|
Cappadocia-Konya-Pamukkale-Ephesus tours |
 |
Higlights
Cappadocia - Konya - Pamukkale - Ephesus
tours
6 Days - 5 Nights from Istanbul |
|
|
Tours
to Cappadocia, Konya & Pamukkale, Ephesus
Tour
Itinerary
|
Day 01
|
Very early in the morning we will meet you at our
Istanbul hotel and transfer you to the domestic
airport and put you on a 1 hour 15 minute flight
from Istanbul to Kayseri, as soon as you arrive we
will transfer you to the tour bus and continue on a
full day tour of Cappadocia.
Sites you’ll see today
*The World Heritage Site of Goreme Open-Air
Museum--This is a cluster of rock cut Byzantine
churches, chapels and monasteries which include some
wonderful 11th and 12th century frescoes on the cave
walls. This place was used by the Christians as a
place of refuge from those opposed to Christianity
and also was a major monastery. Rooms, churches,
houses, and gathering halls have all been cut into
the rock or formed from natural caves. Within the
caves you can explore and see the preserved mosaics
and frescoes.
*Fairy Chimneys--These geological phenomenon have
been shaped over millions of years. They were formed
during volcanic eruptions in the region. Reaching at
times 40 meters in height, they are conical in shape
and have a "hat" top to them.
*Devrent Valley--This valley is know as "the pink
valley" because of the color of it’s soil. This is a
lovely place to wander around and look at the
magical rock formations indicative to Cappadocia,
including the Fairy Chimneys.
*Uchisar Castle--Also called a fortress, this is
actually a formation of two gigantic rocks
surrounded by smaller rocks that together form a
natural fortress with towers. These formations were
inhabited during both the Byzantine and Ottoman
times. You can climb and explore the different caves
and rooms throughout the fortress, experiencing
first-hand what it must have been like to hide in
these fortified rocks, waiting for the ancient enemy
to pass by or give up.
*We will also get the chance to visit local
craftspeople and learn how they make dolls and
create traditional pottery.
>Breakfast/Lunch <overnight in URGUP. |
| |
|
Day 02
|
Today will be spent
walking through an underground city where ancient
people once fled for their lives escaping the Arab
invaders, wandering through Ihlara Gorge and
spending time in an Anatolian village. As we will
need to drive for awhile in order to reach our first
destination, we will be starting out quite early
this morning.
Sites you’ll see today
*Underground City of Derinkuyu--You will gradually
stroll your way down into the depths of the earth in
this ancient underground city that has 18-20 floors
as deep as 40 meters below the ground. Don’t worry,
you will only go down to the 8th floor. Cappadocia
has around 36 underground cities. Archeologists date
these back to the time of the Hittites which lived
4000 years ago. Others believe they were inhabited
around the 7th century BC.....Regardless of how old
or young they are, undoubtedly they will leave you
with a sense of awe of how the dwellers of these
cities lived. As you wind down you will begin to
feel as if you are in a huge block of Swiss cheese.
Everywhere you look there will be nooks and crannies
carved into the rocks: holes, windows , paths,
alleys, little rooms. . . it is really a maze of
mass proportions. You will see ancient kitchens and
stables; storage jars for oil, wine and water; rock
carved tables, chairs, and beds; and deep wells for
water supplies. You will be amazed at the elaborate
ancient ventilation system in place. These cities
were fortified and prepared for it’s inhabitants to
hide out for months from attackers, especially
during the Arab invasions. During Christian times
the hiding worshippers even built little chapels
that you can still see.
*Ihlara Gorge will seem like an oasis in the middle
of the Anatolian plain. Delve into the gorge and see
the beautiful greenery as you follow the river.
Around you will see ancient monasteries complete
with pigeon holes cut into the cliffs by the monks.
They used these pigeons as messengers to communicate
with their monk friends!
*Traditional Anatolian villages--The head-scarved
women out at work in the fields from sun up until
sun-down, and the mustached, vest-wearing men hard
at work playing cards in the coffee shops. You will
get time to stroll in such a village and see the
average Turkish villager at work...or play.
>Breakfast/Lunch provided, Overnight stay in
Cappadocia |
| |
|
Day 03
|
|
After breakfast we will depart from your
hotel, and go an all day drive down to Konya , (
Arrival in Konya check in the hotel, and will show
you historical sites located around Konya we will
visit the Museum which is a holy site for
Muslims. It is the former lodging place for the
whirling dervishes. The architecture and turquoise
tiles are a beautiful site for all. Then we will
visit the Karatay Medrese which houses an
outstanding collection of ceramics and tiles. The
eight- hundred year old building was once a Selcuk
Islamic theological seminary. Overnight stay in
Konya |
| |
|
Day 04 |
|
After breakfast we will provide a transfer from
Konya to Pamukkale, Arrival in Pamukkale, Check
in the hotel, free day, overnight stay. |
| |
|
Day 05 |
A cotton castle, a hillside of tombs, and an ancient
sculpture school....there is never a day in Turkey
that you are short of eclectic sites to see!
Sites you’ll see today
*Pammukale means cotton castle in Turkish. It is the
result of limestone formations built over thousands
of years. Warm calcium rich mineral water flowed
over the cliffs and as it cooled it deposited the
calcium into the formations that are seen today. Pammukale is now a world heritage site.
*Hierapolis was founded as a healing care centre in
190 BC, taking advantage of the mineral
waters in the area. It was one of the most important
intellectual, artistic, religious and commercial
centres of the Roman Empire.
*In the afternoon you will have free time at your
hotel to relax in it’s natural and thermal spring
waters that are used in it’s pools.You are going to
be transfered to , Overnight stay in Selceuk.
|
| |
|
Day 6 |
After breakfast *Ephesus is one of the best
preserved cities from Roman times. At the time St.
Paul lived in Ephesus in the 60‘s AD, it was at it’s
Roman heyday with a population around 250,000. When
St. Paul lived in Ephesus he would have addressed
the Ephesians in the great theatre, that today
impresses everyone that walks into it’s stands.
Ephesus was a great ancient city and much of it has
been preserved for you to see. More than any other
site, you can walk the streets, stand in the great
theatre, wander in the library, look towards the
hill where St. Paul was put into prison, and feel
that you are walking back into the time that St.
Paul lived. After being here, you will read the book
of Ephesians with new eyes.
*The House of The Virgin Mary where it is believed
St. Mary came to live with St. John in the last
years of her life. >Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner
provided<overnight in KUSADASI we will transfer you
to Izmir Airport and will put you on a flight back
to Istanbul after your arrival then we will transfer
you to your hotel in Sultanahmet or Taksim Area.
|
| |
|
Price:
Please contact us for the
price of this tour.
Tour Code:
Cappadocia-Konya-Pamukkale-Ephesus
|
|
|
|
