Private Sufi Tour / Konya

Mete Horzum from Celine Travels is the best person to plan your tour of magical Konya as he and his team have insider knowledge of not just the history but also of centuries old traditions of this beautiful city. They have good vehicles and kind guides.

What an absolutely wonderful and unforgettable experience! Our Rumi tour in Konya was fascinating, inspiring, and truly special. A huge thank you to our incredible guide Hairi, who made this experience so unique. His exceptional knowledge, passion, warmth, and enthusiasm brought the history, philosophy, and spirituality of Rumi to life in the most beautiful way. Hairi went above and beyond to make our tour personal, meaningful, and memorable. He didn't just share historical facts – he helped us truly connect with the fascinating world of Rumi and Sufism. We couldn't have wished for a better guide! Hairi is an absolute gem and made this tour the highlight of our trip. Highly, highly recommended! If you're visiting Konya, don't miss this experience – and definitely ask for Hairi! Thank you for such a magical day! ❤️

We had a wonderful experience with Hayri from Selene Tours, our private guide in Konya. He was very knowledgeable, explained everything so well, and was caring and attentive. He also recommended a fantastic place for lunch. We truly enjoyed our time with him and highly recommend Hayri!

I've always dreamed of visiting Konya and seeing Rumi's resting place, and this tour made it even more special! Mete, a gentleman from the tour company's office, was incredibly helpful from the moment we booked. He kept in touch with us on WhatsApp the whole time, and before the tour even started, he gave us great food recommendations, helped us book the Sema ceremony, and pointed us to a few other unique places we never would have found on our own. He was so kind and responsive throughout. Then on the day of the tour, we had the most wonderful guide, Mr. Fatih. He was so knowledgeable and answered a lot of questions we had and he was just amazing!

Excellent way to explore the culture, history and religion of Konya. It is a full day so wear comfortable clothes and shoes. Our guide Hüseyin had an encyclopaedic knowledge of the history and religious influences. It was a pleasure spending the day with him and our driver Halil who was an expert and safe driver. Highly recommend this tour if you want to learn about the Sufi sect, its founder Rumi and what makes Konya special.

We first met Mete from Selene in Konya nearly 20 years ago. Since that time he and his lovely team have consistently provided our family and friends with excellent, exclusive experiences in Konya. From airport transfers to behind-the-scenes private sufi tours to visits to the region beyond Konya, Selene deserve their reputation as Konya's Number 1 for the international visitor. Recommend wholeheartedly. Kevin and family

Hayri was a truly wonderful guide: warm, insightful, and deeply connected to the spirit of Konya. The day was thoughtful, personalized, and rich with both historical and spiritual depth. His deep knowledge and kind presence brought each place to life in a way that was grounded and inspiring. I’m deeply grateful and highly recommend this tour.

This was a great tour. The guide was extremely informative and very professional. The communication from time of reservation all the way to the end was superb. We had a great day, learned a lot and enjoyed a wonderful lunch as well. Highly recommend this tour.

After a week and a half in Turkey and my best friend leaving on the same day I was scheduled to leave for Konya, I wanted to go home. Home being the United States. I even checked to see if I could change my flight hoping it would be a $200 fee but apparently with the ticket I purchased I couldn’t make changes and I would have to buy a one way ticket costing over $900USD. Well I decided to continue with my journey and headed to Konya via Turkish Airlines. The flight was wonderful. I booked a private tour since it was just me and I wanted to have the flexibility to staying longer in one place if I wanted to or skipping things if I felt it wasn’t important to me. The driver was on time. He was a little quiet but then he said we were going to pick up the tour guide. When we did he introduced himself. After sometime we were dropped off to the first location. It wasn’t somewhere I was familiar with but it was interesting and I learned a lot. The main reason for going to Konya was for Rumi so my anticipation was overtaken but I decided to slow down and take in everything the guide had to say. His name is Hayri. What a wonderful person! His explanation was detailed and you can tell he is passionate about what he does. He’s patient and I felt like he was a friend I knew for a while because the comfort level was there. I mentioned to Hayri that I did not visit the grand market in Istanbul because it seemed very commercialized. He took me to a REAL market. I was so extremely happy. I purchased henna since I dye my hair with henna I get from Amazon, then coffee, rolling pin, Turkish coffee cup and Turkish tea cups, I even almost bought a sets of gold but I tilt them let me think about it and I will come back. I well I was talking forever ib the market that I had to be reminded I needed to head to Rumi’s tomb since I had to catch a flight back ans had to be at the airport for 2 ha ha. I was so happy I did not buy the gold. It was approximately $3000 USD IMPULSE buy. Rumi’s mausoleum was amazing. It’s an experience, one that you cannot explain. It’s like going to the Taj Mahal. It’s something you cannot explain except you have to go to understand the spiritual feeling. It’s calm and breath taking. Hayri made sure and explained everything before going inside since we had to be quiet. That I appreciated very much. It helped when I went in and understood who Rumi’s blood family were. Even while there Hayri quietly whispered information to me so I understood everything. I asked him if he could give me 1/2 so I could stay inside and I will cut my lunch or another tour. He said not a problem. Many people were sitting on the floor. After taking my pictures without the flash, I sat there and took in that I was at the resting place of this great man!! Words I have been reading for years. Words cannot describe how happy I was. After I came out; which was 5 minute before my scheduled time to neet Hayri, we had lunch and then said goodbyes. I wished him the very best and I hope to keep in touch with him. At the end of the day Hayri wasn’t just a tour guide but I felt he was a new friend. If I ever visit Konya, I will definitely meet with him. He’s excellent at what he does, he’s kind and patient and since it’s a private tour, he works with you to make minor changes to the tour. I encourage anyone to book this wonderful tour with Hayri. Don’t forget this tour includes pick up and drop off to and from the airport. Huge plus!!!!

