Day 01. Arrival in
Istanbul
Upon arrival meet our
staff at the airport and transfer to the hotel. Enjoy your dinner in your hotel.
Turkish Spa treatments available. Overnight in Istanbul. (D)
Day 02. Istanbul
After breakfast
explore Basilica of St. Sophia (The
Church of the Holy Wisdom, known as Hagia
Sophia, recently a mosque), which has inspired architects and religious
leaders for over fifteen hundred years; Blue Mosque whose interior
walls are covered with twenty thousand blue Iznik tiles, and magnificent Topkapi Palace. The Islamic world has a
long tradition of honoring its famous dead, and many mosques have at their
heart a mausoleum or tomb containing the relics of important Muslims,
religious, political, literary or otherwise.
What is not common in the Islamic world is the preservation of important
religious objects, with at least one major exception: The Sacred Trusts,
the world’s largest and most sacred collection of Muslim artifacts. This
collection, which is kept in the Imperial Treasury at the Topkapi Palace, has a
magnificent assortment of items that include several personal effects of the
Prophet, as well as odds and ends which belonged to his early followers and
other prominent Muslims of later periods. In the afternoon attend to the Cooking and Turkish Coffee class.
Overnight
in Istanbul. (B, D)
Day 03. Istanbul - Fly
to Cappadocia
After breakfast we
will have connecting flight to Cappadocia,
which became known as the "Land of the Three Saints" because of three
remarkable theologians who are still collectively known as The Cappadocians:
St. Basil the Great, his brother St. Gregory of Nyssa, and St. Gregory of
Nazianzus contributed a great deal to Christian doctrine in general and Eastern
Orthodox thought in particular, in the 4th century. St. Basil was instrumental in developing
Christian monasticism, of which these cave churches in his homeland are a
product. In the afternoon explore one of
the Underground Cities of Cappadocia. Around the sixth century the
Christian inhabitants of this region began to tunnel into the soft volcanic
rock of large hill. As deep as two hundred and seventy-five feet with eight
different levels, several thousand people lived in this subterranean
city. Overnight in Cappadocia. (B, D)
Day 04. Cappadocia
Early morning enjoy optional hot air ballooning, a dream to gently float over the countryside in complete harmony with
the deep canyons and lush fertile valleys of Cappadocia. Gentle winds carry you
over places that could never be reached except by balloon. Then we
enjoy a visit to local municipality carpet cooperation, sort of a carpet
farm where you will get the chance to explore the district from a cultural
perspective. Our sightseeing continues with fascinating Goreme
Open Air Museum (UNESCO
World Heritage Site), a complex of medieval painted cave churches carved out by
Orthodox monks. Overnight in Cappadocia. (B, D)
Day 05. Cappadocia – Konya
After breakfast
explore Turkish village, Avanos to see the techniques of ceramic art
dating from 12th B.C. to 3rd B.C. periods. Our journey continues to Konya,
making a stop at World Heritage Site, Catalhoyuk, the taller eastern mound containing
eighteen levels of Neolithic occupation between 7400 BC and 6200 BC and
including wall paintings, reliefs, sculptures and other symbolic and artistic
features. Catal Huyuk appears to have been a City of Shrines and may indeed
have been the sacred center for other settlements on the surrounding Anatolian
plain. We also see the Green Mausoleum or Green Dome, is the original lodge of
the Mevlevi Whirling Dervishes, a mystical Sufi Muslim group. It contains the tomb
and shrine of the Mevlana, or Rumi. In the evening we will have private
Ceremony of Whirling Dervishes following with discussion. We’ll watch as
they use music and dance to induce themselves into a mystical state. As the
ceremonial music plays, they begin to whirl, and their long skirt billow giving
the impression that they are floating on air. Overnight in Konya. (B, D)
Day 6. Konya –
Pamukkale
Our tour continues
to Hierapolis (UNESCO World Heritage Site), whose name
means "sacred city," was believed by the ancients to have been
founded by the god Apollo. It was famed for its sacred hot springs, whose
vapours were associated with Pluto, god of the underworld. The city also had a
significant Jewish community and was mentioned by Paul in his Letter to
