Tours to Ephesus

Music & Dance Tour to Turkey & Egypt

Join us on a tour out of this world and into the magic of Middle Eastern music and dance in its own home. We will be taking the International Peace Belt to Turkey & Egypt!

For the very first time, the International Peace Belt will be visiting Egypt & Turkey to spread the message, vision and hope of peace in the Middle East and all over the world! We are very honored and extremely proud to be the bearers of such a wonderful gift! Be part of this very unique and wonderful offering to the world!

Visit Turkey's most prominent cities and historical sites: Istanbul, Cappadocia, Konya, Ankara (optional extension includes Bodrum & Ephesus).
Visit all of Cairo's major tourist attractions.
Shop, ride the camels, smoke the 'shisha' and relax by the nile
Visit Alexandria's main tourist attractions and tour the Alexandria library.
Relax by Egypt's Northern Shore, swim in the Mediterranean Sea and experience the quiet of the desert.
Attend Raqia Hassan's "Ahlan wa Sahlan" dance festival AND/OR study your favorite instrument with top instructors from the College of Arabic Music in Cairo
Several "off the beaten path" trips, excursions and surprises!!
See Turkey & Egypt with a native dancer who knows where the best deals are, how to navigate the Middle Eastern culture and social interactions and loves to travel and bridge the gap between cultures and people!! This year, for the first time ever, she will take you to Turkey and her HOME TOWN OF ALEXANDRIA

