Private Istanbul Tours.: 2016

Saturday 10 December 2016

Istanbul drone view with Phantom 3. Aerial view. Hagia Sophia Museum, Sultan Ahmed Mosque, Maiden Tower, Galata Tower, Galata Bridge, Suleymaniye Mosque, Eminonu, Bosphorus bridge, Ortakoy ... By Adem Duvan . 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LWZSGNjuF0

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Tuesday 6 December 2016

Whirling dervishes at the Rumi Festival in Konya, Seb-i Arus, The Wedding Day
Every 17 December, the night of Mevlana's death, thousands of people from all around the world gather at the magnificent 13^th century Mevlana Mausoleum to celebrate Seb-i Arus, his 'Wedding Day', his reunion with his Beloved, with the Divine.

During his last hours, his wife pleaded with Mevlana to not leave and ask God to let him stay here a little longer. Mevlana's reply was thus:

Am I a thief?
Have I stolen someone's goods?
Is this why you would confine me here and keep me from being re-joined with my Love?

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Monday 28 November 2016

http://www.privateistanbulwalkingtours.com Private tours in Istanbul.

The İstanbul Archaeological Museums, a museum affiliated to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, is located in İstanbul's Sultanahmet neighborhood, on the Osman Hamdi Bey slope connecting the Gülhane Park with the Topkapı Palace. Its name is plural, since there are three different museums under the same administration: The Archaeological Museum, the Ancient Orient Museum (Eski Şark Eserleri Müzesi) and Tiled Kiosk Museum (Çinili Köşk Müzesi).

· During an İstanbul Archaeological Museums tour, it is possible to visit the extraordinarily beautiful garden of the museum and the three different buildings inside this garden.

· The İstanbul Archaeological Museums, which is housing various artifacts from civilizations that had left their traces to different periods of the history, is one of the 10 most important world-class museums designed and used as a museum building. Additionally, it is the first institution in Turkey arranged as a museum. Besides its spectacular collections, the architectural aspects of its buildings and its garden are of historical and natural importance.

· The İstanbul Archaeological Museums is welcoming all visitors who want to make a journey in the corridors of the history and to trace the remains of ancient civilizations.

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Monday 21 November 2016

Off the beaten path museums in Istanbul:

This is a special tour including some of the most unique places in the city but also which are difficult to visit on your own. The tour will take you to the roots of historic Istanbul with visit to the monuments of Byzantine and Ottoman cultural heritage. As the places of visit are all located out of the touristic centers, you will also have the chance to visit the current daily local life.

The first stop is Suleymaniye Mosque was built on the order of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and constructed by the great Ottoman architect Sinan. The construction work began in 1550 and the mosque was finished in 1557. The mosque is modeled in part on the style of a Byzantine basilica, particularly the Hagia Sophia, which was perhaps a conscious move on the part of the sultan to create a continuity and a symbolic connection with the city's past. Driving along the city walls will end at one of the oldest and most important churches in the city - The Church of Chora - representing fascinating wall paintings which tell the life of Christ in an historical order. Even though the building itself being small, the meaning was great for Byzantines as being founded at the borders of the city and welcoming the visitors. Today the environment is restored and this is a good place to spend time with local artisans and wooden houses.

After the church, we will have a tea-coffee break at one of the most splendid spots of Istanbul with a beautiful view over the Golden Horn - Pierre Loti Hill. Than you will again start drive but that time along the shores of Golden Horn through the towns Fener and Balat which are the old Greek and Jewish living sites. Fener Orthodox Patriarchate is located in the area as well.

After lunch, Our next destination will be the Dolmabahce Palace the last residence for Ottoman Sultans with 365 rooms and 22 saloons. Famous with the great collection of European antiquity, furniture and 4.5 tons chandelier. This will be our last stop after visit we will drive back to your hotel. End of the tour.

