Turkey with Sh. Abdullah Hakim Quick

Welcome to Istanbul… a city straddling 2 continents that has been a melting pot for different people and cultures throughout history.

Upon arrival to Istanbul airport, the group will gather at the meeting point and be escorted to the bus by the tour guide.

After approximately 2 hours drive, we will arrive in Nicaea/Iznik, captured by Orhan I in 1331 and became the capital of expanding Ottomans for a short period. Nicaea is where the Roman Catholic religion was born.

Check in to the hotel and freshen up before meeting in the lobby for briefing and orientation.

Dinner and overnight hotel.

After breakfast we will check out from the hotel and visit Izniks historical city walls and the Hagia Sofia mosque. After the visits to the historical sites we will depart for Sogut the first settlement of the Ottomans.

In Sogut we will visit the tomb of Ertugrul Ghazi. Also buried here is his wife Halime Khatun and number of Ertugruls Alps and family members. You will have the opportunity to dress up as an Alp or a Khatun and buy souvenirs etc.

We will then make our way to Ertugrul Ghazi mosque. A masjid he originally set up in a tent along with a well, where the masjid was befittingly known among locals as the “masjid with a well”. The well is still there.

Leaving Sogut behind we will journey to Bursa (2hrs) the first capital of the Ottomans. The great Byzantine city fell to the Orhan Ghazi, the son of Osman, in 1326 after 6 year siege.

According to some sources Osman, the founder of the Ottoman dynasty, died of natural causes just before the fall of the city, while others suggest that he lived long enough to hear about the victory on his death-bed and was buried in Bursa afterwards.

Upon arrival in Bursa we will check in to the hotel and then free time for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast we will meet in the lobby for a presentation by Shaykh Abdullah Hakim Quick on the history of Ottomans.

We will then continue to a guided visit of Bursa. First we will make our way to the top of the city to Bursa Castle & the tombs of Osman and his son Orhan Ghazi and take in some of the most amazing views of the city and surrounding area.

There will then be time for lunch (Bursa is the home of the Sikander Kebab that would be the recommended meal)

Then we will make our way to the Great Mosque which was built at the end of 14th C and has impressive examples of Islamic calligraphy. The Koza Han – Bursa’s Silk Market is the next point to visit. Then on to the Green Mosque and Green Tomb all being the highlights of the day from Ottoman Era.

Free time for the evening and overnight Bursa.

After breakfast we will check out from the hotel and leave for Istanbul.

We will stop to pray Jumaa at Camlica mosque, currently the largest mosque in Turkey, the Grand Çamlıca Mosque is a landmark complex for Islamic worship which was completed and opened on 7 March 2019. The mosque stands astride Çamlıca Hill in the Üsküdar district of Istanbul and is visible from much of the centre of the city.

Continuing to Istanbul we visit the mosque and Tomb of Hz. Ayub Al Ansari.  You will then have free time to explore and have lunch before visiting Mehmet Al Fateh Mosque.

Fatih Külliyesi is a multi-functional mosque complex in Istanbul commissioned by Sultan Mehmed II, known as Fatih (Conqueror), after his conquest of the city, at that time the Roman or Byzantine capital of Constantinople. Construction began in 1463/867 AH and took seven years to complete,  The original building included a mosque, two mausolea (türbe), two clusters of madrasas (medrese), a hospital (darüşşifa), a hospice (tabhane), a soup kitchen (imaret), a caravanserai (han), a library (kütüphane), a Qur’an school (mekteb) and baths (hamam). The Qur’an school, the library, and the baths have been lost while sections of the hospice, the soup kitchen, and the caravanserai have survived.

Check into the hotel and freshen up followed by a presentation by Shaykh Abdullah Hakim Quick on the history of the Ottomans.

Free time and overnight.

After breakfast at the hotel, day of fully guided visits to some of the highlights of Istanbul. 

Today we discover the sites of the period between the conquest and the fall of the Ottoman Empire.

Starting with Topkapi Palace (including The Holy Relics) which is an incomparably rich treasure-chest, brimming with items of historical importance.

Then we move onto the jewel in the crown that is the Hagia Sofia.

Continuing on to the Blue Mosque (if restoration work has finished); across from St. Sophia built in the 16th century by the architect Mehmet and known as the Blue Mosque because of its magnificent interior decoration of blue Iznik tiles.

Our last visit will be to the Grand Bazaar which is the oldest and the largest covered market place in the World with nearly 4.000 shops full of rich collections of carpets, jewellery, leather, and souvenirs.

(Optional) Bosphorous cruise to see the highlights of Istanbul from the Bosphorous sea. 

N.B. 15 EUROS PP. MINIMUM NUMBER REQUIRED

Free time and overnight.

After breakfast, meet in the hotel lobby with your luggage and belongings where your guide will meet you at the allocated time.

We complete our journey as we make our way to Istanbul airport for our departures home.