I like the tour. It show konya in one day. The guide will explaine everything in English. It is spiritual tour definitly recommended

Wonderful and informative tour. Perfect if you only have one day in Konya or if you would like to then spend additional time visiting other places there. Highly recommend it. Thank you! 🙏🏻

This trip is one of my dreams in my life, thanks to Selene Travel as the operator who helped me make it happen. I never felt alone in Konya they treated me as a long-time friend. They were very caring from the beginning of my arrival from the late flight schedule they were able to adjust it. Especially to Mr. Hayri who has guided me from one place to another, explaining with great patience. I am really impressed. Thank you.

The entire trip was excellent. Organising and communicating with Mete was easy. Our guide was awesome and very knowledgeable. Highly recommended.

Visited Kunya for the first time with my family. I had the best experience. Our tour guide Hayri was the best. He speaks fluent English. Very knowledgeable, very friendly. He explained each and everything during the tour. The lunch was delicious!! Our tour van was very comfortable and clean. We took lots of pictures. Hayri has great sense of humor and he kept smiling all the time. We highly recommend this tour. 5 stars

Magical! One word to describe the tour is Magical. The tour was refreshing and soulful. My tour guide Hayri was very informative. The car that travelled me around was also very comfortable. The company also went an extra mile to make my trip worthwhile. This was one my best experiences in my entire life. Hats off!

The owners wife Fatma takes you on a personal tour to better understand Sufi history and the main influencers behind the religion. My 73 year old dad and 6 year old son went together and it gave us a greater understanding and appreciation. Fatma took us around really interesting sites throughout the city and you get a very through feel for everything that is related to Sufi and Rumi in Konya. She also is very patient and explains everything in a pleasant slow pace so you can digest the information she is sharing with you. We had the opportunity to take plenty of breaks, lunch and Fatma even squeezed in a few extra special stops based on our curiosity. Both Fatma and Mete her husband communicate via WhatsApp so it is truly a special travel family who understands other travel families. I recommend this tour as you will gain a lot both in understanding the culture, the philosophy and history.

The couple who run this business together went out of their way to accommodate our interests. Though it was intended to be a konya city tour, we were driven 45 minutes to an excavation site and later dropped off in the village of sille at our request, due to our expressed interests. The guide was super knowledgeable and willing to answer all my silly questions with kindness. It even went over the intended time which was accepted with grace. We really wanted to increase our knowledge of Islam and the Sufis, as well as maximize our limited time in Konya. We would not have succeeded without this tour. I highly recommend it for anyone with a genuine interest in learning and an open mind. It is a must do activity if you will be visiting the area.

The service we received is outstanding the agency was made us feel like we are there family . Ive used the agency for the past 3 years . I contact the agency for other services s and got more than i expected. In konya and in other Turkish city's. I'll always use this agency for all my future trips 5 ppont is less than what they deserve

Amazing tour from start to finish. Hotel, selection of places to visit, the guide, the food, the personal attention- I'm all praise for Selene Turizm. Fell in love with Konya and found spirituality in every nook and corner. I wish Mete brother all the best for the future. And would love to go on another tour with the company.

I liked the trip with Mr. Yunus, he is professional and kind and generous with everything, I learned a lot with him and had fun with all the places that we went to.

