Sufi Trail logo
Dear Sufi Trail friend ,

Heartbreaking news for our beloved region. The images we see are devastating, and first we want to express our deepest sympathy for the people who have lost their loved ones or are still in the unknown, in this difficult situation. It will be a hard time for many people in southern Türkiye and Northern Syria. We need a lot of hope that this disaster will bring out the best in people. The helping in many ways has started. The resilience and light shows the brightest in these intense hard times.

Only a few months ago, we cycled the Mecca Trail from Konya towards Antakya. We drank a glass of Turkish tea with these lovely people, and now the earth has literally fallen away from under their feet. Especially for the people in the affected area who have lost their families and homes, it will be difficult for a long time to start building up. And thank you so much Abdulshakor Alakkad for telling Şeyma Aytemir’s story! For the people we know that are hurt and effected by the earthquake, we are collecting some first aid money. 

The Sufi Trail community and route is not the affected area, but the grief is, of course, felt in all our own living rooms. 

Love,
Sedat & Iris

Sufi Trail
 

Items February edition

  • Our student Şeyma Aytemir in Tut, Adıyaman
  • Message from our film director Abdulshakor Alakkad
  • Stamping point in Ağlarca
  • Walking caravan is dripping full
  • Marking refined by Linda
Agenda Sufi Trail, Türkiye, 2023:


5 May - 14 June 2023
Caravan to the light




29 September - 12 October 2023
cycling to the light

Extended cycling caravan on the Mecca Trail
14 - 25 October

Our student in the car

Afbeelding
After two earthquakes in Turkey and northern Syria, the devastation is enormous. Thousands of people have had to recover their deceased relatives themselves and are still missing half of their loved ones. The Sufi Trail Foundation has been working with local partner organizations in Turkey for years to generate a new form of income for local people and entrepreneurs through the walking and cycling routes. For the people we have received bad news from, we want to show our support through a financial collection to be able to give it directly to them.

We have of course contacted all our dear friends and people in Turkey. Everyone on the Sufi Trail is now hard at work collecting goods for the people in the south. Donations have also been given to people who we knew had lost their homes, for example, and are now bivouacking in a car.

Our student Şeyma Aytemir in Tut, Adıyaman who received this gift immediately shared it with the people who are having such a hard time right now. It is a direct line to our friends from the Sufi Trail if only a drop in the ocean. One candle illuminates the darkness.

It is a disaster upon disaster for Syria, where so many people were already displaced. The images are hard to digest, but the bright spots are there. With the help of other countries, the people who help each other in all kinds of ways, love is strong in times like this, and the real power of people shows. 

We would like to support our resources and the Sufi Trail community, no matter how small, with a helping hand on a personal level. The accountability of where a financial gift goes and what happens to it follows on the website. Thanks in advance for your support, we hope to be able to sprinkle some bright spots on those who are now in this heavy mess.

You can donate with the following link or directly via the bank account of the Sufi Trail
IBAN:  NL06INGB0008164984 
BIC: INGBNL2A

In the explanation area, please write Earthquake relief Sufi Trail Student.

Please contact us if you have questions regarding your donation or in general about the earthquake in Turkey.
 

Stamping point in Ağlarca

Ağlarca is a small village after Midas Han and Yazılıkaya where Midas City is has a special stamp. The walking caravan was warmly welcomed with tea, and one thing led to another. Mrs. Gülnaz Topak is the old village chief and is a real lady who knows how to get things done. She keeps a flock of sheep and has already welcomed many walkers and cyclists. The village is special to us, because we were also taken care of their by a Syrian family for the very first time. Four-year-old Ahmet then provided us with delicious fresh tea all day long, and it was also his very first day alone at home. Mothers, who worked at the university in Damascus, had taken the cows to the market. It was a major turn in their lives. Ahmet also played a beautiful accordion, and he felt like Cherkez because his grandparents fled from here in the Caucasus to Syria. The second flight brings them to this village because of family ties. The villagers were also refugees from the Caucasus. A special village, with a special mix of cultures due to the flight from Russia and now the return flight from Syria. The stamp you can get here is worth a little break. Especially when Mrs. Topak is there. And who knows, you might even see Ahmet and his family.
Afbeelding

Spring Hikingcaravan

Afbeelding
The walking caravan is in training in the Netherlands. What about hiking this coming May…
As trail makers for the coming hiking caravan, we will work on spots along the Sufi Trail for mourning the spirits that left so suddenly. There will be three locations where we will arrange rose planting to have a moment. Hiking is a very good medicine for mourning, but the rose planting rituals can help to give this a place on the Sufi Trail. Yalova knows best about the devastating experience. 
You can book a flight to Istanbul. This is also the best approach route for people connecting halfway. You can take a bus or train directly from Sabiha Gökçen Airport to Eskişehir. You can buy the tickets online at: https://ebilet.tcddtasimacilik.gov.tr/view/eybis/tnmGenel/tcddWebContent.jsf
There is also an English option so that it is also possible for non-Turkish speaking people to buy a train ticket.
You can still register for the departure from Yalova on May 5. Only a few hikers have registered, but we hope that after the trade fair, we will make some more hiking friends to walk the beautiful Sufi Trail together.

