Rihlah Ilmiyyah in Balkans 2025

Rihla ʿIlmiyyah In the Balkans
June-July 2025
( 15Days - 13Nights )

This summer, we are exploring the Ottoman Islamic heritage in the Balkans! Ever wondered how its like to go through the Balkans and what it has to offer beyond tourism? This time, we plan to visit various maqāms of notable awliyā’ as well as places of spiritual retreat (tekkes) across the Balkans, across the lush green mountains, stopping between the great Ottoman urban centres of Bosnia, Albania and beyond. This historical riḥla aims to understand the Islamic presence in Eastern Europe during Ottoman times, and how this empire flourished by way of its Sufi brotherhoods, from before Mehmet al-Fātiḥ's conquest of Constantinople all the way through to its heyday, the kinds of Islam it cultivated in Eastern Europe, altogether allowing us a glimpse into the rich world of the Ottomans.

Modelled on Evliya Çelebi’s famous Seyāhatnāme (Book of Travels) from the 17th Century, this journey requires a similar spirit and energy for meaning in one’s journey beyond the luxuries or the comfort of modern traveling. We will at times, be sleeping in buses, resting in tekkes, but also enjoying what was once the natural landscapes and urbanscapes of Ottoman Eastern Europe. If you’re up for it, then you are suitable to join the riḥla.

Places we will visit:

Turkiye - Istanbul
• Nûreddîn-i Cerrâhî Hazretleri,
• Ebu Eyyûb el-Ensarî Türbesi,
Badawi Tekke of Beylerbeyi,
• Aya Sofya, Sultanahmet,
• Süleymaniye Mosques

Bulgaria - Sofia
• Pomak Rhodope Mountains
• Banya Bashi Mosque

Macedonia - Skopje
• Mustafa Pasha's mosque
• Old Bazaar & Bit Bazaar

Kosovo - Pristina/Prizen
• Sultan Mehmet Fatih Mosque
• National Library of Kosovo

Albania - Tirana, Berat, Gjirokaster, Durres
• Shems El Kulub
• Halveti Sulyemani Tekke

Montengro - Kotor
• Mount Lovcen
• Old Town

Bosnia - Mostar, Sarajevo
• Hadži Sinanova Tekkija
• Blagaj Tekkija
• Baščaršija Fountain
• Žuta Tabija
• Stari Most

Limited space available. Only for 10-15 participants. If interested, please contact Yunus at +601156290157 soon to book the flights together.
Application will close when maximum capacity is filled.