Welcome to Enchanting Journeys

Turkey is a land of vast open spaces, massive mountain ranges, fertile valleys & rugged coastline with unfrequented beaches, fast - growing cities & sleepy villages and bustling neon-lit seaside resorts.

Turkey occupies a unique geographic position, lying partly in Asia & partly in Europe. Throughout its history, it has acted as both a barrier & a bridge between the 2 continents. Among the larger countries of the region in terms of territory & population with a land area greater than that of any European state, it is situated at the crossroads of the Balkans, Caucasus, Middle East & eastern Mediterranean.

Arrive in iconic Istanbul, the largest Turkish city & a major seaport that connects the east with the west.

After you exit in the Arrival Hall at Terminal? -  Istanbul Kemal Ataturk International Airport, subsequent to Immigration & Customs, you will be welcomed by The Journeys representative (holding a placard with your Name) who will ensure your comfort & transfer you to the hotel. He / she will provide assistance during Check-in & also discuss the program for the next few days & provide you with some useful tips for exploring the area on your own

If, for any reason you are unable to make contact with our representative within 30 minutes after you exit in the Arrivals Hall, please call the local Emergency telephone # listed on your Contact List. Please follow the advice given by our 24 / 7 Duty Officer.  Please do not exit the Airport & make your own way to the hotel.

Reach the hotel & Check-in & relax.

*Check-in time is 02.00 pm. For earlier arrivals in the morning, we will request the hotel for a complimentary early Check-in but cannot be guaranteed unless reserved & paid for ‘immediate occupancy’.

Balance of the day is at leisure or perhaps try one of the many options available (we will be happy to offer suggestions & make arrangements). 

Living History | Art & Architecture | Culinary Heritage

The city of Istanbul has been known by a number of different names associated with different phases of its checkered history & respective languages. The most notable documented names besides the current Turkish name are Byzantium, Constantinople & Stamboul.

Istanbul‘s strategic location has attracted many marauding armies over the centuries. The Greeks, Romans & Venetians took turns ruling before the Ottomans stormed into town & decided to stay - physical reminders of their various tenures are found across the city. The fact that the city straddles two continents wasn't its only drawcard - it was the final stage on the legendary Silk Road linking Asia with Europe & many merchants who came here liked it so much that they, too, decided to stay. In so doing, they gave the city a cultural diversity that it retains to this day.

Capital of 3 empires, Istanbul is an old city, you can see the remains of many ancient civilizations & their culture in harmony with Turkish culture. The old versus the new, the traditional versus the modern is a conflict a visitor often observes. The city is full of contrasts & colorful views. Where the blowing winds from the 7 peaks of Anatolian Olympos on Asia & Europe merge into each other, where Amazon's cooled their bodies in the waves that break apart from the Black Sea & roll mightily against the shore, where love is symbolized in the Tower of Leandros, where stand the rocks of Symplegad that brought nightmares to the Argonauts. Where romance & traffic jam go hand in hand. Lively & exciting, a world metropolis - that is Istanbul.

The conquering armies of ancient times tended to ransack the city rather than endow it with artistic treasures, but all that changed with the Byzantines, who adorned their churches & palaces with mosaics & frescoes. Miraculously, many of these remain. Their successors, the Ottomans, were quick to launch an ambitious building program & the magnificently decorated imperial mosques that resulted are architectural triumphs that together form one of the world's great skylines. In recent years, local banks & business dynasties have reprised the Ottomans' grand ambitions & endowed an impressive array of galleries, museums & festivals for all to enjoy.

Istanbul is hot. And we are not talking about the weather. The city’s over-abundance of important historic buildings & exciting new art galleries & museums provides visitors with more than enough to see during the day, but it is at night that the place swings into high-velocity, mega-stylish action.

These days, locals are flocking to see & be seen at an ever-growing array – more than there are exquisite Ottoman mosques (& that is a lot) - of happening bars, clubs, restaurants, galleries around town, bringing with them an infectious sense of joie de vivre & a discerning ability to judge these places on their standard of service, drinks, music & food as well as their position in the what’s-hot & what’s-not stakes.

