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Day 1 |
ARRIVAL IN ADANA VIA ISTANBUL
Istanbul is the modern name of the old Constantinople (Byzantium). Upon
arrival at Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport, you will meet our
bilingual guide, who will join us on the brief flight to Adana, the
country's fourth largest city. Adana is situated some thirty miles east of
Tarsus, birthplace of the Apostle Paul. |
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Day 2 |
ADANA / TARSUS / SELEUCIA / ANTIOCH
Enjoy breakfast in your hotel, then drive to Tarsus and visit the Apostle
Paul's well, the Gate of Cleopatra, and the latest excavations. Visit the
archaeological remains of Seleucia, the port from which Paul, Barnabas, and
John Mark departed from Antioch on the first missionary journey (Acts 13:4).
Drive to Antioch for overnight. |
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Day 3 |
ANTIOCH / CAPPADOCIA
It was here at Antioch-on-the-Orontes that believers were first called
“Christians” (Acts 11:26). Visit the cave where they met in secret. Paul and
Silas departed from here on the second missionary journey (Acts 15:35-36).
Discover the impact of leaders such as Ignatius of Antioch and John
Chrysostom.In Acts 2:9, pilgrims from Cappadocia were assembled with the
thousands in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost when they received the
initial baptism of the Holy Spirit and heard the Apostle Peter preach his
powerful message. We will travel to Cappadocia’s scenic Ihlara Valley, where
early Christians carved some 3,500 cave churches from the tufa rock.The
beauty and quaintness of these chapels, with numerous wall paintings and
Christian symbols, is astonishing. Persecuted Christians—tens of thousands
of them—escaping into the earth to flee Arab invaders in the tenth century,
tunneled out more than twenty underground cities of refuge here in
Cappadocia. Such cities, with carved rooms for kitchens, sleeping quarters,
stables, and chapels for worship, descend five to ten stories into the
earth. At Kaymakli, one of the best preserved of these cities, you will
enjoy your own guided tour into this amazing. |
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Day 4 |
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CAPPADOCIA
Welcome to Central Anatolia, where a dozen empires have risen and
fallen, as their massive armies moved back and forth across this
"land bridge" between Europe and Asia. Cappadocia, with its center
in Caesarea (Kayseri), was once the heart of the Hittite Kingdom of
the Old Testament. This vast area is one of the most photogenic
landscapes in the world. Extraordinary rock formations have become
symbolic of this region, where you will enjoy the Valley of the
Fairy Chimneys and Goreme’s breathtaking Open Air Museum. Watch the
potters at their craft, in the famous pottery producing town of
Avanos. Finally, savor the natural wonders of the Citadel of Uchisar
and Zelve Valley. |
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Day 5 |
SULTANHANI / LYSTRA / ICONIUM
Drive to the Sultanhani Caravansary for a fascinating look at one of the
rest stops for ancient camel caravans. Along the trade routes, such
caravansaries appeared at intervals of some twenty-five miles, the average
distance that camels could travel in a day. Continue on to Lystra, where a
mob stoned Paul during his first journey (Acts 14:6-19), and where Timothy
joined him during the second journey (Acts 16:1-3). Depart for Iconium,
where Paul preached and encouraged believers during his first missionary
journey (Acts 14:1-6). Iconium was once the home of the sect of mystical
Muslims called Swirling Dervishes. |
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Day 6 |
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ANTIOCH OF PISIDIA / COLOSSAE / HIERAPOLIS
Drive to Antioch of Pisidia, where nearly the whole city came to
hear Paul preach during his first missionary journey (Acts
13:14-52). The marvelous excavations include the ancient church and
the great first-century Temple of Augustus.
