REFERENCE LETTERS All of our clients who experienced our services in the past, are a reference for us. Among them, you can find some of the letters we received from Professors who have recently used our services.
I have led a plethora of tours over the last twenty five years, and I can honestly say that when it comes to leading a tour to any one of the Lands of the Bible there is no one I would rather work with than Tutku Tours and its many wonderful guides. Dr. Ben Witherington, III Amos Professor of Nt for Doctoral Studies Asbury Theological Seminary, Wilmore, Ky Doctoral Faculty St. Mary's College St. Andrews University, Scotland Dear Levent, Please accept my sincere gratitude for your guidance and assistance in planning for our recent trip to Turkey and Greece--our trip was a tremendous blessing! The people who joined me on this trip continued to express appreciation and pleasure from making the journey. It was also a joy to meet you personally and have the opportunity to enjoy the meal in the seaside restaurant in Izmir. Also, I cannot thank you enough for the privilege of working with Cenk--he is a great man in every way! It was such a joy to become friends with him and you can certainly be proud to have him on your staff! He is not only an excellent tour guide, who knows his information and can share it effectively, but he is a gentleman who truly cares for the group he guides! It will be my honor to recommend your company to anyone who is interested in making a trip to any region that you provide the planning and guides! Hopefully we will be able to work together again in the future. May the Lord continue to bless you and your staff! Blessings to all, Glenn L. Ward, Pastor Acton Baptist Church June, 2010 Dear Levent, What a wonderful time we had visiting your beautiful country May 7-28 with Dr. Mark Wilson and Dilaver Oncu. This was our first visit to Turkey, and the trip exceeded our best expectations. Thank you and the staff at Tutku for making our travel arrangements. Everything went flawlessly. Dilaver is an excellent guide. We learned much from him and he took good care of us throughout the trip. The drivers were very professional; Erdugan was especially patient and helpful. We couldn’t have accomplished our travel goals without Mark, Dilaver, Erdugan, and Tamer, and of course Tutku Tours.  I look forward to travelling again with Tutku Tours.  Sincerely, Karen H. Jobes, Ph.D. Gerald F. Hawthorne Professor of New Testament Greek and Exegesis, Wheaton College June 1, 2010 Dear Levent Oral, We have returned to Omaha, Nebraska after our tour of Turkey. On behalf of the group I want to thank you and your people for the arrangements you made for our group. We deeply appreciated having Husnu as our guide and Ayhan as our bus driver. Both of them were outstanding. On our next tour to Turkey we ask that you make arrangements to have both of them with us. They were exceptional with their help and concern for our group. We look forward to working with you again in the future. Bob Livingston, Pres. Living Tours International LLC Omaha, NE   A Spectacular Tour. Macit alone, is a good reason to visit Turkey. Amazing problem solver and an ally for his guests in every situation. He is knowledgeable about the country and its sites. Funny, positive, great manager, a five star guide. The best. Barbara & Eli Becker- Cleveland, OH October, 2006   Tutku Tours is the leading provider of educational and historical tours of ancient and modern Turkey. They have been our partner in several study tours and have provided us with the service that one would dream of. We recommend them without reservation. Ward and Laurel Gasque, Vancouver, BC, Canada   Dear Levent, We are writing somewhat belatedly to express our very real and sincere thanks to you, Özcan, and all your team for the fabulous tour which you organized for us. We particularly liked Tutku's work because: 1. the tour itself was very well constructed with a perfect amount of time at each location 2. the accommodation was flawless 3. the administration was extremely efficient and it has been very easy to deal with all your team 4. Özcan was knowledgeable and highly conscientious and very likable 5. The home stays were a fabulous treat and hugely appreciated by the students (although they must have put a large burden on your team) We will most certainly use Tutku Tours again and will recommend you to others. We would be more than happy for you to quote this reference and to provide any other endorsement should you require it. With our sincere thanks, once again, Jim and Heather and 24 happy students! Westmont College, CA   Hello Erin, I look forward to seeing you in Chicago. I am not sure if you have an endorsement from me, but if not, you may use the following, if you desire. I have done nearly thirty tours throughout the Mediterranean over the last fifteen years, including a number with Tutku Tours in Turkey. Without reserve I can testify that Tutku