The international fashion & design press have been talking up İstanbul ad nauseam, but the most significant thing about the accolade ‘World’s Hippest City’ is that İstanbullus themselves have come believe it. The creeping sense of decrepitude that had fallen like a pall over their once-all-powerful home town has vanished, replaced by a sense of energy & innovation not seen since the days of Sueyman the Magnificent.

'But, what about the food?' we hear you say. The city's cuisine is as diverse as its heritage & delicious to boot. Bon vivants need look no further than Istanbul, where the markets are among the most stylish & atmospheric and the mod Ottoman cuisine rates as the tastiest, in the world.

Locals take their eating & drinking seriously - the restaurants here are the best in the country. For the sociable & family-orientated Turks, getting together & eating well is a time - honoured ritual.  The best thing about sampling Turkey's delicious specialties - ranging from meze on a Mediterranean harbour to a pension breakfast featuring products from the kitchen garden - is they take you to the heart of Turkish culture.

You can eat aromatic Asian dishes or Italian classics if you so choose, but most visitors prefer to sample the succulent Anatolian kebabs, flavorsome mezes & freshly caught fish that are the city's signature dishes, washing them down with the national drink, rakı (aniseed brandy), or a glass or 2 of locally produced wine. Get stuck into olive oil - lathered Aegean vegetables, spicy & dishes from Turkey's many other corners - and as you drink a tulip-shaped glass of çay & contemplate some baklava for dessert, remember that eating is deepening your understanding of Turkey.

The city’s over-abundance of important historic buildings and exciting new art galleries & museums provides visitors with more than enough to see during the day, but it’s at night that the place swings into high-velocity, mega-stylish action.

That is not to say that the locals are turning their backs on much-loved city institutions such as the rakı-soaked meyhane (tavern) or tranquil çay bahçesi (tea garden), because they wouldn’t dream of doing anything so foolish. They know, after all, that such institutions are one of the reasons that their home is - & always has been - rightfully dubbed the ‘City of the World’s Desire’.

Overnight.    

Morning, you will meet the Tour-guide in the Lobby at 09:00 am & embark on a 6 hour sightseeing tour of Istanbul.

You will visit the the main historical sites which illustrate the art & culture of the Ottoman Empire, Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire. Ancient ruins, Museums, Mosques, bazaars & Turkish baths of Istanbul could keep you happily occupied - an eyeful of breathtaking architecture here, a good-natured haggle over a carpet there.

First, head over the Hippodrome to the Sultan Ahmet Mosque internationally known as the Blue Mosque (also known as Sultan Ahmet Mosque), the culmination of two centuries of both Ottoman mosque & Byzantine church development and observe Ottoman architecture at its finest. Turn 360 degrees to see six imposing spires and 260 luminescent windows that scatter brilliant sunlight over the mosque’s 20,000 Iznik tiles.

Continue to Hagia Sophia & learn how this civil engineering wonder was once the largest church in the world, then a mosque, and now the Saint Sophia Museum. Enjoy perusing through this enormous dome structure admiring the beautiful Byzantine mosaics which depict the Virgin Mother, Jesus, saints, Byzantine emperors & empresses and biblical scenes.

Next, delve under the famous peninsula of Sarayburnu into the largest ancient cistern in Istanbul, Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarayı). Located a mere 500 feet (150m) southwest of the Hagia Sophia, Experience its sheer size & learn how it was built under the rule of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I in the 6^th century & is the largest cistern in a city of hundreds.

Rise above ground and take a short walk to Topkapi Palace, the oldest & largest palace on the planet, with its ornate rooms & stories about the treasure held within its walls. It was the official & primary residence in the city of the Ottoman sultans for approximately 400 years. The Palace is also home for the most holy relics of the Muslim world such as the Prophet Mohammed’s cloak & sword. Stroll around its buildings to a spectacular vantage point of the Golden Horn & learn why it is considered the crown jewel of the Ottoman Empire. Visit Rustem Pasha Mosque, which is famous for its large quantities of exquisite Iznik tiles.

