5 NIGHTS / 6 DAYS – ISTANBUL & CAPPADOCIA

DAY 1 – ARRIVAL TO ISTANBUL AND PRIVATE TRANSFER TO YOUR HOTEL.
Overnight at: https://www.titanic.com.tr/titanic-city-taksim or similar 4 stars hotel for 2 nights on
bed & breakfast basis.

DAY 2- PRIVATE BYZANTINE & OTTOMAN RELICS (OLD CITY WALKING TOUR)
Our guide will meet you at your hotel at a convenient
time. This tour includes visits to Hippodrome the
former center of sportive and political activities of
Constantinople, Please enjoy St. Sophia Museum; the
magnificent Byzantine Church of all times. Experience
lunch in one of the special traditional restaurants
around the old city
discussing the
options with your
guide and then
visit Topkapi
Palace the former
imperial residence
from where the
Ottoman Sultans ruled their grand empire for over 400 years. End
the day with a visit to the incredible Grand Bazaar

DAY 3 – BOSPHORUS CRUISE BY PUBLIC FERRY WITH A VISIT TO SULEYMANIYE MOSQUE & FLIGHT
TO CAPPADOCIA AND TRANSFER TO YOUR HOTEL.
Enjoy the Bosphorus Cruise on a public ferry
(also known as Gypsy Boat) passing half a dozen
Ottoman imperial palaces, traditional Yalis
(waterside villas) and
shore villages. We drive
to visit Suleymaniye
Mosque which was built
by the most important
architect of Ottoman
times, Architect Sinan,
this superb monument is
Istanbul’s largest
mosque complex.
End of the tour private airport transfer to your Cappadocia flight.
Turkish Airlines, Istanbul (IST) to Kayseri (ASR): 20:35 – 21:55
Overnight at: https://goremehouse.net/ or similar stone boutique hotel for 3 nights on bed &
breakfast basis

DAY 4 – PRIVATE CLASSICAL CAPPADOCIA TOUR & SUNSET CAMEL SAFARI
In the morning, meeting with the lunar landscape of
Cappadocia, starting with the rock formations beyond; visit
Devrent and Pasabag –three coned fairy chimneys” where the
voice of wind mixes with the “songs of fairies”. Lunch is in
Avanos, center of terra cotta work of art since 3000 BC. In the
afternoon visit the famous UNESCO World Heritage Site
Goreme Open Air Museum and see the best examples of
Byzantine art in Cappadocia in rock-cut churches with frescoes
and paintings (10th & 13th century). Private transfer to your
Sunset Camel Safari (90 min.) then head back your hotel.

DAY 5 – PRIVATE HIDDEN DWELINNGS OF CAPPADOCIA
Red Valley, with its fabulous volcanic rock formations, is
in the heart of Cappadocia but away from the tourist
crowd. Rock-Cut hermit churches with frescoes and
paintings fit with the Valley’s meditative atmosphere,
remained intact since the beginning. Our lovely hike will
start from a beautiful panoramic point presenting us
great light in the morning for pictures. After the hike we
give a refreshment break in Cavusin village which will be
complemented by a
visit to the ruins of
Cavusin Town. After
lunch, 20-minute
drive will take us to
the least visited Underground city; Ozkonak which was discovered
by a villager while he was looking for the water disappearing from
his irrigation system in his field. Unlike other underground cities,
Ozkonak has different ventilation and security system. 3 of the 5
floors are open to visitors and believed to shelter many people
from persecution and loots.
Sufi whirling is a form of Sama or physically active meditation which
originated among Sufis, and which is still practiced by the Sufi
Dervishes of the Mevlevi order. It is a customary dance performed
within the Sema, or worship ceremony, through which dervishes (also
called semazens) aim to reach the source of all perfection, or kamala.
This is sought through abandoning one’s nafs, egos or personal
desires, by listening to the music, focusing on God, and spinning one’s
body in repetitive circles, which has been seen as a symbolic imitation
of planets in the Solar System orbiting the sun. As explained by Sufis.
In the symbolism of the Sema ritual, the semazen’s camel’s hair hat
(sikke) represents the tombstone of the ego; his wide, white skirt
represents the ego’s shroud. By removing his black cloak, he is
spiritually reborn to the truth. At the beginning of the Sema, by
holding his arms crosswise, the semazen appears to represent the
number one, thus testifying to God’s unity. While whirling, his arms
are open: his right arm is directed to the sky, ready to receive God’s
beneficence; his left hand, upon which his eyes are fastened, is turned
toward the earth. The Semazen conveys God’s spiritual gift to those who are witnessing the Sema.
Revolving from right to left around the heart, The Semazen embraces all humanity with love.

DAY 6 – PRIVATE AIRPORT TRANSFER FOR YOUR HOME BACK FLIGHT VIA ISTANBUL
Turkish Airlines, Kayseri (ASR) to Istanbul (IST): 08:45 – 10:15 am
OR
Turkish Airlines, Kayseri (ASR) to Istanbul (IST): 15: – 16:30
End of the services.