Dear Sufi Trail friend ,
Together with our Sufi friend Mehmet Kahraman, we cycled on the Rumi Trail towards Konya. We weren't the only ones: several travelers joined our marking trip to Konya and also Mehmet went straight from cycling into hiking, Most Sufi Trail pilgrims met on the way, and we called and supported each other on our way to Konya. Hüseyin Kara made the little stone man, leading our way with the most ancient way of marking the route. Hüseyin Kara is also the first Turkish pilgrim, who first met Marcel Schuurmans and our other hikers and cyclists.
The experiences vary widely and a big advantage is that pilgrims now also meet each other by chance. All pilgrims have been in the news because of the enthusiastic work of our Ahmet Yiğit. For the first time, we also met the people on the Sufi Trail network and we marked a part of the cycling route from Konya to Emirdag.
The new Rumi Trail route that we developed with Mehmet by bicycle has also gained wings. Konya has always been the place where routes come together, this month we all met in Konya even Marian and Aslinur Brehmer were there to surprise us. Apart from the all sunny days in October, there was always someone who lights up the day.
love,
Sedat & IrisSufi Trail
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Items October edition
- Sufi Cyclists
- Sufi Hikers
- Sufi Trail marking
- Mehmet Kahraman Rumi saint
- Freelancer Ramazan Yeşil
- Muhafiz Tuncay Erik
- Artist Linda Pijl
Agenda Sufi Trail, Turkey 2022:8 May – 24 June hike caravan 6 – 22 September cycle caravan3 - 16 October hike marking trip |
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Pilgrims community
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Cyclists | Nomadeus and Amma
Eus has been on route from Europe since 2013, but he has now sailed into the Sufi community. Accompanied by Amma the dog, they cycle to Konya with great delight from the followers. The reports are sometimes hilarious to read and the Dutch radio reads the letters from Eus. They are even still going strong with quite some adventure on there way, leading them even to the capital Ankara. Currently the route is Rumi Trail towards Erzincan. You can find all the ins and outs on their website and you can also follow them on social media.
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Cyclists | Ilse van der Auwera
Again cycling friends whom we would have liked to have met. We also spoke to Ilse during their trip from Konya to Istanbul. Once on top of the mountain with the necessary gasping for breathers, we followed each other on the wheels. Even so, Ilse and her cycling friends were on the boat to Istanbul just an hour after we arrived in Yalova. With great joy we see a good report of the experiences on the Sufi Trail on the Sufi Trail-Facebook group. Back home safely. Cycling is fast from A to B, the photos with their message are very recognizable because we had just cycled the paths ourselves. And how could it be otherwise, it is also our southern neighbors who color the Sufi Trail this year. Belgium many thanks for your attendance this year cycling and hiking our pilgrimage to Rumi. |
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Hikers | Faouzia and Mohammed
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The Moroccan department for hiking is covered by Faouzia and Mohammed. We walked together towards Konya within the Emirdag region and met again in Konya. Faouzia and Mohammed are making the journey with a deep spiritual meaning and even have a retreat in Konya to internalize the journey. On the way to Konya, Mehmet Kahraman prepared a hiking stick for Mohamed as he lost his hike-stick and read a beautiful poem to us, named Le Baton.
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Pilgrim | Marcel Schuurmans
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Known from the Sufi newsletter and now really on the road. We look forward with great pleasure to Marcel's experiences at pindad every day. A lot happens during Marcel's journey, and to turn it into a beautiful story at the end of the day, we always admire very much. Unfortunately we had just missed Marcel in Emirdag. Marcel followed a Sufi course with Marian Brehmer and already speaks a good word of Turkish. However, the pilgrim life is not a bed of roses, because Marcel also struggles with injuries that put the traveler to the test. Marcel recovered from a broken nose and we were ever so happy he could still finish his hike and meet us in Konya. At the shrine of Mevlana Rumi we even met Marian Brehmer, it couldn’t have been more perfect. Blog of Marcel Schuurmans (in Dutch) |
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Evelien and Cor
Old, well-known among the Camino travelers and hikers. Many have already had the pleasure of getting acquainted with pilgrims through Evelien and Cor. Together they are now discovering the Sufi Trail, the nice places, the lovely people, and of course the conveniences of a tractor lift. We really enjoy their findings and of course, Ahmet Yigit got them in the Turkish news.
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Hüseyin Kara is our first real Turkish hiker who immediately applies the beautiful pilgrimage customs. The beautiful pile of stones for the next hikers are placed on the route. Hüseyin Kara was delighted to meet our pilgrim Marcel on his way to Jerusalem. Later he also met Eus and Amma and Faouzia and Mohammed.
