Islamic & Historical Turkey Tour – 9-Day Private Itinerary
Overview
Islamic & Historical Turkey Tour – 9-Day Private Itinerary
This private 9-day itinerary follows Turkey's Islamic story from the tombs of the Prophet's companions in Istanbul to Bursa, the first Ottoman capital, and then widens the lens to Gallipoli, Troy, Ephesus and Pamukkale. Five cities are joined in one guided package, designed for halal-minded travellers who also want to see the country's great historical sites.
Istanbul gets three guided days. The first covers Eyup Sultan, the Sahaba tombs and the Suleymaniye Mosque. A day trip to Bursa crosses the Marmara Sea by ferry and visits the Uludag cable car area, the Green Mosque and Green Tomb and the historic bazaar district. The Old City day takes in Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace with its Islamic relics, the Blue Mosque and Hippodrome area and the Grand Bazaar.
The road then leads to the Gallipoli battlefields with a night in Canakkale, on to Troy and down to Kusadasi/Selcuk for Ephesus, the House of the Virgin Mary and the Temple of Artemis. Pamukkale's terraces, Hierapolis and the Cleopatra Pool come last, before a flight from Denizli back to Istanbul.
Land transfers, sightseeing and the local guide are all private, and hotel breakfasts, entrance fees and parking, fuel, highway, bridge and ferry costs are covered. Lunches, dinners, international flights, visas and insurance are not. For more time in the city afterwards, see the Best of Istanbul City Tour, or the 7-day Istanbul, Cappadocia, Pamukkale and Ephesus tour for more classical sites.
Tour Info
Itinerary
Day 1 – Arrival in Istanbul
Transfer included. Free time.
Our representative meets you at Istanbul Airport or Sabiha Gokcen Airport and drives you to your hotel. After check-in the day is free, giving you time to settle before the multi-city program starts.
Ideas for your free hours: a ferry ride on the Bosphorus, the Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar, or a walk through Galata and Karakoy.
Night in Istanbul.
Day 2 – Islamic Istanbul: Eyup Sultan & Sahaba Tombs
Meal: breakfast. Transfers included.
08:30 – Hotel pick-up and drive to the start of Istanbul's Islamic heritage route:
- Eyup Sultan Mosque and Tomb – the complex surrounds the tomb of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, a companion of the Prophet who died during the Arab siege of Constantinople in 674 AD. His grave became one of the most revered places in the Islamic world, and the site is still a living centre of worship where Ottoman custom, Sahaba memory and today's faith meet like nowhere else in the city.
- Sahaba tombs and remembrance points – several companions of the Prophet are believed to have been buried in Istanbul during the early Arab expeditions. These stops reach back before the Ottomans, to the earliest Islamic presence in what was then Constantinople, a layer most city tours never touch.
- Suleymaniye Mosque – built for Suleiman the Magnificent by the master architect Sinan between 1550 and 1558. It was a full imperial complex with a hospital, two madrasas, a library, a caravanserai and public baths. Seeing the whole complex, not only the prayer hall, shows how an Ottoman city organised public life and learning.
After the visits, transfer back to your hotel.
Night in Istanbul.
Day 3 – Bursa, the First Ottoman Capital
Meal: breakfast. Transfers included.
08:00 – Pick-up at your Istanbul hotel and departure for Bursa. You cross the Marmara Sea by ferry, then continue by road into the city.
- Uludag Cable Car Area – heading up toward Uludag, the air turns greener and cooler and the views open up, a clear change from Istanbul before the history program in town. It marks the shift from imperial capital to the birthplace of the dynasty.
- Green Mosque and Green Tomb – built in the early 15th century under Sultan Mehmed I. Their carved marble portals and turquoise Iznik tiles, which gave both buildings their names, make them some of the finest early Ottoman architecture in existence. They mark the moment a distinctly Ottoman style first took shape.
- Historic City Center and Shopping Area – the covered market quarter, including the Kapali Carsi and the Koza Han silk market, has traded without a break since Ottoman times. It shows the Ottoman legacy in everyday business, not only in palaces and mosques.