Tours, owned by operated by Levent Oral provides first rate service at a reasonable price, which includes wonderful accommodations and food. I have never been disappointed. I heartedly recommend Tutku to anyone who wants to travel to Turkey to visit the ancient sites of former Asia Minor where Paul and John traveled and lived, and where the early church grew and developed the Christian doctrines that we hold dear today. H. Wayne House, Distinguished Research Professor of Theology, Law, and Culture, Faith Evangelical College and Seminary, Tacoma, WA, USA   Hi Levent: Now that the Turkey portion of our study tour is over, it is a good time for me to do two things. First, I want to say thanks for the fine job that Tutku Tours did in arranging our tour. Everything went smoothly in terms of bus, hotel arrangements, Cenk’s involvement, etc. I am also thankful for you “going the extra mile” and arranging the visit to the cave of Paul and Thecla--that was an unexpected bonus. I am further thankful for the very nice evening that Bernice and I had with both you and Cenk--the food and your company were both delightful. Jeffrey A. D. Weima, Ph.D. Professor of New Testament Calvin Theological Seminary	Tutku Tours is a world leader in Biblical and Classical Tours. Its excellent service combined with affordable prices make it the agency of choice for colleges, universities, and seminaries. Its owner Levent Oral uses personable guides who are experts in the field. I would highly recommend Tutku Tours for your next tour to Turkey or to the eastern Mediterranean. Dr. Mark Wilson, D.Litt. et Phil., Director, Asia Minor Research Center; Visiting Professor of Early Christianity, Regent University; Research Fellow in Biblical Archaeology, University of South Africa Dear Cenk, Greeting from the other side of the world. Thank you for a wonderful tour of Turkey. What a beautiful country and I appreciate your knowledgeable insight about the Turkish culture and all the places we visited. The students are having a blast with the facebook page, might want to check it out of you have a minute. Again, thank you for a wonderful tour, I hope you had a easy trip home and a restful weekend. Lets stay in touch. Best regards, Julia Galloway Director, School of Art College of Visual and Performing Arts The University of Montana Dear Levent, Tutku Tours supported the Sinop Regional Archaeological Project during our summer 2010 field season by providing us with a large van. It was just what we needed as we scaled the dizzying Pontic Mountains mapping ancient Greek and Roman roads. Two years ago Tutku arranged a tour operator and driver for our field school as well. Both experiences have been excellent. We have been impressed with how well Tutku arranged everything - getting the vehicle in place on short notice, and following up on every detail. We have Tutku Tours to thank for ten new sites that have been found in the Sinop highlands, and look forward to working together for years to come. Sincerely, Assoc. Prof. Owen Doonan Director, Sinop Regional Archaeological Project Art History Program, Art Department California State University Northridge As you can see from our letterhead, we have had considerable personal experience in dealing with tour operators in many parts of the world, as well as acting on behalf of those here in Canada. We recently had the pleasure of visiting Turkey and being provided individual tour services by your company, and in particular, by Ms. Eser Sedef. My wife and I can only comment in the extreme positives as to the manner and professionalism exhibited by your company, and in particular, the personal service and guidance that was provided to us by Ms. Sedef. William F. Clark Canadian Association of Tour Operator After four month-long trips with students through Turkey arranged by Tutku Tours, I am completely sold on Tutku’s services and recommend them to anyone planning tours in its region. Tutku’s expert staff impresses me every year with their friendliness, professionalism, efficiency, and especially with their ability to combine the royal treatment with such an affordable price. The Ephesus Meeting in particular, with its opportunities for worship and learning, has been a highlight along our travels in May. Tutku’s experience and attentiveness to each trip’s success has permitted me as a trip leader to travel with utter ease and confidence. Don Westblade Hillsdale College, Dept. of Religion LETTER FROM METHODIST THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL IN OHIO Dear Levent and Yesim: As president of the American Theological Library Association I recently published in our bimonthly Newsletter a letter from the president to all of our members suggesting a trip to Turkey. While Tutku Tours is not explicitly mentioned, if I get enough of a response to my suggested trip you shall be hearing from me about planning it. We were very happy with all the arrangements you made. Tomorrow I leave