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Day 1
Arrival at Istanbul and transfer to the historical Topkapi Palace. (On Tuesdays Topkapi Palace is closed so if you come on a Tuesday we will replace it with St. Sophia) Topkapi Palace was the main residence of the Ottoman Sultans from 15th through the 19th centuries. In this interesting palace I will make sure that you see all of the impressive collection of priceless jewels, crystal, silver and porcelain, robes worn by the sultans and the Harem section where lived the women of the Sultans. After the visit of Topkapi we will proceed to Yerebatan which is a hidden underground Byzantine cistern. Our next visit will be the Grand Bazaar. Overnight in Istanbul.
Day 2
Visit the ancient Hippodrome famous with the Obelisk of Theodosius, Snake pillar and the German Fountain of Wilhelm II. This was the place where horse races took place during the ancient Roman times. Here we will also see the Blue Mosque, built for Sultan Ahmet I. It is a unique piece of architecture with its six minarets and features 20,000 beautiful Iznik tiles. After these visits we will get back to the minivan and drive down towards to the exotic and aromatic Spice Market. You may buy spices, fruits and nuts and almost anything imaginable. The Bosphorus cruise towards the Black Sea begins at 10.35. During the cruise we will pass by marble palaces such as Dolmabahce, Ciragan and Beylerbeyi and you will enjoy zigzagging from continent to continent traveling up the Bosphorus, which is lined with old Ottoman seaside mansions, fortresses and small fishing villages. We will disembark at Sariyer close by the Black Sea and drive to St. Sophia, masterpiece of the Byzantine art. St. Sophia was built by the Emperor Justinian and it was the largest building in the world for over 1000 years. We will see its intricate mosaics and it's huge central dome. Our next visit will be to Suleymaniye Mosque which is the largest mosque in the town. Suleymaniye is considered to be one of the masterpieces of architect Sinan, who was the Michelangelo of Ottomans. Here we will also visit the holy tombs of Sultan Soliman and his famous Ukranian wife, Roxelane. Overnight in Istanbul.
Day 3
Early departure for Ankara 460 kms. After a comfortable motorway trip we will reach Ankara and will visit the Mausoleum of Ataturk who was the national father of Turks. After this visit we will proceed to Anatolian Civilizations Museum located in an ancient Caravan Hotel from the 15th century. Here we will learn about different peoples who lived in this so called land, Anatolia. Talk about the history and archaeology of Turkey. After these visits we will start driving towards Cappadocia and reach this fairy land in the evening. Upon our arrival to Uchisar we will be welcomed with delicious local wines and fruit cocktails at my hotel. I am sure you will enjoy contemplating the beautiful panorama from the terrace while drinking your vine.
Day 4
We will start visiting Cappadocia by the old village of Sinassos. Meet local people there who used to live in Macedonia before 1923 migration. The best way to understand the culture of the area. Here we will visit the Church of St. Vasilios and take a walk by the Gomeda Valley. Later on we will continue towards Damsa which is a local water dam and arrive to Cemil village where we will see an old Cathedral dating from 1914. Keslik Monastery located in the rocks will be our next stop. This old abandoned Monastery was once inhabited by Monks whose aim was to spread Christianity all over the pagan world. This wasn't an easy task, especially in those times, while many people were still illiterate. So those Christians missionaries decorated the interior part of those cave churches with beautiful frescoes relating stories from the Bible. Inviting, persuading and teaching people Christianity by means of those pictures rather than by means of those complicated texts of the Bible would be much easier. This is why you will see so many rock dug churches with beautiful frescoes in this amazing region. Soganli Valley (Valley of Onions) is another Valley where Christian Monks used to live. Here we will drive off road to reach an old Christian Church at the end an earth path. This church located at some no men's land is named St. Barbara and it is decorated in the inside again with beautiful frescoes showing important personalities and events of Christianity. After we leave here we will see the underground city of Mazi. Then will drive to Kizilvadi (Rose Valley) and will walk down to explore this fabulous land to discover a huge church in the rock on one facade of the valley. This is how those monks used to worship. Always hiding themselves in the ground from their enemies. On our way back we will watch sun set from this amazing high view point. Overnight in Cappadocia.
Day 5
Today is the day we will see the most interesting areas in Cappadocia. Pasabag, Zelve Valley, Goreme Valley and the most beautiful rock dug churches of the area. Among those beautiful churches we will see Apple Church, Snake Church, Church With Sandals, Buckle Church are worth to mention. Today we will also see Kizilirmak (Red River) in Avanos and pass across this largest and longest river of Turkey walking on a suspended pedestrian bridge. In Avanos we will also have the opportunity to see the Sarihan Caravanserail which was built in 13 th century at the time of the Seljukian Empire. After these visits we will relax a bit at Bayramhaci hot springs before we proceed towards Istanbul. On our way we will come across the holy Monastery of Haci Bektas who was a philospher and poet in Medioval ages. In this ancient Monastery among many other wonderful objects we will also the «keskul» (beggers cup) used by future derviches forced to beg food from people in order to struggle against their pride. Pazarci masasi, nefir, teber, mutekka are some of the other insturments used by derviches and I will explain you one by one what those are. This will allow you to understand better the cultural aspects of Turkey. We will overnight at Bolu tonight. Which is some 4 hours drive from the airport.
Day 6
Today we will drive back to Istanbul. As we will reach a remote suburban area of the city I will take you to a very interesting place and show you the tomb of the great Carthaganian commander Hannibal who had committed suicide here. Proceed to Istanbul Ataturk International Airport through Bosphorus. End of my services.
