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ITINERARY
Day 01 Oct 5 ,2006 THURSDAY
Istanbul
Arrival in Istanbul Ataturk Airport.
Transfer to Hotel Ayasofya.
Please check arrival info for details.
Hotel
Ayasofya
is located in the Old City, where most houses remain
as they were 200 years ago . The hotel is situated within walking
distance of all the must-see places in Istanbul. Following check-in
and a brief rest, tour will start at
5.00 pm. After a brief introduction, we will begin by
visiting the Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Mosque).
Dinner will be served at the Blue House, also in the Old
City. From the terrace,we can see a magnificent view of Hagia
Sophia, the Blue Mosque, and the Asian coast of Istanbul. For
dinner, we will have a typical sampling of Turkish food.
Day 02
Oct 6,2006 FRIDAY
In the morning, we will visit the
Byzantine Cistern and the Turkish Islamic Art Museum.The
visit to the Turkish Islamic Art Museum,especially the ethnographic
section, makes a perfect introduction to what we will see in the
countryside. After lunch visit Hagia Sophia, the
grandest standing monument from 1500 years before our time; the
Topkapi Palace, the residence of the Ottoman Sultans from
1453-1856.
At 06:30 PM
we will have a group meeting at the lobby of the hotel to go over
the tour and to answer the possible questions of the tour members.
Dinner will be served at Kumkapi, a very colorful quarter of
Istanbul, where the ambiance is just as memorable as the food we
will be served in this seafood restaurant. Overnight at Hotel
Ayasofya ISTANBUL
Day 03 Oct 7, 2006
SATURDAY
ISTANBUL
Today, we will begin by visiting the Church of St. Savior in
Chora (Kariye Museum),
a beautiful 6th c. Byzantian Church, decorated with 11th
c. wall paintings depicting scenes from the Bible. Next, we will
visit the hub of Istanbul’s trade activity for 5 centuries, the
Grand Bazaar (Kapali Carsi). After lunch, we will see one of the
masterpieces of the 16th c. chief architect, Mimar Sinan.
The mosque he built for Sultan Suleyman the Magnificient, The
Suleymaniye Mosque, is one of the landmarks of the Istanbul
skyline with its four minarets and cascading domes.
Next, we will visit the See of Greek Orthodox Christianity, the
Patriarchate in Fener on the shores of the Golden Horn. Lastly,
we will take a walk under the 500-year old domes of the Spice
Market (Misir Carsisi).
We will relax and enjoy the beautiful sky line of Istanbul in a
private tour boat that will take us up and down the Bosphorus,
on the shores of which we will see magnificent palaces, private
kiosks, castles, etc. Dinner will be served at a wonderful place
where we will enjoy the moon light dancing on the waters of
Bosphorus
Day 04 OCT 8, 2006 SUNDAY ANTAKYA
MORNING FLIGHT TO ADANA
Antioch
of Cilicia (Antakya) is where St. Stephan and Barnabas organized
the first followers of Christ. This is also where St. Paul met
Barnabas for the first time, after his epiphany on the road to
Damascus, and his proselytizing work in Namibia and in Damascus. St.
Peter also traveled here from Jerusalem to resolve the disputes
between the Jerusalem fathers and the “Greek School” led by St.
Stephan. This is also where the followers of Christ were called
Christians for the first time.
We will visit the mosaic Museum of Antakya which
reveals the wealth and grandeur of the Roman city at St. Paul's
time. OVERNIGHT IN ANTAKYA at Antik Beyazit Hotel
Day 05 Oct 9,2006 MONDAY GUZELYURT
Drive to Tarsus, birthplace of St. Paul.Drive
through the Cilician Gates, just like Paul and Barnabas did
on their first journey into Galatia “to deliver unutterable
expressions into a strange land” (II Cor 12:2-4). At Nigde, we will
see the oldest known Madonna and the Child scene on a wall of a
1,100 year old church. We will continue to where St. Gregory was
born and established the oldest monastery on earth. In the beauty of
the Monastery Valley, one can imagine the monks contemplating
to find the best way of passing the word of God to the fire
worshippers of the region. OVERNIGHT AT HOTEL KARBALLA in
GUZELYURT
Day 06 Oct 10,2006 TUESDAY
CAPPADOCIA
From Guzelyurt, we will driv to Cappadocia, where we will visit the
underground city of Kaymakli and the oldest Monastary of Turkey.The
Christians of the first through
fourth century had to hide away from the Romans who
were persecuting Christians . The underground cities were excellent
refuge for those who were determined not to convert. After
christianity was accepted as a state religion, the same underground
cities were used to hide from the Arab invaders. We will visit the
locals in their natural homes, carved out of the peculiar land
formations in the volcanic ash, called
Fairy Chimneys.Overnight at MUSEUM HOTEL,
in Uchisar
Day 07 Oct
11,2006 WEDNESDAY CAPPADOCIA
In Cappadocia, Creator and man
competed in creating the most unusual and the most beautiful. Enjoy
the moon-like landscape with endless forms of work of art, natural
and man-made. The colors of the frescoes of the twelve hundred year
old churches are just as fresh as the colors of the carpets woven in
the region. The rock formations are just as striking as the local
pottery made of the clay obtained from the old river beds. St Paul
visited the region, called Caesarea, on his 1st Missionary Journey.
