1st Day:

First we went to Miniaturk in which the models of all touristic places in Turkey are exhibited. Here we had the chance to see together the monuments coming from very diverse civilizations, mainly Roman, Seljuk, Ottoman and modern Turkish.

Then we visited the Kimse Yok Mu Association. The association is trying to help needy people without doing any discrimination. The project of building a complete town in inner-war struck country Sudan was very interesting.

We had the lunch with a Turkish-Taiwanese family (Turkish father, Taiwanese mother). We had a great time with Mr. Murat Soylu, his wife, little daughter and parents. Their house was marvelous. It was built in country-side of Istanbul having a wonderful weather and scene.

Then, we visited Samanyolu TV. We saw all the studios and technical rooms used for preparing the programs. The channel is famous for its ethical and culture-oriented programs.

We had the dinner with another Turkish family (the family in the picture). They were very kind and very happy to be with us. The dishes from Gaziantep region of Turkey were very delicious. We not only ate dinner but also got a present for each of us. And they told us that was the rent for our teeth... Unbelievable!..

2nd Day:                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

In the morning we visited the marvelous Blue Mosque. So big and so beautiful. Here our guide gave us brief info about a Muslim's daily life and the architecture of the mosque in Chinese.

Then we went to the Hagia Sophia Museum which is nearby the Blue Mosque. Its story is as interesting as its wonderful inner-architecture. It was built as a church by Romans, was converted to a mosque by Ottomans, and now is a museum.

Then we moved to the Topkapi Palace, the place where the splendid Ottoman County was governed. It was a humble palace when compared to the splendor of Ottoman Country, reflecting the thought of not attaching much importance to this world and working for the hereafter.

Then we had a boat tour in the Bosporus, enjoying the wonderful view.

We were the guests of Mr. Faysal Hu for dinner. He took us to a wonderful restaurant in Yildiz Park. We enjoyed various Turkish dishes in a very good atmosphere.

After dinner we moved to Bursa. We were at our hotel by 11:00pm.

 

3rd Day:  

We began 3^rd day with Ulucami (Great Mosque). The calligraphies on the walls of the mosque was so beautiful.

Then, we walked in the Bazaar of Bursa. Our guests bought beautiful silk scarves here.

After the bazaar, we visited the Green Mosque which is famous for its beautiful ceramic tiles.

Then we went up the Uludag (Great Mountain) by cable car, watching the mountain view. The best thing in Uludag is its weather; sunny, and cool. We had rich a Turkish barbecue under that wonderful weather.

We had the dinner with some businessmen from Bursa. They cooked very delicious dishes from south-eastern region. The atmosphere of the dinner was so warm.

 

 

 

4th Day:

We began fourth day by having a Turkish bath in a traditional hamam (the building in the picture). Fist, you soften your skin either in the pool or under the fountain. The water is natural spring water. When you feel you are ready, an employee of the hamam rubs your body, opening all pores of your skin.

Then we had lunch in a restaurant offering fresh fish (trout). We had the meal outdoors, in a perfect weather. The fish was baked very well.

Then we visited a traditional Ottoman village. The houses were built of stone and wood, so they are cool in summer, and warm in the winter. After having Turkish coffee in one of the Ottoman houses, we took a tour in the village. Especially the water continuously flowing in the streets of the village was very interesting.

After the Ottoman village, we visited an example high school run by the Volunteers Movement. It was a newly built, very beautiful school, offering perfect facilities for its students. Mr. Mehmet, the vise president of the school, told us that, the most important aspect of their school was its teachers. They never recruit new teachers by newspaper or web-site advertisements. But they have a student society in almost all universities, doing volunteer activities, like helping high-school students in their courses, doing charity organizations. After graduation, these students become teachers in the schools of volunteers movement, and this is the main factor making their education efficient, and different than other schools.

