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Dear Sufi Trail friend ,

Nature seems so disrupted and yet we plan our trips to see the beauty that nature provides. We attend cycling trade fairs in these months and there is a sudden trend. More and more people do not want to 'fly'. Good job we made a cycling route towards Istanbul. From Vienna to Istanbul there is the Sultans Trail cycling route and apart from being a great adventure, it connects you to the Sufi Trail in an environmentally friendly way. Mother earth was meant to walk and cycle on. It brings us back to our own nature that's why it brings us so much joy.   

love,
Sedat & Iris

Items January edition

Davide Travelli

Afbeelding
Davide introduces bike-packing on the Sufi Trail. He is travelling the world since 2015 through America, Africa, and Turkey with a mileage of 59,000km Sufi Trail is just a tiny piece of this extraordinary world cyclist, Davide.
Earlier this year Davide created 5 Sufi Trail movie episodes to watch for fellow travellers.
It brings you into the life of a world adventurer. 
You can click below to watch all 5 episodes of the Sufi Trail.
Davide Travelli @Sufi Trail

Sufi show

Afbeelding
After this great inside of the hiking trail in a bike-packing lifestyle, the picture collection is now published. On Davide Travelli's social media there is extended information about all the adventures. You can view and get inspired. To support this digital looking eye into a world cyclist life you can use this link: contribute to Davide's work.

The picture on the right is just before Konya, you wouldn't guess the big city is just over that hill.
Davide on instagram

David Jury our elderly Sufi

Hiking the complete Sufi Trail is not such an easy task but to complete it all alone and you are 70+ is to put it mildly pretty extraordinary. I asked David what were his plans after his pilgrim journeys.

To answer your question what next. 
Three years ago I set out to walk the three great Christian medieval pilgrimages, to Santiago de Compostela, Rome and Jerusalem. I was 74 years of age in 2017 when I started out to Santiago having never walked a long-distance trail before, in 2018 I completed Canterbury to Rome and, last year I completed Rome to Jerusalem. In total over 6000 kilometres all on foot. It has been an extraordinary three years, meeting wonderful people and exploring extraordinary landscapes, and to reach Jerusalem was momentous and for me the end of the trail. I will continue walking but nothing on the scale of the past three years. Perhaps when I followed the Sufi Trail, maybe, I was the oldest so far?
You have done an extraordinary job with the Sufi Trail, so good luck with its continuing progress.

Afbeelding

"One of the lovely ways to pray is to to take your body out into the landscape and to be still in it. Your body is made out of clay, so your body is actually a miniature landscape that has got up from under the earth and is now walking on the normal landscape. If you go out for several hours into a place that is wild, your mind begins to slow down, down, down. What is happening is that the clay or your body is retrieving its own sense of sisterhood with the great clay of the landscape."

John O’Donohue

Tradefairs

Every year Sufi Trail joins trade fairs for hikers and 
bikers. They are big events where many like-minded people meet and check out the latest technical gear and hip places to stay go and explore. It attracts around 40.000 people in the Netherlands and for Belgium, this number is approximately 15.000.  

We look forward to meeting the people who like to chit chat with us and it is a very inspiring time for hikers and cyclist. The technical development of bikes is truly amazing. Also, the e-bike generations are more than popular. There is one downside for the e-bike riders the battery is less easy to take along. Even so, we heard people posting their battery no problem so solutions you also find on these gathering days. 

Sufi Trail flag

We even have
a special Sufi Trail flag. 

Klaske Kassenberg

Klaske Kassenberg writes: 
The Sufi Trail is a pilgrimage that starts in Istanbul and leads to Konya, a distance of 800 - and one, let's not forget that one! - kilometres. Approximately 20 km per day is walked, which means that you are on the road for 40 days for the entire trip. Does that seem a bit too much to you? One day - or a few days - is also allowed.

They spend the night in tents and you will have to bring that tent yourself. Rest assured: the tent and your other luggage will be transported for you. Do you want a more comfortable accommodation? That is also possible. The start in Istanbul is on 3 June and Konya will be reached 40 days later, on 14 July.

Impressieturkije.nl



​Klaske Kassenberg is a Dutch writer choose Turkey as a homeland for writing and inspiration, she has a great website that tells her Dutch audience stories about Turkey: Impressie Turkije
 

Bella Coma

Our Canadian writer Natalia Mihai did it she wrote "Bella Coma" about her Sufi Trail. Readers now write their reviews on Amazon Canada.

