The Art of lıfe

EL ARTE DE LA VIDA
L’ART DE VIVRE
Yaşam Sanatı

In your light, I learn how to love. In your beauty, how to make poems.
You dance inside my chest where no-one sees you,
But sometimes I do, and that sight becomes this art.

Mevlana Rumi

GENERAL INFORMATION
As the path unfolds, we invite you to join us in a mystical journey. The
caravan is a service project of the Beyond Initiative whose purpose is to
support the emerging circles of Dances of Universal Peace in the Middle
East. We try to create the best experience for all of us but also we would
like to inform you that this is a friendly invitation to support this process
and is not intended as a professional package of a tourist agency. Your
participation makes it possible to give grants and assistance to the DUP
leaders in training from the region.

The caravan and camp schedule is:

September 11-12: Istanbul (Sacred and historic sites)
September 13-17: Yalova (Middle East Training Camp)
September 18-20: Cappadocia Region (Nature and Magic)
September 20-23: Konya (Local Sufis, Rumi)
We strongly recommend arriving at least 2 or 3 days earlier (on the
8th or 9th) because Istanbul is such a magical city with so many
places and adventures available. In the Caravan we will take you to
special visits, but a few days of tourism are recommended. We will provide
later on, a list of things you can do and the name of our group
accommodation (in case you want to stay there when you arrive).

PROGRAM
September 11-12 Istanbul:

Visiting sacred shrines, mosques and churches. Experiencing the amazing

historical sites and enchanted bazaars. Boat ride on the Bosphorus. Enjoy
delicious Turkish food and sweets. Dance circles.
September 13-17 Yalova:

Boat ride from Istanbul to Yalova. Training Camp begins on the 13th
afternoon and finishes at noon of the 17th, leaving a free afternoon to rest
and/or to enjoy at the natural hot springs of Yalova. In addition to the DUP
training for emergent leaders of Middle Eastern countries, we will have
different workshops including Whirling, Anatolian Dances, Middle Eastern
Music performances, “Sufi Poetry” and Meshk with local teachers and
facilitators. Everyone is welcome to participate in the Camp, regardless of
your experience or no experience with Dances of Universal Peace.

September 18-20 Cappadocia:

Leaving Yalova to
begin our journey
by bus to visit the
Dargah of Sultan
Haçi Bektash Veli,
who is considered
by the local mystics
to be the doorway
into the mysteries
and wisdom of
Rumi.
 Later on the 18th we will arrive in
Cappadocia to explore and witness
the surreal landscapes of sculpted
rocks and old sacred churches
built into the geological
formations enjoying walks and
magical scenery. We will have the
chance to watch amazing sunrises
with hot air balloons. If you wish to
experience a balloon ride, you can
book it with the hotel but it is not
included in the caravan activity.

September 20-23 Konya:

On the 20th we reach our final destination: Konya. Among so many things
to experience in Konya, we will be visiting the Dargah of Shams Tabriz,
following the tradition of getting permission from Shams when entering
Konya.
We will connect with Rumi while visiting his Tomb and Sanctuary,
Sohbet(open conversation) with his successors, visit the local Sufi Lodges
and also enjoy the "Mystic Music Festival" which commemorates the life
of Djelaluddin Rumi (dates are not announced yet). We will also attend
Sema ceremonies and experience traditional Sufi Cuisine. On September
23rd the Caravan officially ends. For those who want to stay in Konya to
spend more time and visit other places of interest, there will be
information provided.

BOOKING INFORMATION
General Price of Caravan 2023: 900 EUR

What is included:
● All accommodations and most of the meals.
● Transportation to all of the organized activities, sites and transfers.
 ● Entrance tickets to places and guidance. One ticket to the Mystic
Music Festival. (In case the dates coincide with our visit to Konya)
● Teachings, workshops, visits to local teachers, etc.

What is not included:

● Two lunches during the 2 free times at midday (one in Istanbul,

one in Konya) and snacks for boat and bus ride.
● Plane tickets to arrive in Istanbul or transport after Konya.
● Any type of insurance.
● Honoraries of any of the DUP teachers. Donations will be
welcome.
● Private rooms in Hotels. (Generally our rooms are for 4 people
occupancy.)
● Hot Air Balloon Ride or extra activities in Cappadocia.

The $ 900 EUR price is intended to make this caravan accessible to

younger generations of dancers and leaders, as well as participants from
countries with less robust economies. There is a possibility of joining
and paying an extra registration fee to have more comfort and privacy in
accommodation. Private rooms for couples will be an extra $200 EUR
per person and individual bedrooms will be an extra $400 EUR.

The private rooms will only be provided based on availability.

To reserve your space on the DUP Turkey Caravan 2023 please write to:
dupmiddleeast@gmail.com. Places are limited. The deadline for applying is
July 31st, nevertheless, registration will close when the maximum number
of participants is reached.

What to bring?

September is late summer in Turkiye, so the advice is to bring summer

clothes (comfortable shoes/sandals, shorts, hat, swimwear and light
clothes), but also a jacket and warmer clothes for cold nights. A scarf to
enter mosques is necessary.

It can be helpful to bring socks for whirling, a small blanket or sleeping

bag.
We recommend before booking your flights to Türkiye to double check
with us about your place on the Caravan and all the possible extra activities
you can do in the country.

For those who wish to participate in the Conference of Birds gathering, a

retreat festival created in order to acknowledge and share the Sufi
knowledge, healing music and spiritual practices; the dates are 4-10th of
September 2023 in Fethiye. In that case please consider the arrangement
to arrive in Istanbul by 11th of September for the start of our Caravan.
Please access detailed information at www.conferenceofbirds.family

We hope to dance together with you soon in the Land of Sufis.

2023 Camp & Caravan Team

Lakshmi (Coordinating Mentor)

Sinan, Sheri & Ari (Local Hosts)