After the Bursa visits, you are driven back to Istanbul.
Night in Istanbul.
Day 4 – Istanbul Old City: Hagia Sophia & Topkapi Palace
Meal: breakfast. Transfers included.
08:30 – Hotel pick-up and transfer to the historic peninsula:
- Hagia Sophia – one building that tells the whole story of the city. It opened in 537 AD as the world's largest cathedral, became a mosque after the Ottoman conquest of 1453 and returned to active use as a mosque in 2020. On this route it stands as clear proof of how the Ottomans reshaped the sacred map of Constantinople.
- Topkapi Palace – home of the Ottoman sultans for almost four centuries, governing an empire on three continents. Its treasury holds major Islamic relics, among them the Mantle of the Prophet, the Staff of Moses and swords of the first caliphs. For Muslim travellers, the Islamic Relics section is the spiritual high point of the day.
- Blue Mosque and Hippodrome Area – the Sultan Ahmed Mosque stands right beside the old Hippodrome square, so Ottoman sacred architecture and Byzantine civic space sit side by side. Walking from one to the other makes the meaning of the Ottoman city plan easy to read.
- Grand Bazaar – the day ends in the trading heart that helped make Istanbul one of the richest cities of the Ottoman era. More than 4,000 shops on 61 streets carry on a commercial tradition that has run here without a break since 1461.
Transfer back to your hotel after the tour.
Night in Istanbul.
Day 5 – Gallipoli Battlefields & Night in Canakkale
Meal: breakfast. Transfers included.
06:30 – Departure from Istanbul for Gallipoli after breakfast arrangements. The drive takes about 5 hours, and your driver makes a private stop for you on the way. Your guide meets you on arrival.
- Gallipoli Battlefield Areas – unusually for a First World War battlefield, the former enemies, Turkey and the ANZAC nations, have built a real friendship since. The guided visit covers ANZAC sites such as Lone Pine and the Nek as well as Turkish sites, including the memorial carrying Ataturk's words to the Allied mothers. Grief shared by both sides of one battle sets Gallipoli apart from any other battlefield in Europe or the Middle East.
17:00 – After the program, transfer to Canakkale.
Night in Canakkale.
Day 6 – Troy & Drive to Kusadasi/Selcuk
Meal: breakfast.
08:30 – Departure from Canakkale to Troy.
- Troy Ancient City – in places the excavation trenches cut straight down through all nine settlement layers. Your guide uses these sections to compare the simple mud brick of Troy I with the refined stonework of Troy VI and IX. Add the Trojan Horse replica, the ancient walls and the Roman agora, and Troy becomes a site you read layer by layer.
13:00 – The tour ends and your driver meets you for the drive of about 4 hours to Kusadasi/Selcuk.
On arrival, check in to your room.
Night in Kusadasi/Selcuk.
Day 7 – Ephesus, Temple of Artemis & House of Virgin Mary
Meal: breakfast. Transfers included.
08:30 – Hotel pick-up and drive to Ephesus.
- Ephesus Ancient City – your ticket opens several distinct parts of the city, from government buildings near the upper gate to the shopping streets near the harbour, giving a full picture of Roman civic life. Photographers and history lovers are drawn to different corners, and both leave happy. A guide helps you cover the essentials without missing anything.
- House of Virgin Mary – children often love the wishing wall more than the chapel: tying a small paper note to a wire fence and making a wish needs no explanation. For parents, it opens an easy conversation about faith, hope and what people share, making this one of the few sacred places that speaks to every generation.
- Temple of Artemis – Herostratus set fire to the temple in 356 BC, on the night Alexander the Great was born, so that his name would never be forgotten. It worked: historians have recorded it for more than two thousand years beside the wonder he destroyed. Your guide tells the full story of the temple's many destructions and rebuildings.
16:00 – Return to your hotel in Kusadasi/Selcuk.
Night in Kusadasi/Selcuk.
Day 8 – Pamukkale Travertines & Hierapolis
Meal: breakfast. Transfers included.
