ISTANBUL-BURSA-CANAKKALE-ASSOS-PERGAMA-EPHESUS-KUSADASI-MİLET-APHRODISIAS-PAMUKKALE
Day 1 Arrival to ISTANBUL
Meeting passengers with an escort at the airport. Formalities and flight to Istanbul. Upon arrival in Istanbul transfer to the hotel and accommodation. After a short break, a boat ride on the Bosphorus. Dinner at a national restaurant. Return to the hotel, overnight.
Day 2 ISTANBUL
Breakfast. City tour with a local guide: ROMAN HIPPODROME, former center of political activity from Roman times - BLUE MOSQUE - THE HAGIA SOFIA, built during the reign of Emperor Justinian, in the 6th century; until the 15th century it was a Byzantine church, later a mosque, and today a museum proposed by many historians for the eighth wonder of the world - YEREBATAN CISTERN - TOPKAPI PALACE - GRAND BAZAAR ... Late lunch or early dinner. Return to the hotel, overnight.
Day 3 ISTANBUL - BURSA - ÇANAKKALE
Breakfast. Departure from Istanbul to BURSA, by population the fourth largest city in Turkey and the most industrially developed. It is located in the valley below Mount Uludağ, which the Romans called Olympus. Bursa is considered the birthplace of the Ottoman Empire, as evidenced by the protection of eight landmarks in the city and the nearby village of Cumalıkızık. Visit to the great ULU MOSQUE and GOAT HAN. Continue on to ÇAKANAKKALE. Hotel accommodation, dinner, overnight.
Day 4 ÇANAKKALE – TROJA – ASSOS – BERGAM
Breakfast. Departure from the hotel. Drive to the ancient city of TROIA, known for Homer's poems Iliad and Odysseia, which tell the story of the Troian War. According to tradition, the city was founded by Dardan's grandson Tros.
Drive to the town of ASSOS, where Aristotle lived and opened his academy there.
Continue driving to ancient PERGAM (today's BERGAM), which in Hellenistic times was the center of the famous Pergamum state. City tour: ASKLEPION, famous sanctuary and sanatorium, ALLEY WITH COLONADAMS, WASTE OF ZEUS ALTAR, TRAJAN'S TEMPLE, THEATER, RED BASILICA. The city was named after the parchment, he wrote the material obtained by processing the skin of sheep or goats. Visit to the Archaeological Museum in Bergama, which preserves exhibits from the time of ancient Rome.
Accommodation at the hotel, dinner, overnight.
Day 5 BERGAMA – IZMIR – EFEZ – KUŞADASI
Breakfast. Drive to IZMIR, a Mediterranean city in the Aegean Sea. The Greek father of history, Herodotus, described it as a city under the most beautiful skies and with the best climate on Earth. City tour: KONAK PIER, a modern island on the Izmir coast, by Gustave Eiffel, ALSANCAK, the old part of the city with streets with ancient Greek houses, BARLAR SOKAĞI or Bar Street, KORDON CUMHURIYET MEYDANI, KÜLTÜRPARK, with many large parks , fountains, lake, sculptures and amusement park, CITY HOUSE and CLOCK TOWER, one of the most famous symbols of Izmir ...
Continuing the drive to another ancient city, Ephesus, an outstanding example of a Roman port city with a sea channel and a lower port, it is therefore inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in Asia. During the excavations, large monuments from the time of the Roman Empire were discovered, including the Celsius Library, the Grand Theater and the remains of the famous Temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the world, which attracted pilgrims from all over the Mediterranean. Near Ephesus, we will visit the HOUSE OF THE VIRGIN MARY, which is considered by both Muslims and Christians to be the place where the Virgin Mary lived after the crucifixion of Christ. Departure to KUŞADASI, one of the most popular resorts in modern Turkey, dinner overnight.
Day 6 KUŞADASI – PRIENE – MILET – DIDIM
Breakfast. Departure to PRIENE, an ancient Greek city characterized by an amphitheater, temples, agora, etc.
After that, departure to the ancient MILET, known as the birthplace of many philosophers, among whom the most famous is Tales.
The drive to DIDIM, which has undergone historical transformations in various transformations, from an ancient Hellenistic shrine through an important Roman port to a small fishing village.
Return to the hotel, dinner, overnight.