Today, you will travel the Royal Road that once connected Ephesus
with distant Babylon. Visit the unexcavated site of ancient Colosse
by the village of Honaz. The Apostle Paul wrote one of his prison
epistles to the church at Colosse, a city situated on the Lycus
River. At Hierapolis (Pamukkale), enjoy the “Cotton Castles” of
brilliant white calcium rock formations and hot-water travertines,
where hot mineral waters emerge from the earth and cascade over
cliffs. As the water cools, the calcium precipitates and clings to
the cliffs, forming snowy white travertines (waterfalls of white
stone), which give credence to the name Pamukkale, which means
“cotton castle,” from the two words "pamuk" (cotton) and "kale"
(castle). The travertines form shallow pools supported by colorful
stalactites. This enchanting place is one of the natural wonders of
Asia Minor. The churches here in Hierapolis, Colosse, and Laodicea
once flourished under the ministry of Epaphras (Colossians 4:12-13). |
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Day 7 |
HIERAPOLIS / LAODICEA / PHILADELPHIA / SARDIS / SMYRNA
Explore incredible excavations at Hierapolis, including a
Byzantine church, the Great Theatre, the Temple of Apollo, and the
Plutonium, which pagan cults once called “the entrance to hell.” Examine the
intriguing sites of the Churches of Revelation. Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-22) will
take you back to the first century. At Philadelphia (Rev. 3:7-12), your
Bible will come alive as you read it in light of firsthand study. This city
was located along the important trade route that linked Pergamos in the
north with Laodicea to the south. In A.D. 17, an earthquake devastated
twelve Asian cities, including Philadelphia, and for a time the people lived
in fear of aftershocks. Philadelphia was rebuilt with help from Emperor
Tiberius. At Sardis (Rev. 3:1-5), your thoughts will turn to the Old
Testament period following the 586 B.C. destruction of Jerusalem. That was
the time when the phrase “rich as Croesus” originated. Croesus (560-546
B.C.) was the king of Lydia, and Sardis was his capital. Gold was discovered
in the Pactolus River at Sardis and it was here that coinage began, as we
know it. Cyrus and the Persians defeated and captured Croesus for all his
wealth and made Sardis the administrative center for the western part of
their empire. The fabled Royal Road connected Sardis with the Persian cities
to the east. Sardis was the hardest hit of the twelve cities destroyed in
the earthquake of A.D. 17. Emperor Tiberius, according to the Annals of the
historian Tacitus, gave much relief towards its rebuilding. Your visit to
Sardis will include the imperial court and the ancient Jewish synagogue. You
will rest in the shade of the Temple of Artemis, while studying in the light
of prophetic Scripture.
Finally, enjoy dinner at one of Smyrna’s famous kebab or seafood
restaurants. |
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Day 8 |
SMYRNA / MILETUS / DIDYMA
Visit the ramparts of Smyrna’s Velvet Castle, built in the
fourth century B.C. by Alexander the Great on Mount Pagus. (The fortress
walls were said to resemble rubbed velvet.) During the first Christian
century, in the stadium that once stood on the hill below Mount Pagus,
Polycarp, friend of the Apostle John and pastor of the church at Smyrna, was
arrested by the Roman governor and tried in a public gathering. An angry mob
burned him for “treason.” He had refused to curse Christ and to acknowledge
Caesar as his sovereign. Just before his martyrdom, Polycarp said, “Eighty
and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury: how then
can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?” Still standing is part of the agora
built by Emperor Marcus Aurelius in the third century. Today, Smyrna is the
country's major Aegean port and third largest city.Drive to Miletus, home of
ancient philosopher Thales (640-546 B.C.), one of the fathers of Greek
geometry, astronomy, and philosophy. It was here, in the first Christian
century, that the Apostle Paul, on his third missionary journey, called for
the Ephesian elders and preached a powerful message to them (Acts 20:15-38).
It was also here that Paul left his friend Trophimus, who was too ill to
continue (II Timothy 4:20 ). As a port at the mouth of the Meander River,
Miletus was a natural outlet for Phrygian trade. Like the one at Ephesus,
however, Miletus’s sea harbor eventually filled with silt, and commerce
dwindled. The city's remote quietness makes it special to devout students of
Scripture. Its ancient ruins include the marvelous 15,000-seat theatre.
Nearby, at Didyma, visit the massive Temple to Apollo, one of the most
impressive sites in Anatolia. Ordinary people did not reside in ancient
Didyma. This was home only to a priestly family whose oracle came from
Delphi and who lived in luxury, as they guarded their temple treasuries
supplied by the people they deceived. |
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Day 9 |
EPHESUS
Ephesus (Rev. 2:1-7), major port city on the Aegean, was the commercial,
political, and religious center of all of Asia Minor. After a lunatic
completely burned the Temple of Diana (Artemis) on the night that Alexander
the Great was born in 356 B.C., the Ephesians worked for 120 years to
complete a magnificent reconstructed temple, one of the Seven Wonders of the
ancient world. The city became part of the Roman Empire in the second
century B.C. As a Roman capital of Asia Minor,Ephesus boasted a population
approaching 250,000 people. The Apostle Paul's first visit to Ephesus was
brief—during his second missionary tour (Acts 18:19-21). His second visit
lasted about three years—during his third missionary tour (Acts 19:1 to
20:31). Luke’s account of the worship of Diana appears in Acts 19:34-35. The
Great Theatre (stadium) mentioned in Acts 19:29-31 could seat 25,000 people.