Continue onward to the center of Constantinople’s sporting & political heart at the Hippodrome. Go back in time 500 years when the Ottoman empire was in power and imagine a place ruled by games & riots. The Hippodrome is full of monuments & the most well-known is the ancient Egyptian granite Serpent Column, Obelisk of Theodosius & hear how it was transported in 390 AD to Constantinople by Emperor Theodosius. Also notable are the Walled Obelisk & German Fountain. Nowadays, this civic park carries on the Ottoman tradition in its name only known as the Horse Grounds (At Meydanı).

Finally, enjoy the hustle and bustle of the famous Grand Bazaar. Discover the world’s largest canopied market as you stroll along peering into shops known for jewelry, hand-painted ceramics, carpets, leather, embroideries, pottery, spices & antique shops. With more than 4,000 shops on 58 streets (city blocks), you will be astounded that this market has been operating since the 14^th century.

Depending on the time, you can also visit a carpet shop / factory & learn how carpets are made by hand.

Return to the hotel by afternoon & Check-out.

Balance of the day is at leisure or perhaps try one of the many options available (we will be happy to offer suggestions & make arrangements). 

Morning, Check-out & meet the Tour-guide in the Lobby at 08:00 am & proceed for another 6 hour tour.

(we will request the hotel to allow the use of the hotel facilities & to leave the luggage at the Bell Desk). 

Visit the Spice Bazaar (or Egyptian Bazaar), the second largest covered shopping complex after the Grand Bazaar. Filled with spices, dried fruits, nuts & seeds, lokum (Turkish Delight) & other edibles, Spice Bazaar has a smell of the fragrance of the exotic East. You would also be passing though the City Walls of Istanbul.

Continue on to the Eminonue Harbor & to Golden Horn to board a ferryboat for an excursion on the Bosphorus & cruise along the European & Asian shores where you can see the two continents embrace each other through the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge which connects to Europe.  You will be passing under this bridge & the area affords great views of the city.

Enjoy viewing Ottoman palaces, citadels, centuries-old mansions and old & new faces of Istanbul on the European & Asian shorelines at the same time. 

You will see Dolmabahce Palace; Ortakoy Area; Camlica Hill with its panoramic view; Rumeli Fortress & many other old sites of Istanbul along the way.

Return to the hotel by late afternoon.

In time, you would be met by a Journeys Rep & transferred to Terminal? - Istanbul Kemal Ataturk International Airport, to board your flight for Cappadocia.

On arrival at Cappadocia Kayseri Airport, you will be met by a Journeys Rep who will ensure your comfort & transfer you to the hotel. He / she will also discuss your program & co-ordinate the timings for the guided sightseeing. 

As if plucked from a whimsical fairy tale & set down upon the stark Anatolian plains, Cappadocia is a geological oddity of honeycombed hills & towering boulders of otherworldly beauty. The fantastical topography is matched by the human history here.

The semi-arid Cappadocian Region located in the center of the Anatolia with its valley, canyon, hills & unusual rock formation created as a result of the eroding rains & winds of thousands of years of the level, lava-covered plain located between the volcanic mountains Erciyes, Melendiz & Hasan as well as its troglodyte dwellings carved out of the rock & cities dug out into underground, presents an otherworldly appearance

The eruptions of these mountains which were active volcanoes in geological times lasted until 2 million years ago. A soft tuff layer was formed, 150 m in thickness, by the ensuing lava in the valley surrounded by mountains. The rivers, flood water running down the hillsides of valleys & strong winds eroded the geological formations on the plateau, formed with tuff layers, thus creating distinctive bizarre tall mushroom shaped, pinnacled, capped & conic shaped rock formations called ”fairy chimneys” clustered in Monks Valley, Goreme & elsewhere.

The prehistoric settlements of the area are Koskhoyuk (Kosk Mound) in Nigde, Aksaray Asikli Mound, Nevsehir Civelek cave &, in the southeast, Kultepe, Kanis & Alisar in the environs of Kayseri.

