DAY 1: Arrive Istanbul
Our tours Turkey representative will meet you at the airport holding a sign with your name on it.We will then start the drive to Antioch.After dinner,we will meet for cocktails and a welcome briefing with your English speaking guide,who will accompany you throughout the entire tour.
DAY 2: Istanbul
Visit a masterpiece mosque,that earned its name-Blue Mosque,with its 21000 mosaic tiles that decorate the interiors.Walk among the obelisks that once stood in the spina of a very large hippodrome.Continue to St.Sophia,that is probablyone of the greatest and earliest christian edifices,to see pieces of art that one can not observe elsewhere.Last visit will be to the Topkapi Palace.Offering a rich display of artefacts from the Ottoman period,and its many chambers where sultans''resided for centuries,this great palace is located on a peninsula with great views of Istanbul.Endthe day at the Grand Bazaar,with an opportunity to barter for kilims,carpets, leather,jewelry,at its 3000 shops,linedon both sides of the labirynth- like galleries.(Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner).
DAY 3: Fly to Izmir - Pergamon - Thyatira - Izmir
We will depart early in the morning for our drive to Pergamon and visit the Pergamn Acropolis,the rival of Ephesus in the field of commerce and of Alexandria in the fields of learning and arts.Home to the famous physician Galen,you will see the remains of the great library that once housed over 200,000 scrolls and the restored theatrebuilt into the hillside that seated 10,000,as well as thered court of Pergamum (also known as the red church) We will then visit Akhisar,the site of ancient Thyatira.It known for its guilds of artists in the time of St.Paul.Overnight in Izmir.
DAY 4: Ephesus
Visit the Church of St.Policarp which is the oldest church in ancient Smyrna,it symbolized the community of the Seven Churches of the Apocalypse and drive to Ephesus where St.Paul stayed a while,visit the ancient city,House of the Virgin Mary,the Basilica of St.John,continue to Miletos where St.Paul gave a speech to spread Christianity.There are no gods made with hands"are the words of St.Paul.Sit in the theater in Ephesus where St.Paul preached thesevery words which incited riot by the black smiths who felt this patriarchal,upstart religion was a threat to the worshipof Artemis-the Mother Goddess,and to their business,as well. Stroll along the marble roads past the Library of Celsus and Hadrian''s Temple.Visit the Basilica of St.John and the last earthly home of the Virgin
Mary.The 3rd EcumenicalCouncil met in the Church of the Virgin Mary in Ephesus in 431 AD to establish in writing some of the major principles of Christianity -also providing the first written record that Mary had lived the last years of her life in Ephesus.(Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)Overnight in kusadasi.
DAY 5: Sardis - Philadelphia - Pamukkale
Today you''ll be able to visualize a trinity of Biblical references from visiting the cities of Philadelphia and Sardis,where St.Paul preached,to stayingin the city of Smyrna (Izmir),which St.Paul praised for its peoples''faithfulness.Visit the church of Polycarp.(Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)
DAY 6: Laodicea - Antalya
Explore the recently excavated theater of Laodikea.Then on to Hierapolis,the home of St.Philip the Evangelist,to explore the necropolis,churches and baths.Nearby,enjoy the view of Pamukkale''s cascading tiers of white limestone.Visit the site Of Colossae, that never underwent an excavation.In Byzantine art,the theme of the Miracle of the Archangel Michael at Kona is intimately inter locked with the site.After we drive to Antalya. Overnight in Antalya.(Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)
DAY 7: St.Nicholas Church
Depart early in the morning for Demre, one of the six great cities of the Lycian civilization which was first settled in the 5th century B.C.The rock tombs,theater and Church of St.Nicholas commemorate the life and work of this fourth century bishop(Breakfast, Lunch,Dinner) .
DAY 8: Antalya Tour
Full day excursion to the ancient Pamphylian,the largest city on the turquoise coast.Visit the Hellenistic and Roman cities of Perge and Aspendos.Perge being an important trade route,is also famous by the fact that;when St. Paul started his journeys,he visited Perge in 46 A.D.and preached his first sermon here.Aspendos famous for its best-preserved theater of antiquity built in the 2nd c. AD with a capacity of 20,000 people,still used today for performances.Visit the remains of a basilica,agora and one of the largest aqueducts in Anatolia.Enjoy acropolis of the city with a wonderful view of the river.Visit the award winning Antalya Museum.Dinner and overnight in Antalya.(Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)
DAY 9: Antalya Transfer to Airport.
After breakfast we shall transfer you to the airport for your flight home.