TURKISH DELIGHTS WITH LEGENDS OF TROY !

**Uchisar Castle I Avanos Pottery factory** Breakfast at hotel. Check out and proceed to Istanbul airport to board flight to Cappadocia. Cappadocia is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Turkey. It is located in the centre of Turkey. It is a land of natural wonder famous for its picturesque valleys, unique cave hotels, mystical underground cities and fairy chimneys (unique rock formations). Cappadocia region is the place where nature and history come together most beautifully within the world. While geographic events are forming fairy chimneys, during the historical period, humans had carried the signs of thousand years old civilizations with carving houses and churches within these earth pillars and decorating them with frisks. See Uchisar Castle (Photo Stop) , it is situated at the highest point in Cappadocia. is Cappadocia’s tallest fairy chimney, Mother Nature’s castle in the form of a volcanic rock outcrop visible from miles in any direction. See beautiful earthenware pottery made in a Cappadocian cave workshop of Avanos and Pottery Ateliers. The village boasts the largest share of Cappadocia’s handicrafts, with more than 40 potteries in operation. Head inside one of its cave workshops to see a demonstration by one of the village’s master craftsmen, and then take a turn behind the pottery wheel. Have a go at making a souvenir jug, before browsing the gallery for some professionally crafted wares to take home!

**Hot air balloon(optional) I Open Air Museum I Underground City I Pasabag ** Early morning departs for Hot air Balloon ride (optional - purely subject to weather condition). If a balloon ride is on your bucket list, there’s one place in the world you can’t miss: the lunar landscape of Cappadocia. Just hop in and join the hosts of brightly hued balloons that float above the region’s volcanic spires and honeycombed hills. After breakfast Visit Underground City is a UNESCO world heritage site is a large subterranean city in central Turkey built by early Christians where Christians lived with fear and faith. Visit Goreme Open Air Museum. This UNESCO World Heritage site is an essential stop on any Cappadocian itinerary. First thought to be a Byzantine monastic settlement that housed some 20 monks, then a pilgrimage site from the 17th century, this splendid cluster of monastic Byzantine artistry with its rock-cut churches, chapels and monasteries is 1km uphill from Goreme,s centre. Visit Pasabag valley often known as Monks Valley (Pasabag Vadisi) in Cappadocia is famous for its perfect fairy chimneys, sculpted from ancient lava, ash, and basalt (form of rock). Monks Valley was once home to hermetic monks who sheltered in the smaller cones atop the upper sections of the fairy chimneys. Visit Constantine & Helen Church. Lunch at local Turkish restaurant. Proceed back to hotel. Later transfer for to hotel.

**Mevlana Museum** After Breakfast, Checkout from the hotel and proceed to Pamukkale. En-route visit The Mevlana Museum is also popularly known as Mevlana Mausoleum or the Mevlana Cultural Center. The museum is dedicated to the 13th-century Sufi mystic and poet Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi, also known as Mevlana or Rumi. Situated in the former dervish convent (tekke) where Rumi and his family lived and worked, it contains a collection of artefacts, manuscripts, and other items related to Rumi and the Mevlevi Order of Sufism. After lunch proceed to Pamukkale. It is a town in western Turkey known for the mineral-rich thermal waters flowing down white travertine terraces on a nearby hillside. It neighbours Hierapolis, an ancient Roman spa city founded around 190 B.C. Ruins there include a well- preserved theatre and a necropolis with sarcophagi that stretch for 2km. The Antique Pool is famous for its submerged Roman columns, the result of an earthquake.

**Hierapolis I Ancient city of Ephesus I House of Virgin Mary** After breakfast, check out & proceed to visit Hierapolis & Travertine Hot Springs (“Holy City”) was an ancient Greco-Roman city in Phrygia located on hot springs in South West Anatolia. Its ruins are adjacent to modern Pamukkale. Hierapolis is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The hot springs there have been used as a spa since the 2nd Century B.C.E. and people came to soothe their ailments. The ancient Greek city of Hierapolis was built on top of the travertine formation which is in total about 2,700 metres wide and 160 m high. The calcium-rich water comes back to the surface from various sources when it is warmer than 35 degrees Celsius. When the weather cools down, the carbon dioxide disappears and white sediment is left that forms a limestone terrace. This is why the many limestone terraces on Pamukkale are white. Transfer to Izmir. Izmir is a city on Turkey’s Aegean coast. Known as Smyrna in antiquity, it was founded by the Greeks, taken over by the Romans and rebuilt by Alexander the Great before becoming part of the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century. Visit Ephesus (Efes) is one of the greatest ancient sites in the Mediterranean. During its heyday in the first century BC, it was the second-largest city in the world, with only Rome commanding more power. Many reconstructed structures and ruins, including the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, can be seen here . Visit the House of Virgin Mary of Jesus. According to the belief that Mary lived in Ephesus with John after Jesus’s death. Virgin Mary House is located on the Bulbul Mountain, 9 km from Selçuk. It is known that John brought Virgin Mary to Ephesus 4 or 6 years after the death of Jesus. In 1891, the Lazarist priests, upon the dream of the German nun A. Katherina Emerich, discovered that the house where the Virgin Mary spent her last days was at the end of this research. This event is a new invention in the world of Christianity and shed light on the world of religion. This structure was cross-planned then restored. The house is considered sacred by Muslims, Pope VI. After Paul’s visit in 1967, the rites are held on the 15th day of August every year, and these rituals attract great attention.