You can click on the link and see what others said...
Review of Amazon reader:
This book is like the book “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho January 28, 2020

 
Order Bella Coma from Europe

Amazon reviews

This epic story reads like an “open book” that is heartfelt and reminds you the world is at your doorstep. It restores our faith in humanity, Natalia meets the most enchanted strangers, giving the reader an impression that if you follow your heart a door can lead you inside.

Jordan cycling

Great opportunity to join our Mecca-Jordan cycling route. As part of the long-distance trail, we are exploring Jordan by bicycle. The route will be accompanied by Paulien van Gijn who is a photographer. After this journey, we can enjoy it again just by looking at our photos.

The trip is set up in such a way that you organize your own travel costs and expenses in Jordan. This way we can keep a very low and fair price to join this exciting expedition. 

The Jordan route is part of the Mecca Trail and once all the pieces are completed they will fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. We will travel by bicycle and tent for accommodation.

 
Join Jordan pioneers team

5-19 Jan 2021


Jordan has extraordinary sights like Petra, the Jordan River, Mount Nebo, Madaba, numerous medieval mosques and churches, and unspoiled natural locations as Wadi Rum. After the tour you can stay longer to visit Jerusalem or other sights that are are not on the cycle route. A great way to start your 2021.

Sufi on Bike

Our special Sufi Trail cycling guide
Taking you from Istanbul to Konya with detailed maps, Sufi saints and special places to visit on the way and practical information for the tour cyclists.

And congratulations to the winner
Arie Vreeburg. We received lovely writing about travelling and indeed after Santiago the Camino and Rome there is now a third option Konya.

winner Arie!



Thank you, Arie for sending your story and we will send you your Sufi on Bike book as soon as it is printed! If you also want your copy you can buy the book in our Sufi Trail webshop

2020 Spring

Sufi Trail & Jerusalem Way
from Akşehir to Konya

The Sufi Trail aims to properly mark the hiking route and is intended as a journey of discovery. The GPX and sleeping and eating addresses are known per day. We will mainly stay in small hotels and home-stay accommodation. The luggage is transported per day. The lunch costs are exclusive but it is always possible to organize a package per day.

 
Marking trip with Jerusalem way

Jerusalem Way


 
For vegetarians, there is plenty of alternatives. For other dietary requirements, we will organize as much as possible in advance – please indicate on our registration form – it will be more complicated for vegans.
 
The daily distances will be around 20 km per day.

Hike & Bike Events

Sufi Trail organizes events on the Sufi Trail. This year we have a spring, summer and autumn event. If you like to join us you can get more information with these links. For all events, we give a discount for early sign up's

Exciting news for 2021 cycling in Jordan
Join Jordans pioneers team
5-19 January 2021

You can call & app us on:
+31 6 440 447 90

Agenda

Trade fairs 2020:
Hiking & Biking BE 15/16 Feb
Hiking & Biking NL 28/29 Feb & 1 March

Turkey 2020:
Sufi & Jerusalem Way | marking trip
18 - 28 March
Sufi Trail hiking caravan
3 June - 14 July
Sufi Trail bike caravan
4 - 20 September

Turkey 2021:
Sufi Trail hiking caravan
16 May - 24 June
Sufi Trail biking caravan
11 - 25 September

Summer Hike Caravan 2020

Autumn Bike Caravan 2020

Publications

Published by Sufi Trail:
Sufi Trail hike guide part 1 (English)
Sufi Trail hike guide part 2 (English)
Sufi Trail hike guide (Turkish)
Bella Coma - Natalia Mihai (English)
Leegte - Merel van Essen (Dutch)

Expected Books:
Sufi on Bike (English)

Check out our shop for more 

Your Sufi Story

We love to hear your Sufi Trail story for the next newsletter. You can also send your Sufi (trail) related message or story. Keep in short. 300 words maximum and send it to sufitrail@gmail.com
And yes we love pictures and video's ❤

We hope that you like the work of Sufi Trail. You may also consider making a donation to the Sufi Trail foundation.

CONTACT

Stichting Sufi Trail, Friends of Rumi and Khorasan Saints
Hagestraat 10
2011 CV Haarlem
Holland

Email: sufitrail@gmail.com

Whatsapp & mobile:
Sedat Çakır:  +31 6 508 906 96
Iris Bezuijen: +31 6 440 447 90

Contributions:
Klaske Kassenberg

Sufi Trail

 
Website Turkish
Website NL
Website Engels
❤ S u p p o r t S u f i T r a i l ❤