in the dining car, we watched the movie Murder on the Orient Express, adapted from the Agatha Christie book. If you ask why this movie, we were attracted by the fact that it included detective and espionage themes and that part of the movie was set in Turkey. As an alternative to the movie, you can also read the book with the same name.
Our Last Stop is Kayseri

We arrive at Kayseri train station in the morning and leave to find a place to have breakfast. The shops are closed because of the holiday. We go to the first open breakfast shop we can find across from the hospital and have breakfast with katmer at the place of the aunt who has just had eyelid surgery and the grumpy uncle. We leave Kayseri, go to our train and head to Ankara, the last stop of our journey.
The aim is to revitalize tourism
The Touristic Diyarbakır (Mesopotamia) Express, which is an alternative to the Eastern (Kars) Express, gives 3-4 hour breaks in certain provinces, allowing you to see the historical and cultural richness of those provinces as well as the natural beauties of the region.
The touristic Diyarbakir Train awaits its passengers who want to discover the beauties of the East.
Touristic Diyarbakir (Mesopotamia) Express

The price of the Touristic Diyarbakır (Mesopotamia) Express, which has six rooms with two beds, a refrigerator, a table and a sink, and one dining car, is 9 thousand TL for two as of June 2024, all the staff are friendly and helpful, and although there are not many options in the dining car, what there is is filling and delicious.
Ticket sales for the new trips of the Touristic Diyarbakır (Mesopotamia) Express will open in September and the trips will be in April-May. Don’t postpone your dreams and follow for ticket sales: https://www.tcddtasimacilik.gov.tr/tr/turistik/detay/4
Ankara-Diyarbakir Train Departure Times