Dates :	Option 1: June 8th to July 4th 2007 (Turkey & Egypt) Option 2: June 12th to July 4th 2007 (Turkey & Egypt) Option 3: June 19th to July 4th 2007 (Egypt only)
Itinerary :	Option 1: Friday, June 8th Depart the USA - Arrive in Turkey to be met by our tour guide and transferred to the Hotel. Saturday, June 9 BODRUM: We will visit a Turkish village and have lunch there. We will go to a night club with a live show in the evening.. (Dinner included) Sunday, June 10 BODRUM: We will go on an all day boat trip and have lunch on board. (Dinner included) Monday, June 11 BODRUM: A free day in Bodrum for sightseeing shopping and going to a Turkish bath. (Dinner included) Tuesday, June 12 EPHESUS - ISTANBUL: We will depart early in the morning to Ephesus which is the best preserved and the most often visited of all sites in Turkey. The visits will continue with the House of the Virgin Mary. We will have lunch in Selcuk and the drive to Izmir and fly to Istanbul. Option 2 begins here: Tuesday, June 12th Depart the USA - Arrive in Turkey to be met by our tour guide and transferred to the Hotel. Wednesday, June 13 ISTANBUL: After breakfast, a day of discovering Byzantine and Ottoman treasures in Istanbul will begin. We will visit Saint Sophia. This church - turned mosque - turned museum takes your breath away with the sheer architectural size of its interior and magnificent dome. Next we will visit the spectacular 15th century Grand Bazaar, a covered market with 4,000 shops. Thursday, June 14 ISTANBUL: Today we will visit the Topkapi Palace (Imperial Residence of Ottoman Sultans between 15th and 19th Centuries, with its priceless world-class collection of jewelry and rare porcelain), Built on one of the seven hills of Istanbul, this huge complex commands views of the Sea of Marmara, the Bosporus and the Golden Horn. Following lunch It is free time in Istanbul. (Dinner included) Friday, June15 ISTANBUL: We will visit the Blue Mosque "Sultan Ahmet Mosque", famous for its delicate blue ceramic tiles and it's 6 minarets. After lunch we will enjoy a leisurely Bosporus boat tour crossing under the Bosporus Bridges viewing the mosques, palaces, old wooden villas and the beauty of the Asian side. After dinner we will have a party with live music and belly dancing. Saturday, June 16 ISTANBUL - CAPPADOCIA: We will travel to Cappadocia. Dinner at hotel (included). Sunday, June 17 CAPPADOCIA: Breakfast will be served at the hotel and the full day tour of Cappadocia begins. The natural Citadel of Uchisar will enable you to get a panoramic view of the region. Goreme valley houses the Goreme Open Air Museum, with its churches hewn out of rock and the colorful frescoes which decorate them. Zelve and the caves of this ancient village, the underground city of Kaymakli or Derinkuyu which were carved as refuge from persecutors during the early Christian era. (Dinner included) Monday, June 18 CAPPADOCIA - KONYA - ANKARA: Departure will be early in the morning from Cappadocia. The next stop will be in Konya, which was the capital of the Seljuk Turks in the 13th century. This city, which hosts the Mevlana Museum is also known for its theological school of whirling dervishes. We will travel to Ankara in the afternoon. Overnight stay will be in Ankara.. Tuesday, June 19 ANKARA - ISTANBUL: After breakfast we will visit The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations (which displays artifacts from many civilizations including unique collections of Paleolithic, Neolithic, Phrygian, Urartian, Roman and Lydian treasures) and we will fly to Istanbul. Wednesday, June 20 ISTANBUL - CAIRO: Fly to Egypt. Arrive at Cairo airport to be met by our tour guide and transferred to the Hotel. Relax for the evening. Option 3 begins here: Tuesday, June 19th Depart the USA Wednesday, June 20th Arrive in Cairo to be met by our tour guide and transferred to the Hotel. Relax for the evening. Thursday, June 21 Tour Cairo! Visit the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx. Optional camel ride. Visit Salaheddin Citadel and Mohamad Ali Mosque. Evening in Khan El Khalili bazaar. Friday, June 22 Visit the step pyramid of Sakkara in Memphis. Visit the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities. Dinner aboard a Nile cruise boat with a dance show and Tannoura (whirling dervish). Saturday June 23 Visit Coptic Cairo (historic churches, the Coptic Musuem) and Cairo Synagogues. Visit El Hussein and Khan El Khalili bazaar in the evening. Sunday, June 24 Take bus from Cairo to the Northern Shore. Day at leisure. Swim, snorkel, relax. Monday - Tuesday, June 25-26 Two full day excursions to Alexandria. Visit Montaza, Alexandria Library, Fort of Quit Bay, Anfushi Tombs, Pompei's pillar, the Graeco-Roman Museum and much more. This is Hala's home town, so we'll go to town, literally :-). Wednesday, June 27 Back to Cairo. Check in hotel and get ready for "Ahlan wa Sahlan"!! Wednesday - Tuesday, June 27 - July 3 "Ahlan wa Sahlan" Dance Festival at Mena House Oberoi. Musicians take private or semi-private classes at the College of Arabic Music. Wednesday, July 4 Check out and transfer to the airport for a flight back to the USA.
Price :	Advance reservations must be received before April 8th 2007. A deposit of $500 is required with registration. After April 8th, 2007 the balance is due in full. Option 3: Egypt Only: $1800 per person. Option 2: Egypt plus 1 week in Turkey: $2800 Option 1: Egypt plus extended Turkey Tour: $3400
What is included in the price :	All ground transportation within Turkey and Egypt including optional group excursions. All breakfasts and specified meals. All entrance fees to museums,ancient sites, boat trips, sightseeing excursions as set forth in the itinerary. Hotel and motel accomodations in double occupancy rooms. If you are traveling alone, we will arrange for you to share the room with someone of the same sex. Single supplement is also available for travelers who want private accommodations. Personal meet and greet service by our tour agency at the airports including assistance clearing customs and transportation to hotel and back on day of departure to the USA Fully escorted for all included tour activities by a tour guide. You will have the services of knowledgeable English speaking guides on all included siteseeing tours.
Not included in the price :	Specific dance and/or music classes attended during "Ahlan wa Sahlan" festival, you get to select those from a menu of classes offered and pay for them separately. Lunch and dinner unless included in a group event. Daily breakfast is included in the price. Cost of obtaining a tourist visa to Turkey and Egypt, tips, gratuities, any taxes or fees either in the US or abroad related to the import or export of goods for personal or business use. Airfare from your city in the USA to Turkey, Turkey to Egypt and back to the USA. Any internal flights within Turkey and/or Egypt. You are free to make your own travel arrangements. We will gladly assist you in obtaining cheap air fare once you let us know which city you will be flying from. Air travel, passport and visa fees, travel insurance, inoculations and vaccinations, any expenses prior to arrival in Turkey/Egypt, meals not specified as being included, any beverage such as mineral water, soft drinks or liquor, room service, valet, laundry, telephone calls, tips to your drivers/guides and escorts which are not included and left to tour member's discretion.

Please contact us for more info.