We returned back to Istanbul for taking the plane to Konya. We had the dinner in Istanbul, being guests of Mr. Faysal Hu again. It was a perfect dinner. After dinner we went to Konya by plane, and directly went to our hotel for taking a rest after a long day.

 

 

5th Day;

In the morning, we visited the Rumi museum. It was wonderful to see the place where the great thinker lived. You could feel the meaning of his famous words at every corner of the museum:

"Come, come again, whoever you are, come!
Heathen, fire worshipper or idolatrous, come!
Come even if you broke your penitence a hundred times,
Ours is the portal of hope, come as you are."

After the museum, we visited the Alaaddin Keykubat Mosque, a monument from Seljuk era (11^th century). Its turquoise color ceramic mihrab and beautiful wooden minbar was fascinating.

In the afternoon, we had the chance to watch sema (whirling dervishes) in the garden of Rumi museum. The music and the dervishes continuously whirling in white dresses took us away to a different world.

 

 

 

 

6th Day;

In the morning we took a bus for going to Cappadocia, the place of volcanic fairy chimneys. The rocks in this region is usually very soft and easy to shape and carve. So ancient people built many houses, churches, and even huge underground cities by carving the soft rocks. The fairy chimneys were formed naturally by flood water.

We visited the Kaymakli underground city. It consists of 8 floors, 4 of which is open for visit. It looks unbelievable, but people really made a whole city underground by carving. There are a lot of similar underground cities in the region. They were mainly built as war shelters for the people living there.

Then we visited a ceramic workshop, built in a mountain by carving as well. We saw how the ceramic plates were made and how they are painted. Our guests bought hand-made ceramic plates at the place they are made.

We had our dinner at the Seljuk style restaurant of our hotel.

 

 

7th Day;

In the morning we visited the churches built in carved caves in Cappadocia region (Goreme). The walls and ceilings of these churches hosts many paintings reflecting the miracles of Jesus Christ, and important events in Christianity. One painting (the one shown on the right) was particularly interesting. A Cristian priest and a Muslim imam stands together, representing the peace among different faiths during that time.

After visiting churches, we flied back to Istanbul. We went to the Military Museum to watch the Ottoman Military Band (Mehter). But unfortunately, because of the national victory festival the mehter shows were canceled. So we could only see the historical military stuff in the museum.

Then, we went to the Journalists and Writers Foundation. The foundation is working for setting up a peaceful society out of many ethnical, cultural and religious differences. We watched the dialogue activities carried out by the foundation. Each of us got a pair of hand made Turkish coffee cup at the end of the visit. We thank a lot to Mr. Cemal Usak who showed a great hospitality for us.

On the way to the house where we were going to have dinner, our guests went into a jewelry store. They wanted to buy some silver ornaments. While we were talking, the store owner understood that we were guests of volunteers movement, and she didn't take any money from our guests, and insisted to give the things they want to buy as a gift. But our guests didn't accept that. Finally they put some money in the money-box of “Kimse Yok Mu Association” placed on the counter of the store, and bought the ornaments that way. This was really an unforgettable memory.

In the evening we were guests of Mr. Murat and his family. We were the first guests in his new house. We had a perfect dinner in the garden of the house. After the dinner we chatted warmly in the beautiful garden. And after dinner each of us got a gift from Mr. Murat.

 

8th Day :

  

This was our final day in Turkey. In the morning we went to the historical Grand Bazaar for shopping. It looks like endless. It's really very big and all the bazaar is covered.

After that we went to the Dolmabahce Palace, the modern palace of Ottomans, built in 19^th century. The architecture is similar to European style. It really looks splendid.

Then, we went to Camlica Park. The Bosporus view seen from the park is really eye catching.

After that, we visited PASIAD, the sister association of AFA trying to improve relations with pacific countries. Secretary General Mr. Ersin Karaoglan, gave us brief information about their activities.

We had the dinner in a good Hatay (a city in the south of Turkey) restaurant and went to the airport to say a warm good-bye to this warm country.