Evliya Çelebi was an eminent Ottoman scholar who was born in the early 17th century and travelled extensively throughout Anatolia, Europe, and Egypt during his lifetime, compiling his observations in a 10-volume Travel Book. In honour of Evliya Çelebi's 400th birthday, UNESCO designated 2011 as "400th Birthday of Evliya Çelebi.” Evliya Çelebi Way was inaugurated in 2011 to commemorate Evliya Çelebi's 400th birthday.
The first route of Evliya Çelebi’s pilgrimage, which he began in 1671, is known as the Evliya Çelebi Way. The route provides an excellent opportunity to visit villages and towns in the Ottoman Empire's birthplace while also taking in the region's natural splendour.
The route follows riverbanks, forest roads, narrow paths, and passes through roads belonging to the Roman and Ottoman periods. Evliya Çelebi Way also has a horse-riding route, but the walking trail passes over the flat sections where the horse-riding route passes through. The 330-kilometer trek takes about 22 days to complete. Starting from Yalova in the south of the Marmara Sea, the track stops by Bursa, passes the cities of Kütahya, Afyon and Uşak, enters the borders of Kütahya again and ends in Simav district.