Tuesday 15 November 2016

Istanbul's historic coffeehouses
Caffeine enthusiasts know that Topkapı Palace displayed the country’s largest collection of Turkish coffee-related artifacts in 2015 to celebrate 500 years of the UNESCO-recognized drink. With the extravagance of wheeled coffee pots and gilded cups, the exhibition confirmed the Ottomans’ deep reverence for the Ethiopian bean. But those who missed the show need not despair — Istanbul itself is a living museum for the country’s coffee culture. Though no longer a capital city, Istanbul is still the social and economic focal point of the country, and it was from Istanbul that coffee first spread its roots throughout the Ottoman Empire, into Western Europe, and across the world. Art historian Çiçek Akçıl, speaking to The Guide Istanbul among the clatter and vapor of the Grand Bazaar’s Şark Kahvesi coffeehouse, explains that the first coffeehouse owners were not Turks but Arabs. “Different historians differ on the exact date, but we know that traders Hakem from Aleppo and Şamlı from Damascus opened Istanbul’s first coffeehouse in Tahtakale some time between 1551 and 1560,” says Akçıl. “Ottoman royalty first encountered coffee culture on Yavuz Sultan Selim’s Egyptian campaign in 1516-1517, but the drink didn’t begin to enter regular use in the Ottoman palace until the reign of Süleyman the Magnificent.”The palace coffee ritual was predictably ornate, featuring incense, rose-flavored lokum (Turkish delight), and rosewater cologne, while the coffee itself was flavored with mastic, cardamom, or ambergris. Once the palace was hooked on the brown stuff, the rest of society surely followed — despite a fatwa from chief cleric Ebussuud Efendi in 1543 that caused shiploads of coffee beans to be dumped into the sea. The common people’s coffee culture was not quite so refined, but Akçıl notes that lower-class coffeehouses also had important political, artistic, religious, and even military functions. “The first coffee houses to open in Ottoman times were based around serving their neighborhoods,” says Akçıl. “Later, many kinds of coffee house appeared, such as tradesmen’s coffee houses, janissary coffee houses, and firemen’s coffee houses. There were also opium smokers’ coffee houses and public storytellers’ coffee houses, as well as coffee houses for aşıklar — the folk poets and musicians of Turkish oral culture.”Sufi Sheikh Sazeli introduced coffee to Ottoman religious life after his trip to Mecca, and the drink became an important element of the zikir, a chanted ritual in remembrance of God’s names. Coffee was valued for increasing the Sufis’ energy and concentration during nighttime ceremonies. Up until the 19th century, all Istanbul coffeehouses featured a plaque reading, “Our shop is opened every morning with a bismillah [Islamic prayer]. His holiness Sheikh Sazeli is our master.”Not all coffeehouses had such spiritual functions, however, with some even operating as Istanbul’s first theaters. “Sometimes a barber would sit next to the coffee hearth so you could get a shave there as well,” Akçıl comments. “The janissary coffeehouses often had Greek dancers for entertainment and also attractive young boys serving the customers.”Any mention of Ottoman coffeehouses would be incomplete without the Grand Bazaar, known as one of the world’s oldest and largest covered markets. The bazaar’s earliest remaining example is Ethem Tezçakar Kahveci, a family business that stretches back four generations to at least 1909, as shown by a dated receipt in the owner’s possession. This coffee shop is formed of a small room open to the street on one side, where customers drink Turkish coffee at small stools and tables — an arrangement typical of the old Grand Bazaar coffeehouses. Owner Bekir Tezçkar is proud of the family tradition that bears his name, and his shop also specializes in hot ginger tea. Halıcılar Çarşışı Sokak, Grand Bazaar, Beyazıt The 1950s-era Şark Kahvesi has a forgotten role in the Grand Bazaar’s more recent past, although the coffeehouse is firmly on the tourist trail. “We can say this is the heart of the bazaar, and it’s also important historically,” says Akçıl. “The name Şark [meaning east] comes from the immigrants who came from eastern Anatolia in the early Republican period to find work as shop assistants in the bazaar.” Originating as an open-air market between two bedesten (covered markets) shortly after the Ottoman conquest of Istanbul, the Grand Bazaar gradually came to its present form by adding wooden and then stone coverings over the stalls. In a similar way, Şark Kahvesi began as a room akin to Ethem Tezçakar Kahveci, later expanding across the street to create an enclosed coffeehouse. Yağlıkçılar Caddesi, Grand Bazaar, Beyazıt Despite falling into more recent history, the Yeşilçam film industry of the 1950s-80s is a vital reference point in the city’s cultural timeline. Therefore a marriage of Yeşilçam and coffeehouses should not seem so strange — and this combination is achieved in the Cankurtaran neighborhood’s Erol Taş Kültür Merkezi. Known colloquially as kötü adam(the evil man) for his recurring role as a cinematic villain, Erol Taş opened the coffeehouse after retiring from his successful acting career. In ironic reference to his moniker, the coffeehouse displays a giant poster of Taş with the words “Rest in peace, good man.” With simple wooden walls covered in framed photos of Yeşilçam icons, the outside terrace is a perfect place to absorb the heyday of Turkish cinema — along with puffs of nargile and cups of powerful Turkish coffee. Cankurtaran Meydanı, Yeni Saraçhane Sokak, Cankurtaran