Day 7 KUŞADASI – APHRODISIAS – HIERAPOLIS – PAMUKKALE
Breakfast. Departure to APRODISIA, an ancient city where the remains of Aphrodite's temple from the 1st century BC are still visible. During the reign of the emperors Augustus and Hadrian, the temple was further expanded and remodeled, and in the 5th century it was converted into a church. Near Aphrodite are the tetrapylon, the odeon and the bishop's palace, the agora, the theater, the stadium, Hadrian's baths and the sebastia, where the imperial cult was worshiped.
After that, visit one of the most famous ancient sites in Turkey, HIERAPOLIS, where the remains of the church and the tomb of the Apostle Philip, an amphitheater, a cemetery with sarcophagi ...
Drive to PAMUKKALA, a complex of unique mineral springs in southwestern Turkey, near the town of Denizli. The town consists of hot springs and travertine limestone, which has the unusual shape of shallow terraced pools formed by the overflow of mineral water and the deposition of minerals. The pools filled with water reflect the white vertical walls, the stalactites hang along the edge of the whole area like frozen waterfalls, and behind the terraces rise dark mountains overgrown with pine forests. The name Pamukkale means cotton castle. Some believe that such a name caused the soft appearance of cliffs and terraces, but local legend has it that in ancient times, giants dried their cotton crop on terraces. Accommodation at the hotel, dinner, overnight.
Day 8 PAMUKKALE – ANTALYA
Breakfast. A tour of Pamukkale itself and swimming if the weather allows. Departure to ANTALYA, a city on the southwestern Mediterranean coast of Turkey, one of the most famous Turkish resorts. Hotel accommodation, dinner, overnight.
Day 9 ANTALYA – SIDE – ASPENDOS – PERGE
Breakfast. Departure to the ancient city of AIDS. Already the position of Side enabled it to develop into an important port in the Mediterranean in a relatively short time. There is a legend connected with the beginnings of this city, which says that Greek immigrants forgot their mother tongue soon after conquering this area. At that time, these areas were inhabited by people who had a characteristic language with a special dialect. The language was so sonorous and melodic that everyone who had spent at least a little time in this city soon accepted it as their language and forgot their mother tongue.
Departure to ASPENDOS, where the best preserved Roman amphitheater in the whole province is located. The amphitheater was built in the 2nd century. It was built according to the plans of the famous architect Zenon, and the construction was financed by two rich brothers from Aspendos during the reign of Marcus Aurelius.
A visit to PERGE, an ancient place that was once under Roman rule. Return to the hotel, dinner, overnight.
Day 10 ANTALYA – KONYA
Breakfast. Drive to the dervish town KONYA. Upon arrival we will visit the Mevlana Museum. The museum houses the tomb of Mevlana Rumi Jelaleddin, the founder of the Mevlevi Order of Dervishes, often referred to as the spinning dervishes. According to tradition, one day Mevlana went to the market and while he was at the market, he fell into a trance, listening to the sounds of drums coming from different directions. Pulled by the rhythm of the sounds, but still in a trance, Mevlana began to spin in a circle with his arms raised, while the palm of one hand was facing the sky and the other facing the ground. After this experience, Melvana retires and decides to set up a school where he will teach the young men about God and beings. Mevlana's students were called dervishes, and they are especially known for their dance, the same dance that Mevlana first experienced in a trance at the market. This dance is recognizable by the fact that the dancers are dressed in white dresses with characteristic elongated headgear. This dance could only be danced by experienced students who were able to experience the state of the tracks and it took a lot of practice to reach this state. The dance is danced by the dancer rotating in a circle, always to the right with the side bent to the right and the arms raised in the air. The palm of the right hand is facing the sky and the palm of the left is facing the ground. Accommodation at the hotel, dinner. Going to a dervish dance. Overnight.
Day 11 KONYA – CAPPADOCIA (GOREME)
Breakfast. Drive to CAPPADOCIA, which in both Hittite and Persian (Farsi) means the land of beautiful horses. Wild horses lived here in ancient times before domestication. Departure to western Cappadocia, where powerful eruptions of the Erciyes volcano 3 million years ago formed one of the most spectacular landscapes in the world. Visit the GOREME location. The entire city is located in the rocks and was built during the time of early Christianity when it was banned and Christians persecuted. In the rocks are beautiful Byzantine frescoes with scenes from the Old and New Testaments.
Departure to the city of KAYSERI, one of the most important industrial and commercial centers in Turkey. Accommodation at the hotel, dinner, overnight.
Day 12 CAPPADOCIA
Breakfast. A short walk around the city. Transfer to the airport. Flight via Istanbul.