Velika balkanska tura s THY-om (TIA-SJJ)

Let AJET Airlines flight to Tirana and arrival. Meeting at the airport by our guide, then we depart by our bus for our city tour. Places we will see on our panoramic tour by bus; Embassy of the Republic of Turkey, U.S. Embassy, the 4-minaret Namazgah Mosque construction financed by the Presidency of Religious Affairs Foundation, the statue of Süleyman Pasha, the founder of Tirana, Tirana city square, Ethem Bey Mosque, Clock Tower, National Museum, University Building, Opera and Ballet Building, the Skender Beg statue, the national hero of the Albanians, located in the square, Parliament and Ministry buildings, Presidential Palace. After our Tirana tour, our next stop is Ohrid. We will take a tour introducing the historic city of Ohrid, one of the important bases of the Ottoman Empire in the Balkans. Places we will see during our tour; the 11-century-old plane tree, Zeynel Abidin Pasha Dervish Lodge (Halveti Lodge), Ali Pasha Mosque, City Square and Ohrid Bazaar, famous for its pearl shops, Ohrid Market, St. Clement Statue, a shop where we can see paper making in streets reminiscent of Safranbolu using the technique applied in China in the 2nd century BC, Church of St. Sophia, Ancient Theatre. After our walking tour, we head to our local restaurant for dinner and after dinner accommodation at our hotel in Ohrid.

07:00 Breakfast. 08:00 Departure from the hotel. After breakfast, we leave our hotel and travel by bus to Kalkandelen (Tetovo), a charming town city built during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. (Ohrid - Kalkandelen 130 KM) Our first important stop in Kalkandelen is the Colorful Mosque, built in 1833 by Abdurrahman Pasha. The interior and exterior decorations of the mosque, made with paint created by mixing animal blood, plant roots, and egg white, will amaze you. The decorations are in a Baroque style rarely seen in Ottoman works. Then by our vehicle to the period’s Bektashi center here, Harabati Baba Lodge. After getting information about the lodge from Cemali from Tetovo, the lodge’s 20-year guard and caretaker, we go to Abdulmuttalip, a Bektashi dervish residing in another corner of the lodge, and listen to the history of the lodge and the works carried out from him as well. At the time determined by our guide, we depart for Skopje, the capital of Macedonia. (Kalkandelen – Skopje 40 KM) We get off our bus near Skopje Fortress and start our city tour. In the original name of Skopje Turkish Bazaar, which the Ottoman Empire ruled for more than 500 years and still preserved its old form, we start our tour on foot. Places we will see during our tour; Mustafa Pasha Mosque, Jewelers Street, Arasta Mosque, built over the Vardar River and Skopje’s symbol, Stone Bridge, Turkish and Jewish Quarter, Daut Pasha Bath, Çifte Bath, Murat Pasha Mosque, Sulu Han, Kapan Han, Kurşunlu Han, the gigantic Alexander the Great Statue that caused the name crisis with Greece in 2011, the statue of Philip II, father of Alexander the Great, Vardar River, Macedonia Archaeological Museum and Archive building, National Theater Building, Resistance Museum, statues of Saints Cyril and Methodius, who found the Cyrillic alphabet, St. Spas Church dating from the 17th century, Mother Teresa memorial and museum, Old Train Station building, which remains as it was destroyed in the 1963 earthquake, Free time after our walking tour. At the time determined by our guide, we meet again and have dinner together at a local restaurant. Later accommodation at our hotel in Üsküp. Guests who wish can spend time in the center after dinner to enjoy this city, which is beautifully illuminated at night.

07:00 Breakfast. 08:00 Departure from the hotel. After breakfast, departure for Pristina, the capital of Kosovo. We visit the tomb in Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, which has played key roles in many periods of Ottoman history, where the internal organs of Ottoman Sultan Murad I Hüdavendigar, who was martyred in the Kosovo Battle in 1389, are buried. We also visit the Selamlık building right next to the tomb, which is used as a museum. Inside the building, we have the opportunity to see photos from the visit of Ottoman Sultan Sultan Reşad, who made the last visit to the Balkans in 1911. While going from the tomb to Prizren, we see the square and monument on our route where the then President of Yugoslavia Slobodan Milošević launched his election campaign in 1989 due to the 600th anniversary of the Kosovo Battle and later used for the first time the expression “Greater Serbia,” which would bring about the end of Yugoslavia. After a one-and-a-half-hour journey, we arrive in Prizren, the second largest city of Kosovo, home to many Ottoman works. We begin our Prizren city tour. On this walking tour with our guide, places we will see; Halveti Lodge, Gazi Mehmet Pasha Bath, Namazgah where Fatih Sultan Mehmed prayed with his army, Bayrakli Mosque, Maraş district and the Maraş Bridge, the 400-year-old large plane tree, Emin Pasha Mosque, the TC Prizren Consulate General building, the Stone Bridge over Bistrica (Akdere), Shadervan Square, Sinan Pasha Mosque, St. George and Catholic Churches, the Arasta Mosque minaret, whose mosque was destroyed during Yugoslav times but whose minaret managed to remain standing, the Serb neighborhood where we can still see the destructive effects of the war. Free time after our tour to enjoy this beautiful city. Later, at the time determined by our guide, we depart for dinner and then head to our hotel in Üsküp for accommodation.