08:00 – After breakfast, departure from Kusadasi/Selcuk to Pamukkale.
- Pamukkale – in Denizli province in southwestern Turkey, on the spot where the Romans once built a whole spa city. Calcium-rich thermal springs have shaped the bright white hillside over thousands of years, and visitors come from all over the world to see the terraces up close.
- White Calcium Terraces – from afar they look like a frozen waterfall hanging on the hill. Close up, they are broad, shallow pools of warm turquoise water on white travertine. Two thousand years of mineral-rich flow made them, and today the water is carefully managed to keep them looking this way.
- Hierapolis Ancient City – its necropolis alone runs for more than two kilometres and is thought to be the largest ancient cemetery in Anatolia. Residents, traders and pilgrims who died here were laid in ornate sarcophagi and tomb houses, and hundreds of stone tombs still line the way, each a small window on life two thousand years ago.
- Cleopatra Antique Thermal Pool – the mineral water stays at 36 degrees all year, warm enough for a swim even in December. Original Roman marble columns lie on the bottom where an earthquake toppled them centuries ago. Entry is not part of the tour price; pay at the site if you decide to swim.
After the tour, transfer to your hotel and enjoy the thermal setting in the evening.
Night in Pamukkale.
Day 9 – Flight from Denizli to Istanbul & End of Tour
Meal: breakfast. Transfers included. Free time.
09:30 – Check out after breakfast. The time until your airport transfer is free.
Transfer to Denizli Airport according to the confirmed flight schedule (pick-up time and airport procedures may change).
15:00 – Flight from Denizli to Istanbul (flight time may change).
16:10 – Landing in Istanbul (the arrival airport and time may change with availability).
Your 9-day Islamic and historical tour of Turkey finishes at the airport. If you would like an airport transfer or a hotel booking after that, ask us and we will send prices and availability.
Inclusions & Exclusions
- ✓All private land transfers as mentioned in the program
- ✓All accommodation in the selected hotel category with breakfast
- ✓All sightseeing tours mentioned in the itinerary on private basis
- ✓Professional private local tour guide during the tours
- ✓All entrance fees as per the itinerary
- ✓Car park, gasoline, highway, bridge, and ferry fees
- ✓Local taxes and service charges
- ✕Personal expenses
- ✕Dinners and lunches
- ✕Optional tours and activities
- ✕International flight tickets
- ✕Visas
- ✕Health and travel insurances
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Islamic and historical Turkey tour in 9 days: the key facts
This 9-day itinerary starts with three guided days in Istanbul and Bursa focused on Islamic and Ottoman heritage: Eyup Sultan and the Sahaba tombs, Suleymaniye Mosque, the Green Mosque and Green Tomb in Bursa, Hagia Sophia and the Sacred Relics at Topkapi Palace. It then continues by road to the Gallipoli battlefields, Troy, Ephesus and Pamukkale, and ends with a flight from Denizli back to Istanbul. Land transfers, sightseeing and the local guide are arranged on a private basis.
It is designed for Muslim travellers and families who want the faith sites of Istanbul and Bursa given proper time, and who also want to see Turkey's major classical sites in one trip. Lunches and dinners are not included, so you choose where to eat, including halal restaurants. The live page shows no fixed price, so ask us for a quote for your dates and hotel class.
| Quick facts | |
|---|---|
| Length | 9 days / 8 nights |
| Route | Istanbul - Bursa - Istanbul - Gallipoli - Canakkale - Troy - Kusadasi/Selcuk - Ephesus - Pamukkale - Denizli - Istanbul |
| Style | Private land transfers, private sightseeing and private local guide |
| Start / end | Istanbul Airport or Sabiha Gokcen arrival / arrival at an Istanbul airport after the Denizli flight on Day 9 |
| Included | 8 nights with breakfast, private transfers and tours, guide, entrance fees as per the itinerary, parking, fuel, highway, bridge and ferry fees, local taxes |
| Extra | Lunches and dinners, international flights, visas, insurance, optional tours, Cleopatra Pool entry |
Which Islamic sites are covered in Istanbul and Bursa?