for our annual conference which will be attended by over 400 members. I shall be interested in hearing from those members who show interest about such a future trip, and will speak most approvingly of Tutku Tours. Paul Schrodt Director of the John W. Dickhaut Library, and Research Professor of Historical Theology Methodist Theological School in Ohio P.O. Box 8004  3081 Columbus Pike  Delaware, OH 43015-8004  Email: pschrodt@mtso.edu Telephone office: (740)362-3435 Telephone receptionist: (740)363-1146   After ten years of leading university and adult trips to Turkey and Greece I began using Tutku Tours as our agent. This has been a very positive experience for us, for Levent Oral and his colleagues have been very helpful in arranging all aspects of our travel including itineraries, hotels, site visits, and guides. Because Tutku has close contacts with agencies in countries other than Turkey they have been able to provide us with a "seamless" experience on our trips that combine both Turkey and Greece—thus the convenience of working with just one, rather than multiple agencies. For a very reasonable price they have provided us with quality hotels and they have even arranged special rooms for meetings and exams. I have worked with three of their guides and they are first rate and very knowledgeable on relevant subjects—modern, ancient, and biblical. They have consistently interacted well with group members—whether university students or adults. Tutku's, and their guides', extensive experience and multiple contacts have helped smooth over some unexpected events—like getting stuck in the Cilician Gates in a snow storm in January! In my experience Tutku has always actually provide more than what was expected—they consistently "go beyond the call of duty" and are a pleasure to work with. Carl Rasmussen, Ph.D, Emeritus Professor of Hebrew Bible, Bethel University Author of the Zondervan Atlas of the Bible footstepstours@comcast.net www.HolyLandPhotos.org	Levent and Erin (and Sema and …), I can’t thank you enough for making this tour such a wonderful success! Karen and I especially want to thank you for arranging our extension at the Patara Prince. It was incredibly lovely, as we expected. Thank you! Dr. David J. Lull Professor of New Testament Wartburg Theological Seminary 333 Wartburg Place Dubuque IA 52003 (Office phone: 563-589-0303) Read the Turkey Travel Journal of David Lull "Tutku Tours provided my wife and I with one of our most memorable experiences as we toured Biblical sites in Turkey for our 30th wedding anniversary. Their professional, knowledgeable staff showed us true Turkish hospitality while providing a fascinating, informative narrative as we walked among stunning archeological sites from Pergamon to Laodicea to Ephesus. We will always read Paul's letters with these images in mind." Todd M. Johnson, Director, Center for the Study of Global Christianity, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary   I want to thank you for all the fabulous arrangements you made for my Turkey trip. The guides were superb. The transportation arrangements worked smoothly. The hotels were perfect choices. I wouldn't change a thing. Again, many thanks for perfect planning. Wendy Luke The HR Sage Washington, DC 20037 Phone: 202 234 3388 Website: http://thehrsage.com/ We cannot say enough good things about the whole experience! Your Tour Guides Mehmet in Istanbul, Mehmet in Cappadocia and Cenk after that and their drivers were exceptional! Their knowledge, their care for us and their dedication to their work was more than we could have expected. Because of Tutku we all fell in love with Turkey. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. June Mix, Barb Hotte, Dwight and Dolores Gunderson May, 2010   LETTER FROM HUNTINGTON COLLEGE Tutku Tours is at the top of the list for tours of Turkey. They specialize in Biblical tours and their expertise is evident in all aspects of their trips. The guides have a firm grasp of the ancient sites and they communicate in an articulate, interesting and sometimes humorous way with the groups. They are abreast of current developments in archaeology and are flexible enough to accommodate in individual interests, even during the course of travels. Tutku Tours is able to negotiate accommodations at excellent hotels and yet keep their prices extraordinarily competitive. I most highly recommend Tutku Tours. Mark R. Fairchild Prof. Bible & Religion Huntington College Huntington, IN 46750 260 359-4235 mfairchild@huntington.edu   Dear Levent, Now that we are settling back into our normal routines I did want to take a moment to thank you for all your extraordinary assistance in making our time in Turkey such a very valuable learning and positive personal experience. From our first to our last dinner in Izmir with you, your concern, graciousness and meticulous planning were very evident and for this we are most grateful. Not only did we have very high regard for