After a last-minute decision on Sunday, I scheduled the tour for my parents for the next day. As soon as I booked the tour, Mete Horzum gave me a call to give me instructions. Since my parents were in Ankara, we couldn't buy train or bus tickets online to travel to Konya because of the language barrier. I got updates on my parents from the guy who took care of everything for us. He did a great job and my parents were satisfied. I very much appreciate his excellent service! We highly recommend you take this tour!

This tour was amazing, We went as a couple and enjoyed every bit of it . It was organised very well, due to this tour we could get most of konya sufism details just in one day. Hussain was extremely helpful and kind. He explained everything in detail and made us comfortable during the whole trip. The driver and owner of this tour was amazing as well. Was easy to contact them and pickup and drop was on time from airport. Everyone should visit the tombs of Mevlana and Shams Tabirizi atleast once to experience the peace and blessings.

My partner and I did this private Rumi tour in July 2023. Our tour guide was Hussain. We absolutely loved the whole day and highly recommend this tour and our tour guide. Hussain is extremely knowledgeable about the history of Konya, Rumi, and Sufism. We visited the important Rumi landmarks in the area and Hussain was also able to customize the day based on our interests. We are huge fans of the book "40 Rules of Love" which explores the journey of Shams of Tabriz & Rumi... so it was incredible to witness the real life version of it all. Given our keen interest in Sufism, Hussain also introduced us to a local Sufi master and we had the joy of having a long conversation with this teacher and ask him questions to our hearts content. For any spiritual practicioner or mystic, this was priceless. The places that are picked in the tour are brilliant, the restaurants are awesome, the tour guide is amazing and so is the driver, Issa! It was an incredibly satisfying day. We are so grateful to have met Hussain and learned more about the history of the area from him. Overall it was an 11/10 experience for us. This tour was THE highlight of our entire Turkey trip (because we're such huge Sufi fans). We intend to come back to Konya after this experience! Thanks for creating an amazing day for us to deeply exprience, Rumi, Shams, Mysticism, Sufism & unconditional divine love.

This is my second trip using Selene Travel and I am writing another review for the reason that Selene Travel really deserves it. Mete, the main person of contact, is really awesome and really goes the extra mile when giving tours. Especially since last time we couldnt get to everything in first tour of Konya due to time. As stated before, highly recommend using Selene Travel. Not only you gain appreciation for history of Konya and Cappadocia but future trip recommendations. Consistency is key and Selene Travel is consistently 5/5 stars. Thank you again Mete!

Outstanding knowledge of Rumi and history of Turkey. Learned so much. Guide was personable and customized our experience

We arrived in konya with no idea what we were going to do , we read some good reviews online about selene and decided to go for them , everything fell into place so perfectly from then out , mete organised everything including our transfer to cappadocia, we had an amazing journey through konya discussing and deliberating we felt refreshed and inspired by the rich history, spiritual serenity and overall cultural enlightenment. We couldn't recommend selene travels more who went out of their way to make us comfortable and teach us everything he knew and make this experience one to always remember . Thank you Mete and Selene Tours for providing us with a rich and tailored experience

Fatima and Mete were engaging, knowledgeable and enjoyable. I highly recommend working with them. Konya is rich in history, Fatima was able to put many events in their historical context. The complexities of Sufi philosophies and practices came to life over the course of the day.

We were a group of 10 mixed ages (from 13-86). Thankfully the trip was comfortable, informative and had a personal touch with the hosts/ guides. Can only say good things from Selene Tours. Mete and Fatima planned the trip perfectly and tailored to our family needs. Lunch was lovely and again Mete/ Fatima were very hospitable and accommodating in selecting a lunch venue. If I was to be in Konya again, I would definitely be contacting Mete. Thank You Mete, Fatima and Mustafa for a wonderful trip and experience.

We loved our day in Konya, which was dedicated to understanding the Sufi culture and practices there. Our guide, Fatma, had a deep understanding and knowledge of the Sufi history, their everyday monastic practices, and their values and beliefs. And, this was incredibly helpful for us in understanding the Sufi ethic and their journey over the last thousand years. Fatma described in detail the first meeting between Shams Tebriz and Mevlana Rumi, their three year intense Master-Disciple relationship, and the spiritual journey that unfolded for Mevlana Rumi after Shams’ departure — leading him to write the Masnavi and various other Sufi literary works — which then laid the foundations upon which his son and others built the future Sufi tariqahs. Fatma also explained the diverse forms of Dhikr and arts practiced by the Sufis, and the various instruments (both musical and utility focused) they use in everyday life. She also helped us understand the central role of heart (and love) in unifying all Sufi thought. We enjoyed the day-long tour very much, and came away with a deep understanding for the historic links and interactions that led Konya (a historic Silk Road city) to become a global center for Sufi activities. Fatma also created a special opportunity for us to meet with a renowned Konya-based Dervish, who specializes in felt-based arts and arrifacts. Overall, highly (highly!) recommend this tour!