Read More @ http://www.theguideistanbul.com/article/istanbuls-historic-coffeehouses

Friday 11 November 2016

Western Turkey Tour:

Day 1: Istanbul

On arrival in Istanbul, you are met and transferred to your hotel in the old city. The balance of the day is at leisure. Accomodation in Istanbul.

Day 2: Istanbul Old City:

You are going to meet with your guide at 09.00 am at your hotel. The tour starts at the Hippodrome, a center for sport activities and ceremonies and it is also famous for the chariot races during the Roman and the Byzantine era. After the Hippodrome we will visit Blue Mosque. The Blue Mosque is the second largest mosque in Istanbul and it was built during the Ottoman Period. It is known for its blue Iznik tiles and being the only Ottoman mosque with 6 minarets. Then we will visit Topkapi Palace, which was the main palace of the Ottoman Sultans untill 1856. Many famous exhibitions are housed in the palace. After here we will have a lunch break and continue to Hagia Sophia, one of the most important buildings in the history of world architecture. Built as a church by the Byzantines and decorated with mosaic tile icons, it then served as a mosque during the Ottoman era. You will definitely be impressed by being in a 1500 years old museum. The tour ends with a visit to the Grand Bazaar. It is the largest bazaar in the world with its 52 small streets and more than 4000 shops. Accomodation in Istanbul. Meals: Breakfast

Day 3: Istanbul - Gallipoli:

Depart from Istanbul with an early morning bus to Gallipoli. Upon your arrival you are going to visit the sights at Gallipoli Battlefield; including Anzac Cove, Lone Pine, The Nek and Chunk Bair. Accommodation in Canakkale. Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Day 4: Gallipoli - Troy - Pergamum:

After breakfast you will be picked up from your hotel by your guide for the morning tour of Troy. You are going to visit the ancient city of Troy and learn about the Greek Mythology. Then departure for Pergamum to visit the famed library, the terrace of the spectacularly sited hillside theater, the main palace, the Altar of Zeus & the propylaeum of the Temple of Athena. In the early Christian era, Pergamum's church was a major center of Christianity and was one of the Seven Churches of Revelation. After the tour we will drive to Kusadasi. Accomodation in Kusadasi. Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Day 5: Ephesus:

After breakfast, Your private guide will come to your hotel some time after 08.30 and later you set off to visit Ephesus. This was one of the great cities of antiquity and you begin at the remains of the fabled Temple of Artemis. You continue to the Odeon, before walking along the Curetes Way to Hadrian’s Temple and the splendid Library of Celsus. As you walk along the Sacred Way to the Agora, you pass baths and the Great Theatre. You then head to nearby Seljuk for lunch and in the afternoon you drive up to House of Virgin Mary, where it is believed she spent her final year. Accomodation in Kusadasi. Meals: breakfast & Lunch

Day 6: Pamukkale:

You leave Kusadasi this morning and take the local bus to Pamukkale. The journey takes about three hours and there are opportunities to stop for a rest, or a cup of coffee, along the way. On arrival you are taken to your hotel in the centre of town and after time for lunch you visit the celebrated hot springs and travertine waterfalls. From the edge of every terrace in this fascinating natural phenomenon hang brilliantly white stalactites - and you can hear the waters of the hot springs as they cascade down over slopes where their flow is impeded only by clumps of oleanders. The temperature of the water forming the travertines, which issues from these hot springs on the hills above, drops to around 33°C lower down. On coming to the surface, the solution of calcium-carbonate in the spring water decomposes into carbon dioxide, calcium carbonate and water. The carbon dioxide is released into the air while the calcium carbonate separates off from the water to form a grey-white limestone sediment. The beds of the watercourses are filled up with these limestone deposits and the water, confronted with these obstacles, splits up into several branches. The water flows over the slopes into pools, the small basins surrounding them and finally into the fields below. It is in this way that these terraces, over 100 metres in height, and composed of layers of accumulated limestone sediment, have been gradually formed over many centuries. After your visit head back to your hotel for the night. Accomodation in Pamukalle. Meals: Breakfast

Day 7: Pamukkale – Antalya:

You are taken to the bus station for the journey to Antalya. The trip takes about 5-6 hours and you should arrive in the early afternoon. There are regular stops along the way for drinks and food. The exact time of your bus will be confirmed to you when you arrive in Istanbul. Once in Antalya you are met and taken to your hotel. Accomodation in Antalya. Meals: Breakfast

Day 8: PERGE, ASPENDOS, SIDE

You will be collected from your hotel between 0800-0830 for a full day scheduled tour to Perge, Aspendos and Side. At Perge see the old Roman baths, the Agora and Colonnaded Street and then drive east to Aspendos, noted for its splendid Roman Amphitheatre. You stop here for lunch at a restaurant on the river and then continue your tour, reaching the old port town of Side (see-day), where you have an hour or so to explore on your own. You can see remnants of the old town, including the great Vespasian Gate, the temples of Apollo and Athena and the small Side Museum. At around 1800 you arrive back in Antalya, with the evening at leisure. Accomodation in Antalya. Meals: Breakfast

Day 9: Antalya – Fethiye

You are taken to the bus station for the journey to Fethiye. Upon arrival you will be met & transfer to your hotel. Accomodation in Fethiye. Meals: Breakfast.

Day 10: Fethiye:

Free day at your leisure at your leisure in Fethiye. Accomodation in Fethiye. Meals: Breakfast.

Day 11: Fethiye

Free day at your leisure at your leisure in Fethiye. Accomodation in Fethiye. Meals: Breakfast.

Day 12: Fethiye – Istanbul

Bus to Dalaman airport for your afternoon flight to Istanbul. Upon arrival to Istanbul airport you are met & transfer to your hotel. Accomodation in Istanbul. Meals: Breakfast.

Day 13: Istanbul

Your tour ends today. Room checkout time is generally around 12.00am. At around …. you will be transferred to the airport. Meals: Breakfast

The tour is flexible and can be extended/shortened upon request.

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Sunday 6 November 2016

Highlights OF TURKEY: Top experiences in Turkey:

Day 1: On arrival in Istanbul, you are met and transferred to your hotel in the old city. The balance of the day is at leisure. Accomodation in Istanbul.

Day 2: Istanbul Old City: You are going to meet with your guide at 09.00 am at your hotel. The tour starts at the Hippodrome, a center for sport activities and ceremonies and it is also famous for the chariot races during the Roman and the Byzantine era. After the Hippodrome we will visit Blue Mosque. The Blue Mosque is the second largest mosque in Istanbul and it was built during the Ottoman Period. It is  known for its blue Iznik tiles and being the only Ottoman mosque with 6 minarets. Then we will visit Topkapi Palace, which was the main palace of the Ottoman Sultans untill 1856. Many famous exhibitions are housed in the palace. After here we will have a lunch break and continue to Hagia Sophia, one of the most important buildings in the history of world architecture. Built as a church by the Byzantines and decorated with mosaic tile icons, it then served as a mosque during the Ottoman era. You will definitely be impressed by being in a 1500 years old museum. The tour ends with a visit to the Grand Bazaar. It is the largest bazaar in the world with its 52 small streets and more than 4000 shops. Accomodation in Istanbul. Meals: Breakfast