As one visits the colorful "churches" of Cappadocia and admires the
surrounding forms of thrilling art buried in nature, it becomes
easier to imagine how the ideas and teachings of St. Paul sprouted
into life and affected the Cappadocians for two thousand years. We
will visit the carpet cooperative to learn more about the Turkish
carpets, which are inseparable part of the Turkish life. Dinner &
Overnight at Museum Hotel. In the morning easy hike to Zelve
to see the 10-11th century churches, monasteries and houses carved
in the rocks. Visit villagers at their rock dwellings. We will visit
the astonishing Goreme Open Air Museum, with its numerous
monasteries and see how each monk had interpreted, in their wall
paintings, the history of Christianity.
Day
08 Oct 12,2006 THURSDAY KONYA
We will begin our day with a visit to Avanos, on the banks of
the Red River, to see how the potters perform the thousand-year old
tradition of ceramics. After lunch , we will continue to Konya (Iconium)
on the old silk road. Following the foot steps ofSt.Paul we will
appreciate the distances that St Paul had to cover on foot or on his
donkey.En route, we will make a couple of stops at the
Caravanserais, where Camels used to take a break on their long
journey from China to the Mediterranean.
Dinner and overnight at hotel BAYKARA in Konya
Day 09 Oct 13 FRIDAY
ANTALYA
Today, in Konya (Iconium), we will learn about one of the
most
prominent mystic philosophers and poets of Islam,
Mewlana Celalettin-i Rumi. Sufism, as Islamic mysticism is known,
will be the topic of our morning lecture. Celaleddin-i Rumi’s
teachings are the essence of our cultural identity. Discovering Rumi
will be the most pleasant experience of Christian / Moslem
encounter.After lunch, crossing over the Taurus Mountains, we will
head south to the Mediterranean and visit the Roman cities of
Aspendos and Perge, through which St. Paul and St.
Barnabas passed on their way to Antioch of Pisidia, during Paul’s
first Journey.
To give the
tour members a break from the group feeling tonight's dinner at
Antalya (Attalia) is NOT included in the price of the
tour. Overnight at Antalya. At this beautiful
Mediterranean city we will stay at a 200 year old renovated house,
Atelya Pansion.
Day 10 Oct 14,2006 SATURDAY ANTALYA
Today will be a vacation in a vacation. We will sail along the coast
in a private boat and enjoy swimming in the warm waters of the
Mediterranean. We will visit Olympos and Phaselis,
both ruins of Greek civilization. The delicious lunch served on
board will add to the relaxation of the day. The joy of the evening
will be the unforgettable experience in the Turkish Bath,as
our bus will meet us at Phaselis to drive us back to Antalya..
Dinner tonight is NOT included in the price of the
tour.
Overnight at Atelye Pansion
Day 11 Oct 15, 2006 SUNDAY PAMUKKALE
After breakfast, we will drive to Pamukkale (Hieropolis), the
most unusual natural phenomenon of Turkey, formed of snow-white
calcite deposits, cascading down hundreds of feet and washed by
mineral-rich hot springs. On the road to Pamukkale, we will visit
the nomads in their black goat hair tents. These Turcoman nomads
have been leading a life which has not changed much since they had
left Central Asia in the 10th Century. In their Islamic ways can be
traced all the way back to the Shamanism of Central Asian steppes,
from where Turks have originated more than two thousand years ago.
It will be another experience to see how culture determines the way
religions are practiced. We will visit the ancient site of
Hierrapolis and swim in the natural pool which used to be a Roman
spa. Enjoy feeling the Roman ruins under your feet while soaking in
the bubbling waters of the pool, creating a feeling of being in a
champagne bottle. Overnight Ricmond Spa hotel in Pamukkale
Day 12 Oct 16,2006 MONDAY KUSADASI
Visit Miletus (Act 20:13-17), which was the major rival of Ephesus,
until the silt carried by the River Meander slowly
filled the Ephesian harbor and pushed Miletus to prominence. Visit
Dydima Overnight at Kismet hotel in Kusadasi
Day 13 Oct 17,2006 TUESDAY
KUSADASI
Today, we will visit the ancient site of Ephesus, the Ephesus Museum
and the house of the Virgin Mary. Ephesus was the 4th
largest city of the Roman Empire, after Rome, Alexandria and Antioch
of Cilicia. Today, Ephesus is the largest Roman excavation site in
Turkey. The grand avenues and intact social buildings help one build
the city in their imagination with not too much of an effort. As one
walks in the theater, which had a seating capacity of 24,000, the
sounds of the enraged Ephesians, led by Demitrius the silversmith,
can almost be heard. According to Acts 19 St Paul, who visited
Ephesus twice, was never given an opportunity to speak in this
theater when the Ephesians were reminded that St Paul and his
teachings were a threat to the way they made their living. So Paul
wrote everything he had to say to the Ephesians in his letters. Thus
Ephesus is mentioned not only in Acts but there is a whole big
chapter in the Bible named the ''Epistle of Apostle Paul to the
Ephesians.'' Overnight at Kismet hotel in Kusadasi
Day 14 Oct 18,2006 WEDNESDAY
FLY TO ISTANBUL in TIME FOR PEOPLE TO CATCH THEIR FLIGHTS TO THE
USA
Those who can stay will continue with the tour to Pergamum.
The Price
US$ 3,250.- per person in a
double room
Single room supplement US$ 350
The price includes :
The price does not include
Payment and Cancellation
US$
250.- Deposit non refundable
US$ 1,500.- 15 June 2006 70% is refundable in case
of cancellation
IS$ 1,500.- 06 Aug 2006 if cancelled
with in 60 days after this payment there will be no refund
We strongly
recommend you to buy a trip cancellation insurance
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