1HERSA1 0014
HOLIDAYOFFER
Larapinta Artists
expedition
The Sydney Morning Herald and World
Expeditions would like to invite you again on
this guided artist’s excursion in central Australia.
The Larapinta Trail and the high ridge lines of
the West MacDonnell Ranges boast spectacular
peaks and rugged gorges. The rich colours of
the desert offer artists a stunning visual palette.
This trip allows both amateur and professional
artists to capture the inspiration of the
Red Centre, while comfortably camping in
the outback.
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS & INCLUSIONS:
• Stunning scenery of the West
MacDonnell ranges
• Leo Robba, former art director for
the Herald your artistic guide
• The iconic Mount Sonder
• Aboriginal heritage at the Ochre Pits
• The impressive Simpsons Gap and
Standley Chasm
• Wilderness camping
• Professional wilderness guide and
support staff
• All group camping equipment, including
tents, swags for sleeping, stoves, cooking
& eating utensils
• Vehicle supported camping throughout
• All National Park and camping fees
Terms and Conditions: Tours organized by World Expeditions ABN98001424568 NSW Lic.2TA 001418. Prices per person twin share. Single supplements apply. Cancellation policy
applies. For full terms and conditions call 1300 767 381.
the locals are wonderful
BOOK NOW
Call 1300 767 381
or visit smhshop.com.au/larpinta In Partnership with:
h
Your artistic guide Leo Robba
Breath taking scenery
6 NIGHTS
LAND ONLY
DEPARTS
SEPT 8 2010
$2395*
BACK BY POPULAR
DEMAND
6pm start, reservations required.
Tue 4 May HIMALAYA
Tue 25 May LATIN AMERICA
Tue 8 June AFRICA
Tue 29 June ANTARCTICA AND
THE HIGH ARCTIC
Small group walks, treks and
mountaineering expeditions.
 Over 30 years’ experience
 Expert trek leaders and local guides
 Classic lodge and camping treks
 Responsible Tourism
Lic No: 31009
HIMALAYA
1300 351 994
www.peregrineadventures.com/smh
FREE FILM & INFO NIGHTS
This special group package includes a
13 night Aranui 3 cruise in a Standard A
cabin, with economy class airfares
to/from Papeete, 4 nights pre/post cruise
accommodation in Papeete, airport and
ship transfers and all pre-payable taxes.
Bonus: chauffeur driven luxury car
transfers to/from SYD/MEL airport *
*Conditions apply. Subject to availability.
10% discount applies to cruise only.
See our website for details. Airport transfers
valid within 35 kms of international airport.
ABN 24 003 026 369 Lic No 2TA 003 131
The Small Ship People
1300 662 943
www.ultimatecruising.com.au
Join this 200 passenger working
freighter and sail 1300kms north
of Tahiti to the remote Marquesas
Archipelago, to experience an
adventure of a lifetime.
SAVE
10%
Discover Paradise...
... the Aranui way
17 nights ex SYD/MEL from $6,999* pp twin share
Voyage 4 - 10 Mar 2011 / Voyage 6 - 21 Apr 2011
Voyage 8 - 2 June 2011 / Voyage 13 - 15 Sep 2011
DESTINATION
TURKEY
The way of
the courtier
Caroline Finkel follows in the hoofprints of a famed Ottoman
traveller, whosewanderings have inspired a special horse trail.
The great Ottoman traveller, Evliya
Celebi, left Istanbul in 1671 to undertake
the pilgrimage to Mecca. So circuitous
was his route that he took twice as
long as the typical pilgrim to get there.
Celebi was a courtier of an Ottoman sultan
who loved to travel. For 40 years he criss-crossed
the empire and beyond, from Vienna to Tabriz,
from the Sea of Azov to Sudan, officially on state
business but mostly out of curiosity.
He set out for Mecca with 15 horses, three
companions and eight servants. Last September, I
was one of six riders who embarked on an idyllic
horse-riding expedition to retrace the early stages
of his epic journey, through north-west Anatolia.
Ours is the first attempt to follow one of
Celebi’s trails, travelling as he would have. First,
we ride south, then west, following in his tracks
from the Sea of Marmara to the town of Simav,
north-east of Izmir. Here we leave his itinerary to
loop back east to his ancestral home, the historic
city of Kutahya, covering about 1000 kilometres
in six weeks.
Our aim is to establish the Evliya Celebi Way,
an equestrian and walking route (cyclists also
welcome) that snakes through the ancient provinces
of Bithynia and Phrygia, and also the region
where the Ottoman empire was born. It is the
first long-distance route for riders in Turkey, and
one of a handful that exist for walkers, and takes
in some of the country’s most dramatic scenery.
Horses can go anywhere. For 40 days we
traverse spectacular landscapes and see remnants
of past cultures. We follow Roman roads and
goat tracks, Ottoman roads and forest paths.
In Turkey, there are few walls and fences. We
ride along riverbeds and up and down mountains.
We go through woodland and across open
plains, and walk beside cultivated fields and
among laden fruit trees where local people greet
us and share their harvest. We drink tea in
isolated villages and negotiate milling cities.
I had not ridden for 40 years but revel in my
new-found freedom with every stride.
