British walkers at the Beyazit homestay explore a new path in Turkey

The first British walkers have returned from exploring over 110 kilometres of the Abraham’s Path segment just opened in Turkey. They stayed in homes that have never before welcomed international visitors and followed the path through remote Kurdish and Arabic villages to the oldest religious sites in the world.

The 105-mile (170-kilometre) walking route has been set up by local people in the region, under the guidance of Abraham’s Path Initiative. It takes the walker to ancient sites, such as the recently excavated Gobekli Tepe, Sogmatar and the Shrine of Jethro and ends in Sanliurfa (Urfa), a town legendary as the birthplace of Abraham and once part of the famous Silk Route on the border of the Roman and Persian empires. On the way it passes through remote rural villages some of which are opening their doors for the first time to western visitors.

The five Britons, from London and Leeds, experienced a way of life little changed since biblical times and the earliest agricultural settlements of man.

“This was a pioneering experience for everyone involved,” said Alison Tanik, the inspiration behind the new path and the village home-stays. Originally from Burton-on-Trent, Alison now lives with her two young children in the Kurdish village of Yuvacali from where she runs a local tourism business to encourage visitors to her adopted homeland.

“We have established home-stays here in Yuvacali but this new walk extends our activities over a much wider area. We are looking forward to hearing how guests and hosts alike responded to the experience.”

See the original article on the UK Friends of Abraham’s Path website