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Evliya Çelebi Way: the first stages of a pilgrimage journey
Photo: Dosseman / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Evliya Çelebi Way: the first stages of a pilgrimage journey

In 1671 Evliya Çelebi set out from Istanbul on the Hajj and crossed Anatolia on horseback, writing about every place he saw. The Evliya Çelebi Way is a cultural route of about 600 km for riders and walkers that follows the first part of this journey, from Hersek on the shore of the Gulf of İzmit to Simav in Kütahya province: it passes through İznik, Babasultan at the foot of Uludağ, Kütahya, the home of Evliya's ancestors, and Afyonkarahisar. This page introduces the main stops; the route is travelled with a guidebook, independently or on organised riding tours.

DurationMulti-day
Walk≈ 600 km
Stop6
Tickets0
AP

AnatoliaPass editorsPilgrimage and faith routes collection · last checked 23 October 2026

The story in 4 parts

The pilgrimage road of the Seyahatname

Part 11671

Evliya Çelebi (1611–1680s) travelled the Ottoman lands and beyond for more than forty years and wrote the ten-volume Seyahatname (Book of Travels). In 1671, approaching the age of sixty, he set out from Istanbul on the Hajj. On this journey across Anatolia he recorded, one by one, how many hours he travelled in which direction, the villages where he stayed, the mosques, the inns and the people he met.

Part 2Back on horseback

In 2009 a team of Turkish and British academics and riders, among them the Ottoman historian Caroline Finkel, retraced on horseback the route Evliya described, from Hersek to Simav. Because of urban growth, the modern route starts not in Istanbul, where Evliya set off, but at Hersek on the far shore of the gulf; Bursa city centre is also left off the route.

Part 3The guidebook and the opening

The route's guidebook was published in English and Turkish in 2011, the 400th anniversary of Evliya's birth; UNESCO also marked 2011 as the Evliya Çelebi year. The route was officially opened in October 2013 at a ceremony in the village of Babasultan at the foot of Uludağ and was presented as Türkiye's first long-distance riding route. Today it is managed by the Culture Routes Society and used by riders, walkers and cyclists.

Part 4Walking the route today

The riding route is about 600 km; for walkers, a footpath of about 330 km has been defined that leaves out the long flat stretches. The route passes through little-known villages; you may not find signs everywhere, and accommodation is sparse. The guidebook compares what Evliya described with what can be seen today: reading these two views side by side as you walk is the real pleasure of the route.

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Respect guidelines
  • Most of the route is rural and sparsely waymarked: take the guidebook, a map or a GPS track with you; covering the long, flat plain sections by vehicle is recommended.
  • If you are riding, slow down on village roads and beside gardens; don't ride into cultivated fields or close to flocks.
  • You are a visitor in mosques and tombs: take off your shoes, cover your head, don't walk around inside during prayer times and don't photograph people praying.
  • You are a guest in the villages: don't enter gardens or courtyards without permission, and don't photograph people without asking.

Visiting routes walked in Anatolia for centuries: churches, mosques, synagogues, tombs, caves and holy springs held sacred in Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Sufi traditions, plus long-distance cultural routes that follow old pilgrimage and caravan roads. These routes pass no judgement on matters of faith; where something rests on tradition or belief rather than history, we say so. Most of the stops are still places of worship today: dress modestly, don't walk around inside during services, keep quiet and don't photograph people praying.

Make your own version

  1. Day 1 Hersek · on the shore of the gulf

  2. 1

    Hersek · Hersek Lagoon

    Start: Altınova, Yalova; by ferry from Istanbul or by car over the Osmangazi Bridge · stay 60 min

    The village where the route begins sits on a low headland reaching into the Gulf of İzmit. Known in antiquity as Helenopolis, the settlement bore the name of Helena, mother of Constantine the Great; according to tradition, Helena was born here. Today the lagoon is a wetland known for its flamingos and migratory birds.