Walk the marble-paved street with grooves made by chariot wheels. See the
Fountain of Trajan, the Library of Celsus, and the Great Theatre. Visit the
Chapel of the Virgin Mary (Double Church), where the Third Ancient Council
convened. Enjoy St. John's Basilica (built on the site of the Apostle John’s
tomb), and ponder the remains of the Temple of Diana. Finally, enjoy a visit
to the Ephesus Museum. |
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Day 10 |
THYATIRA / PERGAMUM
Today, we will visit our final two of the Seven Churches of Revelation. At
Thyatira (Rev. 2: 18-28), you will see the ruins of an ancient commercial
center, located in the fertile valley where the trade route passed. One of
the town's cloth and dye merchants was a woman named Lydia, who conducted
business as far away as Philippi, where she became the first European
convert to Christianity, during Paul's second missionary journey (Acts
16:11-15). A most memorable experience will be Pergamos, with its acropolis
and Great Theatre, the steepest of the ancient world. Revelation 2:12-16
describes the city as “where Satan’s seat is,” a reference to the altar of
Zeus, where we pause for reflection on the fulfillment of Scripture. Nearby,
visit the Red Basilica; once a pagan temple, it later converted into a
Christian church. Finally, walk thru the Pergamos Asclepion, the famous
medical center of antiquity. |
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Day 11 |
TROY / TROAS / ASSOS / BURSA
Enjoy a fascinating visit to recent excavations of ancient Troy, made
legendary by Homer’s story of Helen and the Trojans’ wooden horse. Then
drive to Troas, founded about 300 B.C. by one of the generals of Alexandria
the Great. During the Apostle Paul's second missionary journey, it was from
Troas that he received the “Macedonian call” to Europe. This is where Luke's
account changes from “they” to “we” (Acts 16:6-12), indicating that he
joined Paul's team at Troas. Returning from Macedonia during his third
journey, Paul was in Troas for a week, when the young man Eutychus fell from
the third loft as Paul preached. Paul soon walked some thirty miles to Assos,
where we will follow the apostle’s footsteps to the old city walls (Acts
20:5-14). You will walk the old marketplace of Assos and see the council
chamber and Temple to Athena. Continue on to Bursa for a visit to its
centuries-old silk market. |
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Day 12 |
NICEA / ISTANBUL
At Nicea, you will see remains of Constantine’s palace, now covered by the
water at the shore of Lake Iznik. It was here in this palace chapel that the
First Ancient Church Council convened in A.D. 325 to produce the Nicene
Creed. Enjoy Nicea’s St. Sophia Church, where the Seventh Church Council
convened in 787. Continue to Istanbul for lunch at the Spice Bazaar.
Istanbul, the world’s only city that spans two continents, was originally
“Byzantium;” it became “Constantinople” in A.D. 330, when Emperor
Constantine renamed it for himself and built a palace here. It became
“Istanbul” in 1453. Experience the unique markets, peddlers, and stalls
selling almonds, pistachios, iced drinks, and black coffee - a vigorous
anthill of Turkish life. Relax on a Bosphorus cruise on a private boat.
Finally, enjoy an orientation drive of the city. |
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Day 13 |
ISTANBUL
Today’s visits begin with Istanbul’s Hippodrome, once a stadium with
100,000 seats, where chariot races and circuses often degenerated into
violence. Visit the nearby Blue Mosque. The Second Church Council (381) met
in the Church of St. Irene, the first church ever built in Istanbul. You
will visit the fifteenth-century Topkapi Palace of the Ottoman Sultans. In
the first court of this palace stands the Church of St. Irene, the city’s
cathedral church until the Church of Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) was
completed in 360.After rioters burned both churches to the ground in 532,
Emperor Justinian rebuilt them to their present grand scale. Upon entering
his newly built Hagia Sophia for the first time, Justinian exclaimed, "Glory
to God that I have been judged worthy of such a work. Oh Solomon, I have
outdone you!" Enjoy your visit to the Hagia Sophia, where the 5th Church
Council met in 553.For a thousand years, this was the largest church in
Christendom. When Mehmet the Conqueror made it a mosque in 1453, he added
four minarets (prayer towers). The building has not been used as a mosque
since 1935, when it became the Museum of Byzantine Art. The four minarets
remain. Conclude your day with a visit to the Grand Bazaar, an ancient
covered market of some 4,000 shops. |
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Day 14 |
ISTANBUL / HOMEBOUND FLIGHT
Memories of these two weeks will last a lifetime. Your own Bible will
constantly remind you of the storehouse of riches obtained from these
ancient and Biblical sites where you have walked and studied. |
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