**Ancient city of Troy** After Breakfast, Checkout from the hotel and proceed to Canakkale. Çanakkale is a city in northwestern Turkey in the Marmara region, on the Dardanelles Strait. It’s a gateway to the Gallipoli WWI battlefields, north of the narrow strait. The city is the nearest major town to the site of ancient Troy. Visit Ancient city of Troy. Troy is one of the world’s most famous ancient cities, renowned for being the site of the Trojan War. Today’s Troy—a UNESCO World Heritage-listed area of ruins and archaeological excavations—contains the remains of multiple settlements, some dating back 5,000 years. Troy, without a doubt one of the most famous cities of the ancient world. It is a land of myths, legends, heroes, and gods, which you will learn about through your discovery of the area. Go on an epic adventure by visiting the the legendary, ancient city of Troy. The majestic remains of many of its architectural marvels, such as the Odeon, a stage where poetry recitals and musical performances took place; the ruins of the Temple of Athena; the Bouleuterion, where political affairs were discussed. You will get to witness towering replica of the Trojan Horse.

**Military Marine Museum I Grand Bazar ** After breakfast at the hotel and check out and proceed to Istanbul. Enroute visit Military Marine Museum in Çanakkale. Pay tribute to the brave souls who lost their lives at Gallipoli– the national pride of two nations, the Turkish and Australians, were awakened at the site of the bloody WWI battlefields and are commemorated to this day. In this museum, artworks and historical objects that were found inside and around Çimenlik Castle are exhibited. These include historical cannons, mines, submarines, ships, pictures and photographs. The Canakkale Naval Museum opened its doors in 1972 to commemorate the events that took place during the Battle of the Dardanelles, a part of World War I. The museum also commemorates the thousands of lives lost in the area. Later proceed for lunch. Post lunch transfer to Istanbul. Upon reaching Istanbul we proceed to visit Grand Bazar, finish your day in the vibrant Grand Bazaar, browsing bright displays of handicrafts, carpets, and souvenir. Evening post dinner proceed to hotel and check in.

**Blue Mosque | Haggia Sophia | Grand Bazaar | Topkapi Palace | Dinner Cruise** After breakfast at the hotel proceed to Visit Hippodrome of Constantinople or Sultanahmet Square, was a public arena mainly for chariot races. The word hippodrome comes from the Greek hippos (horse) and dromos (way). The Hippodrome of Constantinople was also home to gladiatorial games, official ceremonies, celebrations, protests, torture to the convicts and so on. The place is now known as Sultanahmet Meydanı that still contains a few pieces of the ancient structure. Blue Mosque located in the old city’s heart, it is the most famous mosque in Istanbul and Turkey. Known with the name Blue Mosque, the original name of the Mosque is Sultanahmet Mosque. The Blue Mosque is the most visited monument in Istanbul. It was constructed between 1609 and 1616. Hagia Sophia, also called Church of the Holy Wisdom, an important Byzantine structure in Istanbul and one of the world’s great monuments. It was built as a Christian church in the 6th century CE (532–537) under the direction of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I. In subsequent centuries it became a mosque, a museum, and a mosque again. The building reflects the religious changes that have played out in the region over the centuries, with the minarets and inscriptions of Islam as well as the lavish mosaics of Christianity. Lunch at restaurant. ISTANBUL Day 08 Blue Mosque | Haggia Sophia | Grand Bazaar | Topkapi Palace | Dinner Cruise Entrance to Topkapi Palace Museum, The Topkapı Palace, or the Seraglio, is a large museum in the east of the Faith district of Istanbul in Turkey. In the 15th and 16th centuries it served as the main residence and administrative headquarters of the Ottoman sultans. Proceed for Bosphorus Dinner cruise with unlimited drinks. Experience a lively cruise along the Bo phorus Strait. See the palaces of the Ottoman sultans after dark and soak up the views of the European and Asian coastlines. Dine on delicious Turkish cuisine. No stay would be complete without this unforgettable cruise along the Bosphorus, the winding strait separating Europe and Asia. Along the shores you’ll see a beautiful mixture of modern hotels, ancient wooden villas, marble palaces, fortresses and small fishing villages, as you relax and enjoy delicious buffet dinner on board.

Breakfast at the hotel. Free time for last minute shopping on your own. Checkout and proceed to Istanbul airport to board flight to Cochin it is time to return home. The Istanbul International Airport is ready to take you in, for our return journey to India.

Arrive Kuwait International Airport, connect flight to Cochin. Arrive home with pleasant memories of your Turkey tour.