The Sufi walking caravan is an annual event that starts after the fasting period. After Eid, we are all ready for the start, 'inshallah'. 

While walking in the Netherlands our hearts are already in Turkey: it is the vastness and diversity of nature, the unprecedented friendliness, and of course the beautiful weather, which makes it all very pleasant.

Being together for several days naturally also creates a bond that is and remains very special. The community is a special place in our heart, connecting us even when we are not on the Sufi Trail.
 
The hiking caravan is not far away, the itinerary and more preparations are making us slide into the next journey.

For inspiration, we made a webpage just about the caravans and the people who joined us in 2022.

They all shined their light on the road to Konya. We can’t wait to meet the new hikers. If you are thinking of joining us, take a look at the previous year's stories and hike to the light with us this spring. Starting date is soon the 5th of May in Yalova.
 

Concerning Sufi Trail trips, for hiking and cycling trail friends:

Every hiking & cycling team member is responsible for their own cost and insurances.

The hiking & cycling caravans are based on equal responsibility, and we are all Friends of the Sufi Trail, every companion is co-responsible for the success of the trip. You book your own flights. You co-decide where to sleep, what and where to eat.

Furthermore, you are free to participate in any common activity. You share in the costs of these mutual activities. All of this in good harmony.

You are provided with the Sufi Trail welcome package for self-navigation, and experienced companions will help you to use it. You make sure that you are properly insured. 

Marking refined

Afbeelding
Linda Pijl is organizing hikes and made more improvements to the marking routes from Yalova to Iznik. We hope to enjoy all these lovely art pieces with the coming hikers off course after our rose planting with Ahmet at Ormanica.

Website of Linda in Dutch.

Free buff for members

Afbeelding
Participating in the Sufi Trail community? This year you will receive a special Pilgrim Route Buff if you renew your membership. 

In case you are not yet a member of the Sufi Trail, we do include a special designed Sufi Trail Buff for all orders placed till January 31, 2023.

So don't wait too long if you were already planning to walk with us on one of our pilgrimages in Turkey.

Yes, I like to renew my Sufi Trail subscription and I receive the Sufi Trail buff for free.

I am not a member yet, but like to be a member and support the Sufi trail.

I am a cyclist and I like to be a member and support the Sufi Trail.

Remember all new members get
s a free Buff.

Sign up for the hiking caravan

Afbeelding
Due to the many positive reactions, we can already confirm that the hiking caravan for 2023 dates are set.

The dates are 5th of May till 15th of June 2023!
This is only half a year from now, sooner than we think :)

Would you also like to take a walk or experience the entire 40-day feeling (or part of the Sufi Trail) along the way? Then sign up.

It still seems far away, but before you know it, the seasons will fly by. The date is known, so you can consider whether it fits in your agenda. Check the website for details and last year's experiences.

Sufi on Bike

Ready to prepare your cycling journey on the Sufi Trail? We are very happy to offer the cycling package with all the information you need to cycle from Istanbul to Konya, visiting the ever-changing landscape of Anatolian Turkey.

Get ready to Cycle to the light


Hike & Bike Events

Sufi Trail organizes hiking and cycling events on the Sufi Trail. They are events to promote slow travel and camp outside under the stars in Anatolia, Turkey.  
If you have questions you can call & app us on: +31 6 440 447 90

Agenda

Sufi Trail, Turkey 2023:
5 May - 15 June hike caravan

29 September - 12 October Cycling caravan
14 - 15 October Continuation on the Mecca Trail

Onl
y bookable in combination with the Sufi Cycling trip

Publications

Published by Sufi Trail:
Sufi Trail hike guide part 1 (English)
Sufi Trail hike guide part 2 (English)
Sufi Trail hike guide (Turkish)
Sufi on Bike (English)
Bella Coma - Natalia Mihai (English) Via Amazon CA
Bella Coma - Natalia Mihai (English) in Europe
Hiking the Sufi Trail - Susan Elliott (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 it 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

Editors: Iris Bezuijen & Sedat Çakır

Sufi Trail

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