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Together they stayed a few days with Ben Claasz Coockson in Midas Han. One of the most beautiful areas on the Sufi Trail where many travelers have a rest point. For the pilgrims who camp it is very nice to follow Hüseyin's adventures because many camper paradises are visited. Sufi Trail community the lovely ancient habbits of road marking started by Hüseyin Kara. We met quite a few people who got acquainted with Huseyin and all the time we were reminded how lovely it is to leave traces of pilgrims and stories. |
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Marking and meeting for the first time
After the sticker adventures of the Rumi Trail, the three of us cycled from Konya to Emirdag to also apply the sticker markings for the Sufi cyclists. The last cycling day from Karaman to Konya we also cycled an evening ride at full moon. Full of adrenaline to cycle to Konya with such a beautiful red moon in between a cricket concert, gave wings again to mark the rather mountainous course to Emirdag. We visited our friends on the route Fevzi Tasal in Derbent, freelancer Ramazan Yeşil in Akşehir, Refik Simşek in Akbaba and of course we could catch our breath at Linda Pijl in Yalova. We also briefly saw Ahmet Yiğit. We don't have enough time to see everyone for a long time, but we hope to meet again after the walking tour. From Emirdag we hope to have put a good recognizability on the back of the traffic signs for cyclists. We mainly stuck to the road, because sticking on the mountains obviously requires another type of marking. The route will also need some adjustments to possibly eliminate the very steep and gravelly drops or ascents. If you cycle to Konya you will encounter more ascending parts and vice versa the route is more downhill. The experience on a bicycle or on foot cannot be compared, but to mark a part by bicycle is of course faster.
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Mehmet Kahraman Rumi saint
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Mehmet Kahraman is from Kayseri and we had the honor of accompanying him in setting up the Rumi Trial in Turkey. He was a real support and rock, as it soon turned out. We quickly became spectators as we put tires on, and that wasn't the only thing we were staring at with open mouths. Mehmet has a dog method that seems to work with every dog. Not once were we afraid because Mehmet made friends with almost every dog with some kind of whistle. Before we knew it, the dogs came wagging their tail to the canine friend. We also made it through the heavier pieces thanks to Mehmet's strength and motivation, followers already said: "Mehmet is now indispensable"! Smoothly and with a lot of soup we arrived in Konya unscathed, me and Mehmet with a scrape and Sedat with a sore ankle. The climbs are wonderful for satisfaction and your climbing power gradually increases, but it is a tough part of Turkey with a lot of food! You actually cycle along the Taurus Mountains and Cappadocia, but we have not been there. A fantastic experience richer and with our very own Rumi Trail saint, Mehmet Kahraman.
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Freelancer Ramazan Yeşil
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Since the beginning of the Sufi Trial, Ramazan Yeşil has been receiving pilgrims at the tomb of Yagle Dede in Akşehir. He is one of the contact persons when he is present. Like Tuncay Erik, he is a patron saint of the Sufi Trail with his own Sufi stamp. Ramazan's family is connected to the tomb and has many special stories about with and around the tomb. This time we had the opportunity to have breakfast together for the first time. The four of us joked that Ramazan is a freelancer because he is also often in Germany. It was special to really meet each other while you have the feeling that we already know each other because we have been in contact for so long.
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Muhafiz Tuncay Erik
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After our hiking adventure with the group we went to see Tuncay Eric in Osmaneli. Meeting for the first time after all this time. Like we suspected he is more than the right person and sweetest man for being the patron saint of the Sufi Trail. The kindness is amazing and the time we spent is like a treasure. We went up to the Tekke in Osmaneli for a Turkish coffee, looked at the Roman milestones near the Greek Church, and enjoyed the lokantasi. We spent the night on the easy-click and sleep couches all the Turkish homes have and listened to the birds singing us to sleep. We weaved goodbye at the bus station. A little red kitten fell asleep on my lap and like all good things we had to leave the little one behind. Hope to meet again so we can spend more time on the route together, we are planning to fix a reroute path near Kaynarca.
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Artist Linda Pijl
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Linda Pijl is one of the creative minds in the entire Sufi journey process. The beginning of a journey often has an initiation and Linda makes a self-painted Sufi stone for the pilgrims that can go with the traveler. A little travel companion that will surely outlive many of us. Stones are nevertheless extremely special in many respects and these are also selected by Kehribar, the four-legged lady in Linda's studio annex house. We stayed with Linda and came home completely from our pedaling adventures on the Rumi and Sufi Trail. The most delicious meals from our own kitchen were conjured up on the table, a workshop full of new Sufi stones smiled at us and to top it off I have the prototype Sufi key ring. It is made from a mini gourd and will steal many hearts instantly, so cute. We also have the honor of hiking with Linda. She accompanied us on the hiking trip to Konya which is a big advantage because after 20 years in Turkey, Linda is actually a real Turkish lady. For the future we also made plans to give the walkers who are still to come the option to start with Linda as a walking buddy, so you are introduced to the Turkish bits and pieces and the first day of walking is immediately pleasant.
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Meeting in real life for the first time
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We meet many people online. Even Though we have not met in real life, many already feel like our friends and family after working on projects together.
The same goes for film director Abdulshakoor Alakkad who made a film about the Sufi Trail. They are still in the running for all kinds of film festivals and “when in Istanbul” we had the opportunity to meet in person for the first time. And so we did! It was indeed like going out for an evening with family and also the friend who brought Abdulshakor didn't believe that we were seeing each other for the first time. His friend went back to the Gaza Strip; unfortunately it was still complicated to travel in and out. While their talents are in high demand around the world, traveling is still not easy for everyone. Hopefully that will change and they will soon be able to share their talent.
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Sufi on Bike
Ready to prepare your cycling journey on the Sufi Trail? We are very happy to offer the cycling guide 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 |
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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 |
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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.comAnd 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. |
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