Day 3: Istanbul On Food – Cappadocia: The tour will start when you are picked up from your hotel and begin with a walk around the Spice market. Where you will have a chance to see where locals have been buying their spices for hundreds of years. We will then walk from Galata bridge to Karakoy where we have our Turkish breakfast which includes Turkish menemen, sucuklu omlet, kaymak and honey. Then we will catch a metro up to Pera and walk along the famous Istiklal street. We will make a tea stop and you will have the chance to learn how to play backgammon. In the afternoon we will catch a ferry to from the European side of Istanbul to the Asian side to Kadikoy where you are going to taste Mersin's tantuni or if you are feeling adventurous maybe be have liver wrap. We will continue to the fish market where you can sample stuffed or fried mussels as well as pickles. Turkish people love their pickles and we will visit a shop that only sells pickles. After the tour you will transfer to the airport for the domestic flight to Kayseri. On arrival you are met and transferred to your cave hotel in Goreme, in the heart of Cappadocia. Accomodation in Cappadocia. Meals: Breakfast

Day 4: Cappadocia: After breakfast at your hotel, you depart on a scheduled tour of the region, joining others for this excursion or private tour. Tour Start from Devrent Valley (Imagination Valley), spectacular fairy chimneys and beautiful land scapes. After Devrent valley, we will visit Pasabag (known as monk valley ) where double and triple headed rock formation. Lunch at Avanos, famous for pottery and Red river (Kızılırmak). After lunch, you will visit Goreme open air museum which heart of Cappadocia. Goreme open air museum famous for wall painting,  dates back to 10th century describing the life of Jesus Christ and monks. The last stop will be Uchisar castle, natural and one of  the biggest mass fairychimney of the region. Accomodation in Cappadocia. Meals: Breakfast, lunch

Day 5: Cappadocia: Today you depart on a scheduled tour of the region. You head first to the marvellous underground city at Kaymakli. There are 36 such cities in Cappadocia and Kaymakli is one of the largest. It is estimated that it may have accommodated up to 3500 people and parts of it are extremely old. On the first floor is a stable, church and living area. The second floor contains another church with a nave and two apses. Located in front of the apse is a baptismal font, and on the sides along the walls are seating platforms. The church level also contains some living spaces. The third floor contains the most important areas of the underground compound: storage places, wine or oil presses, and kitchens. After lunch in a local restaurant you drive to Rose Valley, where you enjoy a two-hour walk visiting churches along the way and seeing some classic fairy chimneys. Your final stop is at the picturesque Christan village of Cavusin, one of the oldest settlements in the area. You return to your hotel for the night. Accomodation in Cappadocia. Meals: Breakfast, lunch

Day 6: Cappadocia – Ephesus: After breakfast your time is at leisure until your transfer to the airport for the domestic flight to Izmir. On arrival you are met and transferred to your hotel in Kusadasi. Accomodation in Kusadasi. Meals: Breakfast. 

Day 7: Ephesus - Istanbul:  After breakfast, Your private guide will come to your hotel some time after 08.30 and later you set off to visit Ephesus. This was one of the great cities of antiquity and you begin at the remains of the fabled Temple of Artemis. You continue to the Odeon, before walking along the Curetes Way to Hadrian’s Temple and the splendid Library of Celsus. As you walk along the Sacred Way to the Agora, you pass baths and the Great Theatre. You then head to nearby Seljuk for lunch and in the afternoon you drive up to House of Virgin Mary, where it is believed she spent her final year. After the tour you will transfer to the airport for the domestic flight to Istanbul. On arrival you are met and transferred to your your hotel in Istanbul. Accomodation in Istanbul. Meals: breakfast

Day 8: Istanbul: Your tour ends today. Room checkout time is generally around 11.30 am. At around …. you will be transferred to the airport. Meals: Breakfast

www.privateistanbulwalkingtours.com #privateistanbulwalkingtours #ontripadvisor #turkeyistanbultours private tours in Istanbul. Walking tours in Istanbul. #Istanbul walks. #maidentower #istanbul #hagiasophia #topkapipalace #bluemosque

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