    Hersek · Hersek Lagoon
    Photo: Çağan Abbasoğlu / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Don't disturb the birds, and keep away from the shore during the breeding season. Public transport to the village is limited; check how to get there before you go. (Photo: sunset at Hersek Lagoon.)

  3. Day 2 İznik and the foot of Uludağ

  4. 2

    İznik · Green Mosque

    ≈ 50 km from Hersek; ≈ 1 hour by car · stay 90 min

    Evliya's route passes through İznik. The Green Mosque, built at the end of the 14th century by Çandarlı Kara Halil Hayreddin Pasha, takes its name from the tiles covering its minaret. İznik is also the city that hosted two great church councils, in 325 and 787; Hagia Sophia, where the second one met, is within walking distance and is now a mosque.

    İznik · Green Mosque
    Photo: Dosseman / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Both buildings are working places of worship: pause your visit during prayer times and cover your head inside.

  5. 3

    Babasultan · Tomb of Geyikli Baba

    ≈ 1 hour by car from İznik (≈ 65 km); Kestel, at the foot of Uludağ · stay 45 min

    The tomb of Geyikli Baba, the famous dervish of the legends of the early Ottoman period, and the Babasultan Mosque beside it. Legend has it that Geyikli Baba took part in the conquest of Bursa and lived on the mountain among deer; Orhan Gazi endowed this village for him and built a mosque, a dervish lodge and a tomb. The Evliya Çelebi Way was officially opened in October 2013 at a ceremony in this village.

    Babasultan · Tomb of Geyikli Baba
    Photo: İsosfer / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Keep quiet in the tomb, don't touch the cenotaph and don't photograph people praying. Check the opening hours of the mosque and tomb before you go.

  6. Day 3 Kütahya · Evliya's ancestral home

  7. 4

    Kütahya · Evliya Çelebi House

    ≈ 2 hours by car from Babasultan (≈ 150 km), via İnegöl · stay 45 min

    Evliya Çelebi was born in Istanbul, but his family came from Kütahya; in the Seyahatname he describes his ancestral home at length. The house in the city held to have belonged to his family has been restored and arranged as a museum and cultural centre. Evliya passed through Kütahya on his Hajj journey: a good stop to compare the city he described with today's.

    Kütahya · Evliya Çelebi House
    Photo: Ömerserez / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

    Check museum hours before you go. (Photo: 2015.)

  8. Day 4 Afyonkarahisar and Simav

  9. 5

    Afyonkarahisar · Mevlevi lodge

    ≈ 1.5 hours by car from Kütahya (≈ 95 km) · stay 45 min

    After Konya, Afyonkarahisar was one of the most important centres of the Mevlevi order. The Mevlevi lodge, which also holds the tomb of the Mevlevi sheikh Sultan Divani, can be visited today as a mosque and Mevlevi museum. Evliya's route passes through the city and the foot of the castle on its rocky hilltop.

    Afyonkarahisar · Mevlevi lodge
    Photo: Gargarapalvin / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Mind prayer times in the mosque section; check museum hours before you go.

  10. 6

    Simav

    ≈ 2.5 hours by car from Afyonkarahisar (≈ 200 km) · stay 60 min

    The district of Kütahya, known for its hot springs, where the first part of the route ends. After Afyon the riding route reaches here via Banaz, Uşak and Gediz. Evliya's journey continued for months beyond this point; for now the modern route ends in Simav. In 2011 the aim was to link it in future with the St Paul Trail at Yalvaç.

    Simav
    Photo: adnan akyol / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

    Check bus times for the return before you go. (Photo: a street in Simav.)

One more day? Bursa.

Outside Istanbul

≈ 2 h 15 min · fast ferry + bus · Day trip

Why here: The first Ottoman capital. The Green Mosque, the Grand Mosque and Koza Han make an easy day trip; we suggest it if you are staying in Istanbul for more than four days. Not part of this route.

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