Jack as a driver, but also for the VW van that we had access too. And what we especially appreciated about Dil was not only that he got us to all the sites that we had wanted to access but also his genuine personal concern for our well being at all times and his strong desire to make our journey a very deeply positive experience, which it was in large part due to his generous effort. In short, then, Kathy, Helen and I are all very deeply grateful to you for your many kindnesses, your careful advance planning and your integrity. Hoping to continue our conversation and with much appreciation, Karl Karl P.Donfried, Dr. theol. Elizabeth A. Woodson Professor of Religion and Biblical Literature Emeritus Neilson Library A10 Smith College Northampton, MA 01063 413 585-3669   For two weeks over New Years 2008/2009, I led a group of 20 undergraduate students on an Archaeological Study Tour of western Turkey. All the arrangements; itinerary, accommodation, bus and driver, national guide, and entrance fees were arranged with impeccable care by Levent Oral and his colleagues at Tutku Tours. Their experience in designing Academic Tours like this was obvious: the national guide who accompanied us, Serdar Balin, was not only a superb interpreter of his country’s past, but a kind and generous companion for the students. I have been leading Academic Tours to Turkey for over 30 years, and this was easily the most successful. I cannot recommend a better agent in Turkey than Tutku Tours. John W. Humhprey, Ph.D. Professor of Greek and Roman Studies University of Calgary, Canada   I would strongly recommend Tutku Tours to professors, like myself, who plan and lead Student Study Tours. I found the staff and guides extremely knowledgeable, experienced and eager to craft the tour to the class objectives. I plan on using Tutku Tours again for my next study trip to Turkey. C. Patrick Hotle The John A. Sperry Endowed Chair of Humanities Associate Professor of History Director of Study Abroad Office Culver-Stockton College   We took our tour of Istanbul the day after rescuing our luggage from Prinsendam. It was glorious, tailor-made for us. We booked a tour of Byzantine Istanbul with Tutku Tours and it was excellent, exactly what we wanted. The pace was leisurely, our guide was a peach, and we saw all the wonderful Byzantine places we had only heard of till then: the Chora Museum; the Hippodrome; Hagia Sophia; the cistern under Nakkas Store; and Saints Sergius and Bacchus, now a functioning mosque. Istanbul remains one of our favorite cities. We'll return as often as possible. And when we do, be sure we'll book with you. The rest of our trip went very well. All best to you and Funda. John and Kathryn Covington LA   To all at Tutku tours, Thank you so much for a wonderful trip to Istanbul. Your services were excellent and we will recommend you highly, Best regards, Susan Norwitch

UNIVERSITIES, COLLEGES & SEMINARIES
WHO TRAVEL WITH TUTKU TOURS

Asbury Theological Seminary	Acadia Divinity College	Roanoke College	American Baptist College
Hillsdale College	South Carolina University	Westminster Theological Seminary	Catholic Theological Union
Wartburg College	Baylor University	Lee University	Kansas University
Harding University	Huntington University	Washington Theological Union	Shorter University
Messiah College	Mount Vernon Nazarene University	Santa Barbara City College	Masters College
University of Calgary	Dallas Theological Seminary	Taylor University	Andrews University
Plattsburgh University	Assemblies of God Theological Seminary	Westmont College	Austin Graduate School of Theology
The John Marshall Law School	Wayland Baptist University	Southwestern College	Greensboro College
University of Missouri	Culver Stockton College	Western Seminary	Northwestern College
Wheaton College	George Washington University	Hope College	Monterey Peninsula College
Morning Star Community Church	Wartburg Theological Seminary	University of Houston	Walla Walla University
The University of Montana	Ferris State University	The University of Arizona	Eastern Mennonite Seminary
Penn State University	Hendrix College	Azusa Pacific University	Concordia University
Oral Roberts University	West Virginia University	Marian University	Houghton College
Erskine College	The Link School	Union University	Oklahoma Baptist University
Bethel University	Calvin Theological Seminary	Regent University	William Jessup University
Rollins College	Tulsa Community College	Stephen F. Austin State University	Furman University
Ashland University	Briercrest College & Seminary	Regent College	Clemson University
Macquarie University	Ambrose University College	Université de Montréal	Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
Sterling College	Truman State University	Wisconsin Lutheran College	Primary Source (non profit)
Biola University	Norwegian Researchers and Teachers Association of North America	Biblical Archaeology Society	Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary