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Day 1:
Departure from US
Today we embark on our Journey to the lands of ancient treasures and
Christian history with an overnight flight to Turkey. Prepare
yourself for a life-changing experience. Get some rest on the
flight…Tomorrow you will be walking where the apostles walked!
Day 2: Arrival Istanbul
We transfer to our hotel in Istanbul, Turkey for the next two
evenings. Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey is a thriving seaport
and commerce center with a marvelous Bazaar and Spice Market
allowing for a perfect opportunity to pick up those souvenirs and
unique gift items.
Day 3: Bustling Istanbul
The tour today will be an unusual combination of Greek Orthodox,
Roman, Ottoman and modern day
Islam including entrance into the famed
Blue Mosque and
St. Sophia Church. After lunch we visit the fascinating
Topkapi Palace housing the many priceless treasures and colorful
stories of Ottoman Sultans. We return to our hotel for dinner and
overnight.
Day 4: Sea of Marmara
This morning we depart Istanbul and travel west across "Trace," the
European portion of Turkey. The Sea of Marmara with thousands of
summer homes will provide the scenery as we travel. Views of the
bunkers on the hillside and the ocean going vessels give clear
understanding to the commentary of the British major losses and
World War I defeat in the Dardanelles Strait. Our bus boards a
large ferry for the scenic crossing of the
Dardanelles to our lodging this evening in picturesque
Çanakkale.
Day 5: Ancient Troy, Pergamum & Izmir
We pass by the area known as
Troas, where Paul had a vision during his second missionary
journey and was called to Macedonia (Acts 16:8-13). Paul later spent
a week in Troas preaching here and Eutychus was resurrected (Acts
20:6-12). Ancient Troy is well known for its 3rd and 4th Century BC
excavations. Don't forget to have your picture taken from the top
of the Trojan Horse. Our next visit of the day is Pergamum. Once a
busy trading center and famous as a "seller of purple," the most
favored of the Seven Churches, the church of
Pergamum was praised for its forbearance (Rev. 2:12-17). It was
here that the first Christians were executed by Rome. We'll visit
the fabled Acropolis, pass through the Royal Gates, view the
foundations of the Temple of Zeus and visit the ruins of the
library, which once held 200,000 volumes. We continue south to Izmir
the third largest city in Turkey and a long time center for Jews and
Christians. In Paul's day, Izmir was known as
Smyrna and was another of the Seven Churches (Rev. 2:8-11). Here
we'll see Polycarp's Church and the ancient agora. Our lodging this
evening will be in Izmir.
Day 6: Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Pamukkale
A stop will be made in
Thyatira to view the ancient roadway and period columns en-route
to
Sardis.
Sardis was berated by John for its facade of strength when in
reality; it was weak (Rev. 3:1-6). Here coins were minted and the
dyeing of wood originated. We'll visit the gymnasium and synagogue.
Our next stop is nearby
Philadelphia which was referred to as the "New Jerusalem" (Rev.
3:7-13) in the Book of Revelation. Not much is left of the city
except for the ancient wall and the remains of a Byzantine basilica
in the modern city of
Alasehir. Our lodging this evening will be in a lovely
spa hotel in
Pamukkale.
Day 7: Hierapolis, Laodicea & Colossae
Hierapolis, meaning "Sacred City," was an ancient center for
pagan cults until it was transformed into a Christian center in the
first century. According to tradition, the Apostle Philip lived and
was martyred in Hierapolis. It was likely the hot springs of
Hierapolis in contrast to the cold mountain springs near Colossae
that combined to bring application to the "luke warm" Laodiceans.
(Rev 3:14-22) This connection between the cities lies behind Paul’s
reference to Hierapolis and Laodicea in his epistle to the
Colossians (Col 4:13).
Laodicea contains many acres of ruins to visit including a
stadium and remnants of a sophisticated water system. Nearby
Colossae is well-known throughout Christian circles as the
receiver of Paul's letter to the Colossians. Today, the town has
fallen into obscurity and nothing remains. We spend the remainder of
the day traveling through the Turkish countryside arriving in the
port city of Kusadasi where we spend two nights. The day will not be
complete without a visit to a local Turkish Rug cooperative.
Day 8: Ephesus
We travel to the nearby town of Selcuk for a visit to the
Basilica of St. John, housing an immersion baptismal and believed to
be resting place of John. From here we have an excellent overview
of the Ephesus harbor and the Temple of Artemis, completed in its
most famous phase around 550 BC and listed as one of the Seven
Wonders of the Ancient World. Next, we travel a short distance down
the hill to visit the Mosque of Jesus (Jesus is a respected prophet
to Muslims). A wealth of artifacts awaits us at the nearby Museum of
Ephesus. We spend the remainder of our day in
Ephesus, the city of the Bible and one of the largest
restorations still in progress with miles of ancient treasures.
Ephesus was once a thriving port town of 250,000 people. Today you
can still see the spectacular excavations of the major streets in
this ancient city where we view the Library, Agora, Temple of
Artemis, theatre, colorful mosaics, a panoramic view of the
surrounding ancient port area including a wealth of church history
and cultural insight.
Day 9: Depart for Home
This morning we transfer to the Izmir airport for our flight
back to the USA.
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