This area with its usual topographic characteristics was regarded as sacred & called, in the Scythian / Khatti language, as Khepatukha, meaning "the country of the people of the chief god Hepat", although there are more poetic claims on the origin of the region's name, such as the Old Persian Katpatuka, which allegedly means "the land of beautiful horses".

People have long utilised the region's soft stone, seeking shelter underground and leaving the countryside scattered with fascinating cavern architecture.

Cappadocian Tablets & the Hittite works of art in Alisar dating from 2000s B.C, are are some of the important remains that were found.

After 1200s B.C., the Tabal principality, of the Khatti Branches of Scythians, became strong & founded the Kingdom of Tabal. Following the Late Hittite & Persian eras, the Cappadocian Kingdom was established in 332 B.C. During the Roman era, the area served as a shelter for the early escaping Christians. There are also several underground cities used by early Christians as hideouts in Cappadocia.

The fresco-adorned rock-cut churches of Goreme Open-air Museum & the subterranean refuges of Derinkuyu & Kaymaklı are the most famous sights, while simply bedding down in one of Cappadocia's cave hotels is an experience in 21^st century cave living.

Other notable sites include Bronze Age homes carved into valley walls by troglodytes (cave dwellers) & later used as refuges by early Christians. The 100 metre deep Ihlara Canyon houses numerous rock-face churches.

Whether you are wooed here by the hiking potential, the history or the bragging rights of becoming a modern troglodyte for a night, it is the lunarscape panoramas that you will remember. This region's accordion-ridged valleys, shaded in a palette of dusky orange & cream, are an epiphany of a landscape - the stuff of psychedelic daydreams.

Check-in at the hotel.

Morning, meet the Tour-guide in the Lobby at 08.00 am & proceed for a 6 hour sightseeing tour.

You would be visiting the main highlights of the area, relics of an early Christian age, including but not limited to, Avanos Town (well-known Pottery town by Kizlirmak River); Uchisar Castle; Devrent Valley & Pasabag (Monk’s Valley) where you will see some of the most striking fairy chimneys in Cappadocia with twin & even triple rock caps.

You will also stop at Pigeon Valley (Guvircin Vadisi); Rose Valley; Ortahisar Castle & Town; Underground City in Kaymakli Town; the ancient Christian village of Cavusin & Red Valley.

After lunch, continue on to the Goreme open-air Museum, which comprises of the finest rock-cut churches, with beautiful frescoes (wall paintings) whose colors still retain all their original freshness.

Come back to the hotel.

Balance of the day is at leisure or perhaps opt for one of the options available (we will be happy to offer suggestions & make arrangements).

Early morning, depart for Pamukkale, enroute stopping at Konya is home to the whirling dervish to visit to the Mausoleum of Mevlana, the world-wide famous mystic figure, also known as Rumi.

Konya, one of Turkey's most compelling cities is located south of Ankara in Anatolia region. It was once the capital of Sultanate of Rum, which resulted in much of the architectural heritage visible today. The Persian poet & Sufi thinker "Mevlana" or Rumi also settled in the city during this period.

The city lies on a totally flat ground, with the sole exception of a small hill called Alaattin Tepesi in the very centre of the city. which is actually a man-made hill, erected during the Seljuk period so noble residents could easily watch the city below from their palace. Almost nothing remained of the palace and the hill now serves as the central park, which is a quite pleasant and shady one.

An economic powerhouse that is religiously inspired & a busy university city that is as conservative as they come: Konya treads a delicate path between its historical significance as the home town of the whirling dervish orders & a bastion of Seljuk culture & its modern importance as an economic boom town. The city derives considerable charm from this juxtaposition of old & new. Ancient mosques & the maze-like market district rub up against contemporary Konya around Alaaddin Tepesi, where hip-looking university students talk religion & politics in the tea gardens.