07:00 Breakfast. 08:00 Departure from the hotel. After the breakfast we will have at our hotel in the morning, we head towards Belgrade, the capital of Serbia and one of the most established cities in the Balkans. After necessary breaks on the route, arrival in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. Places we can see by our vehicle, with our guide or during free time: New Belgrade, Tito’s Mausoleum in Dedinje

New Palace of Justice, Federal Parliament, Terazije Street, National Theater, Fortress Square, Stone Square, Martyr Ali Pasha Tomb, Bayrakli Mosque, after visiting the Church of St. Mary of the Rose, the Sava Cathedral, the General Staff building bombed by NATO in Belgrade in 1999 due to the Kosovo events, the police headquarters building, the Chinese Embassy. After free time in the center, we meet again at the time determined by our guide and have dinner together. Later, accommodation at our hotel.

07:00 Breakfast. 08:00 Departure from the hotel. After breakfast at the hotel, we set off towards Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Upon our arrival in Sarajevo, we head to Baščaršija. On our way, we see buildings still bearing the traces of wartime bombardment, the tram line, Europe’s first electric motor tram line that still actively circles Sarajevo from end to end, the buildings belonging to the People’s Army of Yugoslavia from the Tito era but currently used as the Sarajevo University campus, the USA’s second largest embassy building in the world, the Sarajevo City Museum, the Parliament building, and the region’s largest shopping mall built by Arab investors, and we arrive in Baščaršija. Our first stop is the martyr cemetery where the martyrs of the tragic war of 1992-1995 and Alija Izetbegović’s memorial tomb are located. We recite Fatiha for the war martyrs and receive information from our guide about Bosnia and Herzegovina’s first President, Alija Izetbegović, and his life. Then we start our walking tour of Baščaršija by passing through the cobblestone Bosniak–Turkish neighborhood that managed to remain from the Ottoman period. Places we will see during our tour; Sebilj built in 18th-century Bosnian architecture, Bakırcılar Street, the only active art street that has managed to remain from the Ottoman period, the Bazaar Mosque, Morića Han and the “Mladi Muslimani” youth Muslim organization local located inside it, Gazi Husrev Bey Mosque and tomb, the great-grandson of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, the Clock Tower, Kurşunlu Madrasah, Gazi Husrev Bey Museum and Library, Europe’s first public toilet, Latin Bridge known as the place where World War I began, Hünkar Mosque built in the name of Fatih Sultan Mehmed, At Square – Okmeydanı, Bakır Baba Mosque built by Bursa Metropolitan Municipality, Orthodox Church, Alija Izetbegović Park and the Sarajevo retirees who constantly play chess in the park, Ferhadija Mosque, Ferhadija Street (Sarajevo’s Istiklal Street), Jewish Synagogue, Catholic Church – Cathedral – Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Sarajevo roses (places where more than one person lost their lives with a bomb during wartime), the site of the Bread Factory massacre, the eternal flame lit in memory of the liberation of Sarajevo occupied by the Germans by the Yugoslav army on 6 April 1945, Markale neighborhood market, where 68 people lost their lives in the market massacre on 5 February 1994, Vijećnica library, built during the Austro-Hungarian period as the Government House (Municipal building) and burned during the war, causing many manuscripts to turn to ashes. After our walking tour in Baščaršija, we have dinner and go to our hotel for accommodation.