Our journey pays homage to a little-known
individual who wrote a compendious 10-volume
account of his wanderings. UNESCO’s decision to
proclaim Celebi Man of the Year on the
400th anniversary of his birth, in 2011, will
publicise his remarkable life and work – of which
little except the sections on Istanbul are available
in English at present.
Sparing our horses fromIstanbul’s sprawl, we
pick up Celebi’s trail at the village of Hersek, two
days’ ride north of the walled, lakeside town of Iznik,
where the early church fathers famously gathered
for the first Council of Nicaea in 325. From
there we climb up and over a mountain range to
reach the broad agricultural valley of Yenisehir,
and head west, towards the 14th-century Ottoman
capital of Bursa. Avoiding the traffic, we take one
of Turkey’s ubiquitous minibuses into the city to
explore its gracious monuments and enjoy a day
at the races; not the sort where horses gallop as
fast as their jockeys can make them, but the
popular Anatolian sport of rahvan (ridden pacing),
where galloping can bring disqualification.
From Bursa, Celebi returned east, then south
across the lower slopes of the Uludag massif
(Mount Olympus to the ancient Mysians),
dipping down and rising again to cross thickly
wooded mountains with breathtaking views at
every turn. Emerging on to the plain, we arrive at
his ancestral home, the historic city of Kutahya.
Here we bathe in the 16th-century balikli
(‘‘fish’’) hammam, where Celebi would have seen
the ancestors of the carp that inhabit the courtyard
pool today. We leave our steeds at a new
horse sports centre while we stay in a bed after
many nights in a tent.Wild camping is permitted
in Turkey except in fenced areas. Each night, we
ask the village authorities to suggest a level site
where we can pitch our tents near one of the
plentiful water troughs fed by springs.
14 Traveller Weekend Edition May 1-2, 2010 The Sydney Morning Herald

Dear Friends,
I hope this year is beginning well for you.
A great deal has happened at the Akhal-Teke Riding Center in the last year and I thought I would take the opportunity to share some of the exiting news with you.
As many of you know, I am based in Cappadocia, Turkey and offer multi-day rides through this fascinating region. However, in the Fall of 2009 I trucked seven of my most trusty horses to Hersek, just outside of Istanbul where I was joined by a small team of academics who were fulfilling a dream of riding in the hoofprints of the great Ottoman traveller Evliya Celebi (1611-c.1683).
I too have always wanted to explore with horses the traditional caravan routes that crisscross Turkey. These are the traditional routes for trade, for making the pilgrimage to Mecca, and sometimes in Ottoman times for war. The Silk Road (Ipek Yolu) runs from Istanbul to Iznik, Bursa, Kutahya, Afyon, and eventually to Aleppo, Damascus, and Baghdad. This was the route we took, and along it villagers were always talking about the Silk Road and how their villages were important because of it. Most people we met were really pleased that we arrived on horseback. They brought us delicious food and fruit and vegetables from their harvests. The weather was perfect, with hot sunny days and cold nights during which we could gather around the campfire.
Unfortunately we did not have time to go all the way to Baghdad but we did have lunch during our first day on the trail at the beautiful Baghdad Restaurant. The horses were tethered in deep shade under trees by the bank of the shallow Yalakdere river in which we had ridden for the past hour. The sun glanced off the rippling shallow waters of this amazingly clear river, in which the horses splashed happily for miles.
We all munched apples as we rode. Did you know that horses can bob for apples? In Turkey they certainly can.
After climbing mountains, cantering along 'toprak' or earth tracks and across fields for nearly three weeks, we came to the ancient Phrygian (Frig) plain and the old city of Kutahya, nestling above it in craggy mountains. By the expedition's end those mountains would be covered in snow. We were hosted in Kutahya by enthusiasts for 'rahvan' racing, who have built a new hippodrom for this purpose.
'Rahvan' is ridden pacing racing. In other places in the world, pacers and trotters are raced pulling little carts or sulkies. But in Turkey, pacers are ridden. Their fans claim that they can hold a cup of Turkish coffee without spilling it as they fly along, rahvanning like the wind.
Some of us still prefer galloping or running ('dortnal') when we go for a ride, but we were very pleased to make new friends among the rahvancis, who really love their horses.
The expedition received sponsorship from Kutahya Porselen and Gural Porselen, based in Kutahya, and that included thousands of beautiful mugs with a picture of Evliya and his horse on them for us to give away as gifts along the road. If you come to Avanos you may still be able to obtain one, but they are proving very popular!
  After the success of the Evliya Celebi Ride as an expedition, UNESCO announced that 2011 would be the year of Evliya Celebi. We think we should be able to claim credit for this event.
We are now planning two rides in September 2010 along the new Evliya Celebi Way, for which there will be a guidebook next year. You can now be the first to ride the Great Anatolian Ride after we originally did it in autumn 2009. Ride from north of Iznik to Kutahya, or back again from Kutahya to Iznik and beyond. The horses are very fit and well and eager to hit the road again for further adventures.
It is my hope that some of you will join me on one of these extraordinary rides. If you would like further information please go to my website or contact me at akhaltek01@yahoo.com

Best Wishes from Turkey!
Ercihan Dilari