Despite rapid growth in recent years, and the arrival of many students from out of town in the Selçuk University, founded in 1975, Konya still retains the air of an Anatolian provincial town. Even though the influx of tourists from the west has increased considerably, visitors are still left in peace & do not have to suffer the hassles they get in Istanbul. On the downside perhaps is the fact that fewer people speak English (or any other foreign language), but the natural hospitality of the people of Konya usually makes up for that.

Konya is also one of the most conservative cities in Turkey with more women covering their heads with headscarves (though visitors will notice that the number of women covering is perhaps slightly above 50%). Dress modestly if you want to fit in with the local population, although not many people will bat an eye lid if you choose not to.

It is a pilgrimage destination for Sufis, focused on the tomb of the founder of the Mevlana order, Jelaleddin Rumi.

The Mausoleum of the famous mystic / sufi / thinker (also known as as Mevlana in Turkish, or with the full name Mawlana Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi-Rumi in English literature), is a must-see tourist destination of Konya.

The neighbouring Mevlana Museum displays relics of his life & his time. The items on display range from old manuscripts, hand written copies of the Koran to some of Rumi's belongings. Also on display are musical instruments used in his time, as well as numerous art works dating from the Seljuk era.

On Saturdays, the Mevlana Cultural Centre organizes Sema (Whirling dervish ceremony). A lecturer from a local university gives a lecture about Mevlana in English at 6.00 pm just before the Ceremony. It begins with a long introduction in Turkish before the actual music & the dancing start. People say this is the closest you can get to a real sema.

Also of interest to the curious traveler, especially for those looking for scenic photographic opportunities or a short walk through an authentic neighborhood, are the parts of the city that surround the Mevlana Museum. Since this neighborhood hasn't quite kept up with recent times, it still maintains an authentic feel from older days with narrow streets & houses of old architecture, almost with historic significance. Located 5-6 city blocks away from the Museum, one can also find other historic buildings & mosques dating from the 12^th - 13^th century Seljuks Turks (the most significant one of these is the "İplikçi Camii").Iplikçi Mosque was restored about 50 years ago & is still open for prayer service.  

Depending on the time at hand, other landmarks to see are the Ince Minare near the city centre - the remains of a 13^th century madrasah (school) built by the Anatolian Seljuks. This minaret & the surrounding small buildings today serve as a Museum that displays various artifacts from the Seljuk & Ottoman eras and its noteworthy ornamental architecture which has been very well preserved over the centuries.   

Alaaddin Hill (Alaaddin Tepesi) is an artificial hill right in the middle of the city that was built by the Seljuk Sultan Alaaddin Keykubat. Even though the small hill or the park on it may not be very interesting in themselves, the two places to see are the Alaaddin Mosque & the remnants of the old palace with partly earthen construction located on the north end of the hill - this old structure is protected from the elements with a concrete umbrella. 

Just one small part of the Seljuk Alaaddin Palace on the Alaaddin Tepesi Hill, built by Seljuk Sultan Kilicarslan II & restored by Seljuk Sultan Alaaddin Kekubad is visible. Restoration is undergoing.

Japon Parki, is a friendship park built in a joint cooperation between the municipalities of Kyoto, Japan, & Konya. Though the style *leans* towards Japanese, it's really more of a pan-Asian design. It covers several acres, complete with pagodas, ponds, small waterfalls, etc. It is a favourite for wedding day pictures. There's a great restaurant there (which supposedly funds the upkeep of the park) selling, of all things, everything from chicken & beef fajitas to traditional Turkish food.

Saint Paul Catholic Church is the lone operating church left in Konya. Built in the 1910's by the Italian railroad workers & currently cared for by two happy Italian nuns, the church mainly serves the spiritual needs of tour groups & a handful of Christian expatriates.

Sille, a short drive from the Konya center, is a nearly 7.000 years old village on the historic Kings Road, Silk Road & Pilgrims Road to Jerusalem. Several restored mosques, the Hagia Heleni Church, Milk Church, 7 cave churches, catacombs, ancient rock dwellings, a roman water bridge, cultural museums & traditional houses are there to see. 

After spending quality time in Konya, continue driving to Pamukkale.