Truly amazing experience. Guide was very nice. Driver was with us too during the whirling dervish dance.

Fatma and Mete were great! Full of information that gave context to the sights of Konya that I wouldn't have been able to get from visiting the sites on my own. Meeting a member of the Mevlevi order face to face was a great experience. They were also open to suggestions on places I'd like to go, so we managed to get to Sille even though that wasn't on the itinerary. Would recommend!

It was a beautiful tour with a very good and knowledgable guide (Fatma). Fatma was very nice and gave me lots of information about the history and the tradition of the sufis. It was an amazing tour. Everything was very professional. I highly recommend!

The city of hearts can only be toured with people of big loving hearts. The Konya charm was part of the service Thank you şakır & Mete

Excellent team , right on time, responsive to our needs for children and elderly. Very informative guide . Helpful and honest. We enjoyed the trip and will do it again with the same team

Our private tour guide, Fatma was a wonderfully kind and knowledgeable host - introducing us to the fascinating history of Rumi, his influences, and the 13th Century Seljuk period in which he lived. The tour exceeded expectations - and included a lovely lunch stop and the highlight was cay (tea) with a real Dervish (a mystical liar)! Fabulous day - highly recommended - I can’t praise Mate and his team at Selene travel highly enough!

The tour was very rich: we visited a museum, Rumi's tomb, the tomb of Shams Tabrezi, and tombs of other known figures, like Rumi's famous cook or Sheikh Konevi. In addition, we visited a medrese where we enjoyed the examples of Seljuk tiles and a beautiful Alauddin Qayqubad Mosque. We also met with a Mevlevi practitioner, which was a fantastic opportunity to talk about some aspects of the Sufi path. Our guide Fatma was very knowledgeable and considerate, and the organization was perfect. It was definitely one of the most interesting tours I've been to; the hours just flew by. I'd recommend it to both tourists with previous knowledge of Sufism and those who wish to discover the life of Rumi for the first time.

What shall I say about Selena tours and the owner, Mr. Mete, my beloved soul brother and a beautiful person! They were perfect! In fact, they were beyond perfect! Mete runs this company with a lot of love and it shows in all his conversations, meetings all through. I decided to spend my birthday doing the Sufi tour and was I lucky to have chosen them for my stay or what!!! He welcomed me with so much love and kindness before I even reached Konya! He came over to my hotel and understood my needs during my visit and personalised all my tours to perfection. I was on a spiritual quest and Mete made sure that I got more than I was seeking - Just like Mevlana Rumi and Shams do. They give you more than what you seek! Mete is such a Sufi soul too! I also took their Catalhyuk tour and the Sille village tour with them and absolutely loved it! In fact, I went on the Sille village tour with his gorgeous wife, Ms. Fatma and loved her to the core! They are such nice, caring, soulful, deeply rooted and loving people, that I can vouch for them with my eyes closed! You cannot afford to miss doing a tour with Selena tour and especially this Sufi tour that I highly recommend! I was on a spiritual high throughout the day on my birthday on a Sufi tour! Its the best gift I gave myself! I highly recommend this tour and all the tours offered by Selena tours! I was told about a village stay and village experience too if I wanted one and I am definitely going back to my soul brother, Mete to experience more personalised tours and soulful experiences! They are the best!!!

We had hoped to see some whirling dervishes but it was not to be. Our fault for not realizing, unless you are here in December for the festival, they only “perform” on Fridays and Saturdays. However our guide Huseyn did a wonderful job of passing on some of the history of Konya and Rumi. Huseyn was very thoughtful and considerate and has an amazing knowledge of the ages! We enjoyed visiting the old village of Sille and a number of mosques and churches. The Panorama was particularly well presented and again Huseyn did an excellent job of explaining it all to us. Happy to recommend this tour.

Mete is an honest man who is very kind by nature! His care and attention to details make the journey soulful!

It was very nice and Hussein my tour guide was amazing and super helpful. He went out of his way to make sure I am enjoying the day!