07.00 Breakfast – 08.00 Departure from the hotel. We leave our hotel and depart to make a tour of Mostar, the largest and most beautiful city of the Herzegovina region. Passing through the small settlements on our way, we arrive at our first stop, the city of Konjic (Konyits, Sarajevo – Konyits 50 km). In this small city of 50 thousand inhabitants established on the banks of the Neretva River, among the places we will see are the Ottoman bridge damaged in the Second World War and the 92–95 war and restored by the General Directorate of Highways of Turkey and TIKA, the mosque with a broken minaret, and the mini bazaar restored in accordance with its original form. After our photo break, we continue our journey. Our second stop is Jablanica, the city where the war took place and where Yugoslavia’s founder Josip Broz Tito received the title of marshal. (Yablanitsa, Konyits – Yablanitsa 23 km) In this city, also famous for roast lamb, we see the bridge Tito destroyed as a result of his struggle against the German Nazis in 1943 and the area where the event took place. Then we head to the Alperen Lodge, established 5 centuries ago at the source of the Buna River, whose source has not yet been reached and from which up to 43,000 liters of water per second emerges. We visit the lodge, also known as the Sarı Saltuk lodge. We visit Ali Pasha’s tomb and Sarı Saltuk’s tomb inside the lodge and see the women’s prayer room, the assembly room, the men’s prayer room and dhikr room, the bathhouse and the room used as a retreat and kitchen in this two-story house built in the form of a typical Anatolian house. Guests who wish can drink Turkish tea in the courtyard overlooking the river. Then we depart for our last stop, the city of Mostar. (Blagay – Mostar 12 km) On our way, we see Mostar airport and the military area built opposite the airport during Yugoslav times and used as a shelter for aircraft. This area was prepared for hiding planes by hollowing out the hill immediately opposite the airport. Upon arrival in Mostar, we begin our walking tour. Places to be seen during our tour; the Martyrs’ Mosque and the cemetery in its courtyard. One feature of this cemetery is that Croat and Serb residents of Mostar who fought shoulder to shoulder with Muslim Bosniaks during the war are also buried here, the cobblestone Mostar bazaar worked with stones collected from the river specific to the region, Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque. This mosque is the mosque from which the most beautiful photo of the bridge is taken, the Republic of Turkey Mostar Consulate General, Mostar Bridge – a single-arch bridge built in 1566 by Mimar Hayrettin, a student of Mimar Sinan, destroyed in 1993 and restored again in 2004, Tara Tower – while these towers once belonged to teams ensuring bridge security, today they serve as a museum, Kriva Cuprija – Crooked Bridge, Tabakhane Mosque and Bath – a mosque specially built for them so that the notables engaged in leather work would not disturb the congregation in other mosques with smell, and with water flowing underneath it.

Free time in Mostar for shopping and enjoying the city. Later, at the time our guide will determine, we meet and set off towards Sarajevo. In Jablanica town on our way, we have dinner at the famous roast lamb restaurants with a roast lamb menu. Then departure to Sarajevo. Upon arrival, accommodation at our hotel.

After the breakfast we will have at our hotel, we leave our hotel at 08.00 after checking out. First, we visit the Tunnel of Life, one of the most critical moves of the Bosniaks during the war between 92 and 95, dug under the airport. In this tunnel and museum, which broke the Sarajevo siege, considered the longest siege in history (4 years 4 months) and changed the course of the war, we feel the war with a 15-minute video prepared from original footage. (To ensure the tour does not run late, the War Tunnel tour will be conducted or may not be conducted if the guide deems it appropriate). Then we head towards Baščaršija. On our way, we see buildings still bearing the traces of wartime bombardment, the tram line, Europe’s first electric motor tram line that still actively circles Sarajevo from end to end, the buildings belonging to the People’s Army of Yugoslavia from the Tito era but currently used as the Sarajevo University campus, the USA’s second largest embassy building in the world, the Sarajevo City Museum, the Parliament building, and the region’s largest shopping mall built by Arab investors, and we arrive in Baščaršija. Our first stop is the martyr cemetery where the martyrs of the tragic war of 1992-1995 and Alija Izetbegović’s memorial tomb are located. We recite Fatiha for the war martyrs and receive information from our guide about Bosnia and Herzegovina’s first President, Alija Izetbegović, and his life. Then we start our walking tour of Baščaršija by passing through the cobblestone Bosniak–Turkish neighborhood that managed to remain from the Ottoman period. Places we will see during our tour; Sebilj built in 18th-century Bosnian architecture, Bakırcılar Street, the only active art street that has managed to remain from the Ottoman period, the Bazaar Mosque, Morića Han and the “Mladi Muslimani” youth Muslim organization local located inside it, Gazi Husrev Bey Mosque and tomb, the great-grandson of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, the Clock Tower, Kurşunlu Madrasah, Gazi Husrev Bey Museum and Library, Europe’s first public toilet, Latin Bridge known as the place where World War I began, Hünkar Mosque built in the name of Fatih Sultan Mehmed, At Square – Okmeydanı, Bakır Baba Mosque built by Bursa Metropolitan Municipality, Orthodox Church, Alija Izetbegović Park and the Sarajevo retirees who constantly play chess in the park, Ferhadija Mosque, Ferhadija Street (Sarajevo’s Istiklal Street), Jewish Synagogue, Catholic Church – Cathedral – Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Sarajevo roses (places where more than one person lost their lives with a bomb during wartime), the site of the Bread Factory massacre, the eternal flame lit in memory of the liberation of Sarajevo occupied by the Germans by the Yugoslav army on 6 April 1945, Markale neighborhood market, where 68 people lost their lives in the market massacre on 5 February 1994, Vijećnica library, built during the Austro-Hungarian period as the Government House (Municipal building) and burned during the war, causing many manuscripts to turn to ashes, after our walking tour in Baščaršija, we head to Sarajevo airport. After passport and customs procedures, departure to Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport. and arrival. Thus, we come to the end of our Balkan tour. Looking forward to seeing you again on another organization…