On arrival, Check-in at the hotel.

UNESCO World Heritage site listed Pamukkale is a town in western Turkey made eternally famous for the warm mineral-rich thermal waters flowing down white calcite travertine terraces on a nearby hillside, above the village - the so-called ‘Cotton Castle' (pamuk means 'cotton' in Turkish). Measures to protect the glistening bluffs have put paid to the days of freely traipsing around, but walking down the travertines remains one of Turkey’s singular experiences. While the photogenic travertines get busloads of day-trippers passing through for a quick soak & photo op, staying overnight allows you to visit the site at sunset & dodge some of the crowds.

Morning, Check-out & depart for Ephesus.

But before leaving, check out the area.

First stop of course, will be at the Cotton Castle - the unique, Pamukkale Terraces.

Just above the travertines lies Hierapolis, an ancient Roman spa city founded as a curative centre around 190 BC by Eumenes II of Pergamum, it prospered under both the Romans & Byzantines, when large Jewish & Orthodox Christian communities comprised most of the population.

You will see the well-preserved ruins of the Temple of Apollo, the Theatre, Plutonium, Nymphaeum, Martyrium a Necropolis with sarcophagi that stretch for 2 km - one of the biggest ancient graveyards. The Antique Pool is famous for its submerged Roman columns, the result of an earthquake. The spa city has considerable ruins & a Museum.

Drive o after the tour & enroute stop at the beautiful & little visited ancient ruins of Aphrodisias & the city named after Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love.

Added to UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2017, this remote well preserved or restored site in the Anatolian hinterland trumps many of Turkey's ancient sites for its sheer scale & magical surrounds (Roman poplars, green fields & warbling birds). It also has an extremely impressive on-site museum housing sculptures and friezes excavated on site.

The most interesting points of Aphrodisias are the marble reliefs in the museum's Sevgi Gonul Salonu, Odeon - monumental gateway, the Temple of Aphrodite, the bouleuterion, the white marble Theatre & the stunning 270 metre long Stadium with its 30,000 overgrown seats, the Agora, the Hadrian Baths & the  Bishops Palace.

Continue driving to Ephesus.

Check-in on arrival & relax for the balance of the evening.

Of Turkey's hundreds of ancient cities & classical ruins, Ephesus is the grandest & best preserved. Indeed, it is the best place on the Mediterranean to get a feel for what life was like in ancient times. Ancient Ephesus was a great trading city & a centre for the cult of Cybele, the Anatolian fertility goddess.

The Greco-Roman world truly comes alive at Ephesus. After more than a century & a half of excavation, the city's recovered & renovated structures have made Ephesus Europe's most complete classical metropolis - & that is with 80% of the city yet to be unearthed!

As capital of Roman Asia Minor, Ephesus was a vibrant city of over 250,000 inhabitants, the fourth largest in the empire after Rome, Alexandria and Antioch. Adding in traders, sailors & pilgrims to the Temple of Artemis, these numbers were even higher, meaning that in Ephesus one could encounter the full diversity of the Mediterranean world & its peoples. So important & wealthy was the city that its Temple of Artemis, on the western edge of present-day Selçuk, was the biggest on earth & one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Under the influence of the Ionians, Cybele became Artemis, the virgin goddess of the hunt & the moon & a fabulous temple was built in her honour. When the Romans took over, Artemis became Diana & Ephesus became the Roman provincial capital, the fourth largest city in the empire after Rome, Alexandria & Antioch.

In 356 BC the Temple of Cybele / Artemis was destroyed in a fire set by a lunatic called Herostratus, who claimed to have done it to get his 15 minutes of fame, proving that modern society has no monopoly on a perverted sense of celebrity. The Ephesians set to work building a grand new temple which, when finished, was recognised as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Morning, Check-out & meet the Tour-guide in the lobby at 08.00 am for a 6 hour tour of Ephesus.

The largest open-air museum in Turkey, Ephesus contains more than 30 buildings & structures linked together by streets that still bear the mark of ancient civilizations.