Colossians. Overnight in Pamukkale. (B, D)
Day 7. Pamukkale –
Aphrodisias – Kusadasi
Our
tour takes us to UNESCO World Heritage Site, Aphrodisias, has been sacred since as early as 5,800 BC, when
Neolithic farmers came here to worship the Mother Goddess of fertility and
crops. Dedicated to the ancient Mother Goddess and then the Greek goddess
Aphrodite, it was the site of a magnificent Temple of Aphrodite and the home of
a renowned school of marble sculpture. The Temple of Aphrodite later became a
Christian basilica through an impressive swapping of columns. In the afternoon join to the group healing and meditation. Overnight
in Kusadasi. (B, D)
Day 8. Kusadasi
Today’s
included sacred site is Ephesus (UNESCO World Heritage Site), the
largest ancient city ever uncovered. We will be delighted with the Prytaneion,
one of the most significant public buildings of Ephesus and dedicated to the
goddess Hestia; the Temple of Hadrian, having a beautiful arch on the front
facade and interesting reliefs of Medusa and the Great Theater, traditionally
where St. Paul preached. Our next sacred sites are Temple of Artemis, the ancient temple, built around 650 BC to the
cult of Artemis, was constructed on a site already sacred to the Anatolian
Mother Goddess, Cybele and considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world and also House of Virgin Mary, believed to be the last residence of the
Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus, and under which the spring that runs is believed to have healing properties. In the afternoon join to the group healing and meditation. Overnight
in Kusadasi. (B, D)
Day 9. Kusadasi – Pergamum – Izmir – Fly to Istanbul
Today we will drive
north to UNESCO World Heritage Site, Pergamum where we will visit Asclepion (god of healing and medicine). The site was founded in the 4th Century BC around a sacred spring that
still flows. Over the next centuries it became one of the best-known healing
centers of the ancient world, second in importance only to Epidaurus in Greece.
The influential physician Galen was born in Pergamum and practiced here in the
2nd Century AD, having first made his medical reputation treating warriors in
the gladiatorial games of the city. On the drive back to Izmir, we will see Red
Basilica (Temple of Serapis), the massive structure was built in the early
2nd century (under Hadrian) as a temple to the popular Egyptian god Serapis. It
was later (4th-5th centuries) converted into a Byzantine church. Then transfer to Izmir Adnan Menderes
Airport to have a direct flight to Istanbul. Overnight in
Istanbul. (B, D)
Day 10. Istanbul
Departure
After
breakfast transfer to Istanbul Airport for flight home (B) or JOIN OUR 3 DAY EXCURSION
TO GOBEKLI TEPE!!!! Details Below
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Main Tour Cost: $3820
USD –
per person / double occupancy
Single Supplement: $600. USD
A non-refundable deposit of $700 required to hold
your space –
Registration details in separate
document -
unique small
tour / limited space
What’s Included:
• 9 Nights Hotel Accommodation as below,
• Transportation by Modern A/C Vehicle
• Baggage Handling at the hotels
• 9x Breakfast and 9x Dinner
• English speaking Professional Tour Guide (knowledge of spiritual aspects of the sites)
• Talks/Lectures, 1-1 Energy Healing/Clearings, Meditations, Intuitive Guidance
• Cooking Class & Turkish Coffee Class & special event guest tba
• All entrances Fees
• All applicable Taxes
• Tips at the hotels
• Private Whirling Dervishes Ceremony and Discussion in Konya
• 2x Domestic Flights (Istanbul Airport – Cappadocia) and (Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport to Istanbul)
What’s Not Included
·
Flight to Istanbul, Turkey – transfer
to/from airport to hotel
·
Extension Tour Gobekli Tepe – details below
·
Hot Air Ballooning (Estimated price $130
usd)
·
Water, Soft or Alcoholic Beverages
·
Tips for guide ($7-10 USD suggested PP
Daily) and driver ($3-5 USD PP Daily)
·
Daily Luncheon
·
Entry Visa (approximately $15 - can be
purchased online)
Note: There is an
option to arrive a couple days before the tour begins to experience more time
in amazing Istanbul please let me know! For more information/questions:
email:
beverly@beverlyelba.com;
phone/text: 917-627-0533
Thank YOU! I’m so
excited to share this experience with YOU!
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