Cyprus Journey (3 NIGHTS 4 DAYS)

Upon arrival at Ercan Airport, we meet our guide and transfer vehicle and begin our tour without delay. Our first stop is the Forty Saints Mausoleum, where we visit the tombs of 40 Companions who were martyred during the Islamic raids on Cyprus in the 7th century AD. Continuing our tour filled with spiritual emotions, we move to the capital Nicosia, where we visit the Barbarossa Museum in order.

After visiting the museum housed in the former home of Major Doctor Nihat İlhan, where his wife and three children were killed in a bathtub, we view the Green Line panoramically. Our tour continues with a walking tour of the walled city of Nicosia. We descend from our bus at the monumental Kyrenia Gate and continue our tour on foot. First, we visit the Cyprus Turkish History, Culture and National Liberation Museum.

Then we visit the Cyprus Mevlevihane, Samanbahçe Houses, Sarayönü Square, the Obelisk, 16th-century Ottoman shrines of our martyrs that have survived to the present day, and the Lokmacı Border Gate dividing the Arasta Bazaar into two. We complete our tour and spend free time at the Grand Inn. We gather at the appointed time, return to the bus, and move to our hotel for dinner and overnight stay.

After breakfast at the hotel in the morning, we begin our tour. For our Gazimağusa city tour, our first stop is the Closed Maraş, which came under Turkish sovereignty during the 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation. This settlement, which presents the appearance of a ghost town, was once the largest entertainment and favorite holiday destination.

During our visit here, we also visit the small mosque built in 1813 belonging to the Bilal Ağa Foundation and buildings resembling an open-air film set. In our historical tour of the walled city of Famagusta, notable places include the Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque, the Namık Kemal Prison, the Venetian Palace, and the tomb of Mehmet Çelebi. We continue our tour by drinking coffee at the famous Petek pastry shop. The Kutup Osman Mausoleum and the Cyprus Gallipoli Martyrs Monument are among our visiting points, and we continue our tour with a visit to the Martyrs' Villages in the Famagusta region. The tragic story of 126 innocent people who were killed by the EOKA organization in 1974 in the villages of Atlılar, Muratağa, and Sandallar, and the visit to the village school converted into a museum, will deeply affect you. After this emotional visit, we return to our hotel for overnight stay and dinner.

After breakfast at the hotel in the morning, we travel by bus for 5 hours to the westernmost point of Cyprus. With the sea blue on one side and lush citrus groves on the other, Güzelyurt welcomes us. Our first stop is the Monument to Cengiz Topel, Turkey's First Air Martyr. We visit the monument and museum of our martyr and learn about the mining area left by the CMC mining company and its ongoing effects through our guide's explanations.

We move to the Ottoman town of Lefke, which preserves the traces of history as it did on the first day. The historic mansions and houses with corbels in this town take us back to bygone days. We visit the Shrine of Sheikh Nazim of Lefke and his tomb, the most important value of Lefke, which has become one with Cyprus. After conversations at the shrine (if in season, we can go to Yeşilırmak village and pick fresh strawberries from dozens of strawberry gardens while breathing in the fresh air). Now it is time to leave this magnificent region full of nature, sea, and fruit. We move towards our hotel for dinner and overnight stay.

After breakfast at the hotel in the morning, we reach Kyrenia by bus in approximately 1 hour. Our first stop is the Tomb of Caliph Umar, a sacred shrine that is intertwined with the sea, embracing you with both its deep history and magnificent views. After our visit here, we continue with a tour of the Karaoğlanoğlu area, where the amphibious operation took place in 1974; the Ship Museum, the Military Helicopter, the Peace and Freedom Museum, and the Open-Air Museum and Martyrs' Cemetery visit. We then move to the center of Kyrenia. After spending free time in the Historic Kyrenia Bazaar, we visit the ancient harbor, Kyrenia Castle, and the Ağa Cafer Pasha Mosque, a fine Ottoman structure (weather permitting, an extra boat tour of Kyrenia's coastline from the ancient harbor can be arranged). On our return, we complete our visit to the Boğaz Martyrs' Cemetery and head to Jumbo Shopping Center in Nicosia for a shopping tour. After completing our shopping stop before the airport, we head to the airport. Now it is time to say goodbye. After bidding farewell to our tour guide and captain, we move toward the check-in counter.