Ephesus was an important center for early Christianity from the AD 50s. From AD 52-54, Paul lived here & Ephesus contains the largest collection of Roman ruins in the eastern Mediterranean. Only an estimated 15% has been excavated.

You will see the Artemis Temple, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, Library of Celcus, Basilica of St. John or Ephesus Museum, the Odeon, the Temple of Hadrian, the Temple of Domitian, the Theater - believed to be the largest outdoor theater in the ancient world & the Tomb / Fountain of Pollio & some other ruins. (Hillside Houses are excluded; entrance requires additional admission fee to be paid directly).

After spending time in th city, depart for Izmir Airport.

But, one more interesting stop enroute.

The House of the Virgin Mary is a Catholic & Muslim shrine located on Mt. Koressos in the vicinity of Ephesus. It was discovered in the 19^th century by following the descriptions in the reported visions of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774 - 1824), a Roman Catholic nun & visionary, which were published as a book by Clemens Brentano after her death.

While the Catholic Church has never pronounced in favour or against the authenticity of the house, it nevertheless has maintained a steady flow of pilgrimage since its discovery. Anne Catherine Emmerich was Beatified by Pope John Paul II on October 3, 2004. The shrine has merited several papal Apostolic Blessings & visits from several popes, the earliest pilgrimage coming from Pope Leo XIII in 1896 & the most recent in 2006 by Pope Benedict XVI.

Catholic pilgrims visit the house based on the belief that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was taken to this stone house by Saint John & lived there for the remainder of her earthly life.

The shrine itself is not extensively large, but may rather be described as a modest chapel. The preserved stones & construction date back into the Apostolic Age, as consistent with other preserved buildings from that time, but with minor additions such as garden landscapes & devotional additions outside the shrine.

Upon entrance to the chapel, a pilgrim is met by one single large room where an altar along with a large statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary is prominently displayed in the center. On the right side, a smaller room lies - traditionally associated with the actual room where the Virgin Mary is believed to have slept. Marian tradition holds that some form of running water used to flow like a canal in the smaller room where the Virgin Mary slept & rested, leading to the present drinking fountain outside the building structure.

Outside the shrine is a particular "wishing wall" which pilgrims have used by tying their personal intentions on paper or fabric. Various types of florals & fruits are grown nearby, and additional lighting has been installed within the vicinity of the shrine for further monitoring of the site. A water fountain or well is also located nearby, believed by some pilgrims to have miraculous powers of healing or fertility.

Continue on for the Airport to board the late evening flight for Istanbul.

On arrival at Terminal? - Istanbul Kemal Ataturk International Airport, you will be met by a Journeys Rep, who will ensure your comfort & transfer you to the hotel.

Check-in at the hotel & relax.

Alas, like all good things, the wonderful experience comes to an end. Time to say good-bye to this enchanting city & go home.

Check-out of the hotel by 11:00 am (if the departure time is later in the evening, we will request the hotel to allow the use of the hotel facilities & leave the luggage at the Bell Desk if you have the time to walk out). 

Experiencing the legacy of the Romans, Byzantines & Ottomans takes you from the closeted quarters of the Sultan & his harem in İstanbul's sprawling Topkapı Palace to the wider horizons. This is the land where Alexander the Great slashed the Gordion Knot, where Achilles battled the Trojans in Homer’s Iliad & where the Ottoman Empire fought battles that would shape the world. History buffs can immerse themselves in marvels & mementos stretching back to the dawn of civilisation.

And, we are sure that will entice you come back & discover a bit more of this ‘old’ new ultra-modern country which goes back centuries. Republic of Turkey will be waiting to host you again….

“Travel is like knowledge. The more you see the more you know you have not seen” - Mark Hertsgaard

In time, you will be met by a Journeys Rep, who will ensure your comfort & transfer you to Terminal? - Istanbul Kemal Ataturk International Airport, for your onward journey.  B

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 Thank you for travelling with us & your candid feedback will be greatly appreciated. We look forward to helping you explore some more.