Cappadocia view from balloon

Cappodocia view from balloon    

9th Century Koran

9th Century Koran

Aya Sofia at night

Aya Sofia at night

Aya Sofia mosaic

Aya Sofia mosaic

Blue Mosque in Istanbul

Blue Mosque in Istanbul

Aya Sofia Mary & Jesus mosaic

Aya Sofia Mary & Jesus mosaic

Basilica Cistern

Basilica Cistern

Topkapi Palace tiles inscription

Topkapi Palace tiles inscription

Islamic art museum Koran

Islamic art museum Koran

Goreme church paintings

Goreme church paintings

Zelve wall of homes

Cappadocia – Zelve wall of homes

Mt. Ericyes, Central Turkey

Mt. Ericyes, Central Turkey

Pasabog, in Cappadocia

Pasabog, in Cappadocia

Ephesus mosaic

Ephesus mosaic

Library at Ephesus

Library at Ephesus

Tentative Itinerary
Private Business Study Trip

Friday, May 4

  • Depart U.S. for Turkey.

Saturday, May 5

  • Arrive in Istanbul.
  • Met at airport by guide and transferred to Four Seasons Hotel Sultanahmet.
  • Dinner included at Karakol Restaurant in the Topkapi Palace.

Sunday, May 6

  • Day of sightseeing, including the Topkapi Palace, opulent home of Ottoman sultans; Aya Sofia, with its magnificent Byzantine mosaics; the 17th century Blue Mosque; and the huge and mysterious Basilica Cistern.
  • Lunch included.
  • Dinner on your own.

Monday, May 7

  • Day of business meetings. Lunch included.
  • Dinner at traditional Turkish kebab restaurant.

Tuesday, May 8

  • Day of business meetings. Lunch included.
  • Late afternoon visit to Grand Bazaar to learn about the business of the Bazaar, with optional lecture on Turkish carpets. The Grand Bazaar, with its 4000 shops, epitomizes the Turkish economy that is sustained by entrepreneurs and small shopkeepers.
  • Dinner on your own.

Wednesday, May 9

  • Fly to Ankara in morning.
  • Day of business meetings.
  • Lunch included.
  • Check into hotel.
  • Dinner included.

Thursday, May 10

  • Day of business meetings in Ankara.
  • Lunch included.
  • Late afternoon—drive to Cappadocia through Turkey's agricultural heartland.
  • Check into Argos Cave Hotel.
  • Dinner included at Argos on the terrace overlooking the fantastic landscape of Cappadocia.

Friday, May 11

  • Visit Goreme, site of ancient, beautifully painted, Byzantine churches carved into dozens of limestone chimneys; Zelve, for a walk up a valley that contained a complete cave city, carved into the limestone cliffs, and occupied until the 1950's; Kaymakli Underground City; and Pasabog, site of otherworldly limestone mushroom rock formations.
  • Lunch included.
  • Dinner on your own in the village of Uchisar.

Saturday, May 12

  • Morning flight to Istanbul for those departing on Sunday, May 13.
  • Transfer to the Four Seasons Hotel.
  • Lunch on your own.
  • Afternoon free.
  • Closing dinner for those departing Sunday at Sarnic Restaurant,
    in a Roman cistern.

Sunday, May 13

  • Transfer to Istanbul International Airport.
  • Flights home to U.S. with same day arrival.

 

Possible Extension:

Saturday, May 12

  • Fly to Izmir and drive to Kusadasi for those continuing on the optional trip extension to Ephesus and the Turquoise Coast.
  • Lunch on the plane or on your own at the airport.
  • Check into Kismet Hotel, set on a promontory overlooking the Aegean Sea and Kusadasi harbor.
  • Dinner included at Mesina fish restaurant.

Sunday, May 13

  • Visit Ephesus, one of Rome's great cities, with its beautiful villas, intricate mosaics and stunning temples.
  • Lunch included in the garden of the Sultankoy rug factory.
  • Afternoon visit to the Ephesus Museum.
  • Dinner on your own.

Monday, May 14 – Thursday, May 17

  • Drive to Dalyan, a charming village along the Turquoise Coast.
  • Lunch included along the river.
  • Afternoon riverboat tour to see the ancient rock-cut tombs high on the cliffs above the river and to visit the ancient city of Caunos, a Lycian city built before 400 B.C.
  • Board our gulet in the late afternoon to begin our cruise along the Turquoise Coast.
  • All meals included on the gulet.

Thursday, May 17

  • Morning departure from the gulet at Fethiye for a visit to the Greek ghost town of Kayakoy, on the site of the ancient city of Carmylessus, built in the 1700's and abandoned in 1923 when the Greeks and Turks "exchanged populations."
  • Lunch included.
  • Afternoon flight to Istanbul.
  • Check into the Four Seasons Hotel Sultanahmet.
  • Dinner on your own.

Friday, May 18

  • Morning visit to the beautiful Dolmabahce Palace, home of the last six Ottoman sultans.
  • Rest of the day on your own for shopping or sightseeing.
  • Closing dinner at Sarnic Restaurant, in an ancient Roman cistern.

Saturday, May 19

  • Transfer to Istanbul International Airport.
  • Flights to U.S. with same day arrival.

 

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