The company went over and beyond! They took their time to understand my particular needs and interests and then assigned a guide that really fit! They provided all kinds of extras. And they were available 24/7, making sire that everything was exactly as needed.

my experience was beyond amazing, i enjoyed every minute of it. i recommend this 100% and will defiantly do this again🙏

This trip far beyond my expectations thanks to Mete and his team. They made me feel at home. I was welcomed at the airport straight to an amazing sufi performance celebrating the birthday of Rumi. The 4 days I spent in Konya was not only joyful but so informative and insightful as well. Thank you so much and I highly recommend them. Will be going again with friends to share such wonderful experience.

Absolutely awesome tour package! We learned a LOT from this tour from the life of Mevlana Celaluddin Rumi and those who influenced him such as Şemseddin Tebrizi, Sadrettin Könevi, ibn Arabi, and other Islamic sufi scholars. In addition to this, we also learned a lot about the Anatolian Selçuk Empire as a part of this tour and even visited Sultan Aladdin Kaykubad I mosque and the medrese museum next to it. This was fascinating because it gives the context of Rumi during the 13th century. Right after we booked our reservation Mete reached out to me very quickly and introduced himself and mapped out the tour schedule in detail with us. Its private tour with flexibility to cater to some of our needs such as my 2-year old daughter. Fatima lead the tour for us and she was very awesome. We walked through every part of this tour and was very detailed in the description of everything. She was also very personable and really made the tour enjoyable for us in the group.

After reading other people's glowing reviews and reading an old article published in The Guardian recommending Selene Travel, I reached out to Mette on Whatsapp to organise a private tour for my family on Sunday 22nd May 2022. He responded immediately and communication with him before and after the tour was a breeze. Mette's lovely wife, Fatima was our guide for the full day and came to pick us up at our hotel to begin the tour. I told Mette that my husband enjoyed walking, so we covered some sites by foot during the morning, and after a delicious lunch at Konya Büyükşehir Belediyesi KONYA MUTFAĞI, a minibus transported us to the other sites across Konya. It was a very comprehensive tour covering sites including Mevlana Museum, Alaeddin Mosque, Karatay Medresesi Museum, a visit to Sille Village, Aya Elena Kilisesi and the opportunity to meet a practicing Sufi who was delightful to meet. As it was a private tour, we had the ability to customise the places we wanted to visit and take our time. I would definitely recommend booking a private tour if you have a family sized group that needs to take things at their own pace. Fatima was incredibly accommodating whenever we spontaneously stopped by a gift shop to buy souvenirs or needed to make a random pitstop to buy my toddler a new pair of shoes. Before booking the tour we had considered whether we could just visit the sites by ourselves, but I would 100% recommend a private tour as we simply wouldn't have covered all the sites on our own, benefitted from the heaps of information and insightful conversations we had with Fatima and Mette. We were also delighted to know that Mette had visited Pakistan (our home country) a number of times and is looking to promote a direct flight between Multan and Konya in the future (which we really hope is successful). Selene Travel are incredibly experienced for tours in Konya, so if you find yourself in the city, don't think twice and book them for your tour!

The most important part was the personal attention we got from both Mete and Belkis and the passion and dedication with which they conducted the tour for us.

This is a deeply immersive and historically rich experience. As someone familiar with Sufism, i had hoped to use this tour as an opportunity for my family to be introduced to the history behind this religious science. Our Tour Guides Mete and Belkis created a beautiful experience that was way beyond my expectations. Mete is a genuine gentleman who reflects the spiritual and peaceful spirit of Konya. He made such sincere efforts to make sure all the arrangements were to our satisfaction. Belkis is a practising Sufi who is currently doing a Phd doctoral studies on Rumi. Her deep knowledge of Rumi as well as of the historical Saints buried in Konya was priceless. She could connect with my two young daughters and explain things at their level of understanding. This made it fun and exciting for them. She also had a deep knowledge of Seljuk and Ottoman history and so the sites we visited came alive with little known secrets that she shared with us. Both Mete and Belkis were very accommodating and would smoothly adjust plans according to the moods of my children, so that they did not feel bored or tired. I would highly recommend this tour for a comprehensive visit of Konya

One of the most beautiful personal tours you could possibly ask for. Worth every penny, the hosts are an absolute joy to work with and deeply connected to Konya and its history. Thank you so much ❤️

This was a very spiritual tour for both me and my wife. I would like to describe both Mete and Bilkis as the perfect tour guides for Konya. I cannot be thankful and grateful enough for everything they have done for us. They are superb, excellent and above a million times and may Allah (swt) bless them for everything they do because they do it from the bottom of there hearts. Keep up the great work and may the force be with you 👍 🙏 Huuuuu.