Day 2 is the Islamic Istanbul day: the Eyup Sultan Mosque and the tomb of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, the Sahaba tombs and remembrance points from the early Arab expeditions, and the Suleymaniye Mosque complex. Day 3 goes to Bursa, the first Ottoman capital, for the Green Mosque and Green Tomb and the old bazaar quarter with Koza Han. Day 4 covers Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace with the Islamic Relics, the Blue Mosque and Hippodrome area and the Grand Bazaar. Topkapi Palace is normally closed on Tuesdays, so if Day 4 falls on a Tuesday we swap the Istanbul days; check the order in your written plan.
How does the Denizli flight work, and is it included?
On Day 9 you have free time after check-out, then transfer to Denizli Airport for a flight to Istanbul, shown on the page at about 15:00 with landing around 16:10 (times may change). The FAQ says the route uses one domestic flight. However, the inclusions list only land transfers and exclude international flights, and they do not mention the domestic ticket. Before you pay, ask us to confirm in writing whether the Denizli to Istanbul flight is in the price, and with what baggage allowance. The tour ends at the Istanbul airport; a transfer or hotel after that is quoted separately.
Which hotels are used?
The FAQ gives the split of nights: 4 in Istanbul, 1 in Canakkale, 2 in Kusadasi or Selcuk and 1 in Pamukkale, with breakfast every day in the hotel category you select. It also refers to a Hotels section listing the options in each class, but no hotel names appear on the live page. Ask us for the hotel names for your dates and category, and check them in your written plan. If being close to a mosque or having a family room matters to you, tell us when you request the quote.
How long are the driving days?
Days 5 and 6 are the heaviest. On Day 5 you leave Istanbul at 06:30 for a drive of about 5 hours to Gallipoli, tour the battlefields and reach Canakkale after 17:00. On Day 6 you visit Troy in the morning and finish at 13:00, then drive about 4 hours to Kusadasi or Selcuk. Day 8 is a road day from Kusadasi to Pamukkale with sightseeing on arrival. The Bursa day starts at 08:00 with a ferry crossing of the Sea of Marmara and continues by road, so expect a long day there too.
What should we wear at the mosques and at Pamukkale?
For Eyup Sultan, Suleymaniye, Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the Green Mosque, shoulders and knees must be covered and women need to cover their hair; shoes come off in the prayer hall. Mosques close to sightseers during prayer times, and longest at Friday midday prayer, so your guide may adjust the order of visits; tell us if you want to join Friday prayer at a particular mosque. At Pamukkale shoes are not allowed on the white travertine terraces, so you walk barefoot and carry your shoes in a bag.
What is included at Pamukkale and the Cleopatra Pool?
Day 8 covers the white terraces and the ancient city of Hierapolis with its large necropolis. The Cleopatra Antique Thermal Pool is described on the page, but entry is not part of the tour price; you pay at the site if you decide to swim. The night of Day 8 is spent in Pamukkale, so you have the evening at the hotel. Ephesus on Day 7 also includes the House of the Virgin Mary and the Temple of Artemis.
Is it private or a group tour?
The title, overview and inclusions all describe private transfers, private sightseeing and a private guide. The Tour Type line on the same page says "Group Tour", and the FAQ says it runs daily with no minimum group size. We read it as a private tour, but have that confirmed in your written plan. The page says the route can be changed or extended, for example with more days or different hotels. A shorter, Istanbul-only alternative is the 4-day Islamic Istanbul tour package, and more options are on our religious tours page.
How do we book this tour?
Because the page shows no fixed price, start with a request: use the form on this page or WhatsApp us at +90 545 307 67 88 with your arrival date, number of travellers, ages of any children and preferred hotel class. We reply with a written plan and price: hotel names, the flight on Day 9 and whether it is included, the private or shared basis, and every inclusion and exclusion. Check it and pay only once it matches what you want. Get Turkey Tours is licensed by TÜRSAB (A-15751).
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does the tour begin and finish?
How do we get from one city to the next?
Where will we spend the nights?
Are there departures every day?
Can the route be changed or extended?
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