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  #1  
Old 21 Feb 2019
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Eastern Turkey 2019?
Hi, I am thinking about a trip to Eastern Turkey in the summer of 2019 and wanted to check about conditions there...

I would be enter from Georgia and would be interested in traveling to Kars, Lake Van, Diyarbakir and Sanliurfa.

From what I've seen on the internet, Kars, Diyarbakir, and Sanliurfa are supposedly "unsafe", but much of that is at least a few years old, and I would trust fellow HUBBers' opinions about what is safe than some random internet post... Does anyone have any advice? I am an experienced traveler, but have not traveled much by moto in Turkey, only to Istanbul.

While I'm at it, can anyone recommend nice spots on Lake Van, or elsewhere in Eastern Turkey?
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Old 21 Feb 2019
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I did Turkey in 2015 and 2018

Last year from Iran and towards Kapadokkia and then Bulgaria.

People are mostly very friendly and helpful.

But you have a lot of police and security checks on the way.

Personally I would avoid the area close to the border to Syria.
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Old 21 Feb 2019
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Personally I would avoid the area close to the border to Syria.
But what is "close"? Lake Van? Sanliurfa?
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Old 21 Feb 2019
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The situation in the east of Turkey is mostly about Turkish repression of the Kurds, and Kurdish militia fighting back.

Diyarbakir could be considered as Turkey's Kurdish capital and is a place where tensions regularly flare up, but it's also a very interesting city. Keep an eye on the situation before visiting.

Kars is less Kurdish and is safe. The Lake Van area is also pretty calm, though occasionally things can happen in the city of Van, which is not particularly interesting (though nearby Van Kalesi is).

Sanliurfa is fine, it's not really a Kurdish city. You have to get a lot closer to the Syrian border before there is any danger from the conflict in northern Syria.

In a nutshell, monitor the situation in Ditarbakir, the rest of the places you list are fine.

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Old 21 Feb 2019
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Thanks, helpful.

Is Kars worth a visit? Looks kind of blah but it is pretty much on the line of travel, so...

Is it generally only the Kurdish situation which makes Diyarbakir unsafe sometimes, or is it something else as well (crime, terrorism, etc.)?
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Old 21 Feb 2019
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Hi Motoreiter,

Going to travel for a few days after a few hours. I will try to reply you when I am back next week.

Some quick reply for now: if you have low profile, obey the rules-smile -befriendly-respect to police/soldiers at check points no problem at all. No terror attack any more... Everything under the control of Security forces.

I will write down a route with things to see/do in the area when back. It is definitely worth to visit. People in the area very friendly... But you can have language barrier there...

And after Sanliurfa where do you plan to go ? Syria or follow the shoreland to western Turkiye ? So I can give you more advice ...
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Old 21 Feb 2019
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Originally Posted by motoreiter View Post

Is it generally only the Kurdish situation which makes Diyarbakir unsafe sometimes, or is it something else as well (crime, terrorism, etc.)?
Diyarbakir is safe nowadays. No crime scene or terrorism anymore...
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Old 22 Feb 2019
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Originally Posted by motoreiter View Post
Thanks, helpful.

Is Kars worth a visit? Looks kind of blah but it is pretty much on the line of travel, so...

Is it generally only the Kurdish situation which makes Diyarbakir unsafe sometimes, or is it something else as well (crime, terrorism, etc.)?
The city of Kars itself is quite nice (very similar to Gyumri in Armenia if you've been), there are some nice fin-de-siecle buildings made from the local black tuff and a fairly good museum, but it's nicer for the landscape around. The nearby ruined city of Ani, once capital of Bagratid Armenia is magnificent and one of Turkey's unmissable attractions. It's on the Armenian border a short distance away from Kars.

Diyarbakir is a gritty city and is one of the few places in Asia where I've felt a few bad vibes (in selected parts of the old city under the walls). I would not describe it as dangerous though, just be vigilant. As for terrorism, well that varies according to who you ask. The Kurdish militia are of course labelled as terrorists but they don't target foreigners.

I've written a couple of articles about eastern Turkey which might give you some ideas, from two separate trips:

From the Azerbaijan (Nakhchivan) border through Dogubeyazit, Van, Hakkari, Bitlis, Mt Nemrut (Volcano), Kars, then Georgia:

https://eurasiaoverland.com/2014/08/10/36/

And a slightly later trip, from the Iraqi border through Cizre, Midyat, Mardin, Diyarbakir, Sanliurfa, Mt Nemrut (archaeological site), Divrigi (highly recommended), Sivas, Hattusa to Ankara:

https://eurasiaoverland.com/2014/11/02/40i/

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