Ottoman Capitals

Flight to Istanbul. Drive across the newly built Osmangazi Bridge over the Gulf of Izmit to Bursa. Backed by the high peaks of Turkey's Uludağ, Bursa is a modern industrial city with a fascinating historic core. It was the capital of the Ottoman Empire, from where the Ottomans set their eyes on Constantinople (modern Istanbul) and resolved to conquer the Byzantine cities. Although Bursa is quite spread out, most of the historic sights are within walking distance of the centre. On arrival, a visit to the Ulu Camii (Grand Mosque), the city's focal point, built by Sultan Bayezid I with 20 domes on its roof. Only scattered remains of the Bursa Citadel are left to see, but it is also the site of the tombs of Sultans Osman and Orhan, the founders of the Ottoman Empire.
Hotel check-in. Free time. Dinner. Overnight.

After breakfast, departure for Cumalıkızık near Bursa, which was inscribed on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) at the 38th session of the World Heritage Committee in Doha. Cumalıkızık, home to some of the finest examples of early Ottoman architecture that have survived to this day, was founded as a waqf village in the 1300s. Cumalıkızık was added to the Tentative World Heritage List in 2000 and was inscribed on the final World Heritage List with the nomination entitled "Bursa and Cumalıkızık: the Birth of the Ottoman Empire".
Coach journey to Assos. Visit to the ancient city of Assos (Behramkale), the home of Aristotle, where he founded a school of philosophy and carried out his earliest research in zoology, biology and botany. To this day Assos preserves a theatre, a gymnasium and necropolises from ancient times, as well as a mosque built by Sultan Murad in the 14th century. Dinner. Overnight in Assos.

Coach journey to Troy. On the hill of Hisarlık we find Troy, the splendid city of Priam. Troy is the legendary city and setting of the Trojan War, partly described in Homer's Iliad, an epic poem in Ancient Greek composed in the 9th or 8th century BC. As we walk through the ruins of Troy, it is hard not to hear the war trumpets of the Achaeans and the prophetess Cassandra: "Beware of Greeks bearing gifts." After the visit to Troy, drive to Çanakkale.
Just as the province of Istanbul lies on two continents, so does Çanakkale: in Europe and in Asia. Çanakkale is the nearest large town to ancient Troy, a town that grew out of an Ottoman fortress called Kale-i Sultaniye (the Sultan's Fortress). Over time the settlement became known for its pottery (Turkish: çanak), and so its name was changed to Çanakkale, meaning Pottery Fortress. The town is built on the narrowest part (1.3 km) of the Dardanelles and today is the administrative and commercial centre of the province of the same name. One of the main sights of the town, the medieval Kilitbahir fortress, lies on the Gallipoli peninsula, the site of the famous battle between the Allied Powers and the Ottoman Empire in the First World War in 1915, when the Allies aimed to reach Constantinople, today's Istanbul and once the capital of the Ottoman Empire.
We cross by ferry to Eceabat, a town on the northern, European side of the Dardanelles. Continue the drive to Edirne. Dinner. Overnight.

Breakfast and hotel check-out.
City tour. Edirne is generously endowed with Ottoman buildings thanks to its role as the empire's second capital. The Selimiye Mosque is the largest building in the city, built by the famous Ottoman architect Sinan (who also built the Süleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul). Its interior dome, even wider than the dome of Hagia Sophia, is incredibly impressive. The outer courtyard is home to Edirne's Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, with an excellent display of ceramics, clothing and woodwork from the Ottoman era.
Other mosques here are well worth seeing too, including the rather beautiful Mosque of Sultan Bayezid II, the Şerefeli Mosque (with its four different minarets) and the aptly named Old Mosque (Edirne's oldest mosque). The real pleasure of a visit here, however, is wandering the old town lanes that were once the medieval heart of the city. Here you will find plenty of traditional wooden Ottoman houses, many gracefully crumbling and full of old-world atmosphere. Drive to Istanbul. Overnight in Istanbul.

Breakfast and hotel check-out. Departure for a city tour lasting until 15:00, when it is time for the transfer and departure from Istanbul.