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DAY 1
ISTANBUL
Arrive in
Istanbul, and transfer to your hotel. After a short tour briefing, the
rest of the day is free to rest, relax or walk around to explore the
city. Welcome dinner and overnight at your Hotel ( ISTANBUL ). [
D ]
DAY 2 ISTANBUL
We spend the
full day visiting the sights of Old Istanbul. We will begin at the
ancient Hippodrome which was the center of the civil activities
back in the Hellenistic and Roman times. At the Hippodrome the chariot
and horse races and athletic runs took place for the entertainment of
the people of Constantinople. We walk to the nearby Ibrahim
Pasha Palace which houses the Museum of
Turkish and Islamic Art where we will see an
impressive exhibit from the various periods of Turkish and Islamic art,
ranging in date from the 7th C to the 19th. Then we proceed to the
Blue Mosque, famous for its blue tiles covering its interior
walls and also for its six minarets which is a unique feature of this
mosque. Nearby is Hagia Sophia Museum, the former
Cathedral of Constantinople, considered as the masterpiece of the early
Byzantine architecture. Hagia Sophia is renowned for its superb mosaic
decoration as well as its architectural style. Back in Byzantine Empire,
most emperors were crowned in this cathedral after a special ceremony.
After lunch we will visit the Topkapi Palace, residence
and administrative center of the Ottoman Sultans. In the grounds of the
Topkapi Palace are many courtyards surrounded by old buildings each
housing small museums with exhibits of jewelry, costumes, calligraphy
and various objects that belonged to the Imperial treasury of the
Ottoman Sultans. Dinner and overnight at your Hotel ( ISTANBUL ).
[ B L D ]
DAY 3
BURSA
Drive to
Bursa. This morning, after a short drive over the Bosphorus bridge,
we will take the Ferry across the sea of Marmara. Enroute visit
Nicaea ( modern Iznik ), where Constantine the Great summoned the
first council meeting, known as the Nicean Council, to set the
principles of Christianity. At Nicaea, we will visit the Constantine's
palace on the lake shore where sum 318 Bishops attended the council
meeting in 325. In the town center is the church of St. Sophia (Hagia
Sophia) which still has beautiful mosaic decoration on the floor and
some remains of frescoes on the walls. This is the Church where the
seventh ecumenical council had met upon the invitation by the Byzantine
empress Irene, in the year 787. We will also see the ancient roman
theater, city walls and gates that still stand in almost original as
they had been built. Continue to Bursa the city famous for its fine
quality silk that had been produced in this area since the Byzantine
times. Bursa also represents the early phase of the Ottoman
architecture, as this city served as the first capital for the Ottoman
Sultans. Our visits in Bursa will include the Green complex which was
built by the Sultan Murat, Green Mosque, Green
Tomb and Green Medrese all make up this large complex
beautifully set today in a pedestrian area closed to car traffic. The
name Green for this complex of buildings comes from the superb early
Iznik tiles in green color. Then, we stroll through the Covered
Bazaar and Silk Market where vendors sell various
products from jewelry to textiles and also many traditional folk arts
and local crafts. Then we wander the winding streets to see interesting
old Ottoman Turkish architecture. Dinner and overnight at your Hotel (
BURSA ). [ B L D ]
DAY 4
AYVALIK
Drive to
Ayvalik. Enroute visit Pergamum, the capital of Pergamum Kingdom
and a great Hellenistic city with superb setting on the top of the
mountain that rises above the surrounding plain. Pergamum was one of the
seven churches of the Revelations. We will walk around the well
preserved ruins of Pergamum. The view from top of the Acropolis toward
the Aegean sea is spectacular. We will stop at Asclepieum, the
famous ancient medical center where Galen, the famous physician of the
ancient world, practiced medicine. Dinner and overnight at your hotel. (
AYVALIK ). [ B L D ]
DAY 5
PAMUKKALE
Drive to,
Pamukkale. In the morning, after a short drive, we will visit
Thyatira, one of the seven churches of Revelations. Continue to the
ancient city of Sardis, the capital of the ancient Lydian kingdom
from 6th C BC and home of the famous king Croesus. During our walking
tour of Sardis, we will see the marble court with a beautiful facade
with marble columns, which was the imperial cult built for the Roman
emperors, passing the large palaestra we will come to a large Jewish
Synagogue built in Roman times, which was one of the largest synagogues
ever built in the ancient ages, then we walk out to the ancient street
lined with ancient roman and Byzantine shops. On the other side of the
highway, we will see the great temple of Artemis built from the
Hellenistic ages and offers a spectacular view having the acropolis of
Sardis in the background. Stop at Philadelphia to see the church
of St. John. Drive on to our hotel in Pamukkale. Dinner and overnight at
your hotel. ( PAMUKKALE ). [ B D ]
DAY 6
KUSADASI
We will tour
the calcified pools of Pamukkale and the ancient ruins of
Hierapolis. Most of the cliffs formed by the geothermal waters are
as white as the cotton that gives Pamukkale its name, which in Turkish
means "Cotton Castle". The ancient city Hierapolis whose ruins are
scattered a above the calcium pools, is another well preserved site in
Turkey. It has been a popular spa center since the Hellenistic and Roman
ages. The view from the ancient theater towards the valley is
spectacular. According to tradition, St. Philip, one of the twelve
apostles was martyred here at this city, and a monumental martyrdom
built for him is there. A short drive from Pamukkale is Laodicea,
another site of the Seven Churches of Revelation. Laodicea was founded
in the 2nd C: BC by the Seleucid king Antiochus II Theos who named it
for his wife. Laodicea is known as Laodicea-ad-Lycum, since there were
many other towns named Laodicea founded by the Seleucid kings. Laodicea
soon became a prosperous city after trading its fine quality
purple-color wool. Drive to Colossae, though it is not one of the
seven, but the city is mentioned in the book Colossians. Today there is
not much to see at Colossae, other than a large mound which exposes some
ancient theater and some ruins of the unidentified buildings. Continue
to Aphrodisias perfectly preserved Carian and Roman city.
Aphrodisias is a rare city built of entire marble, because the marble
quarries are so rich in this area. Aphrodisias had also produced the
finest sculpture in ancient times, because of the high quality marble
that was quarried from the surrounding mountains. The excavation of the
site was conducted by the archaeologist Kenan Erim who was a Turkish
professor from New York University and sponsored by the National
Geographic Society. The rest of the day, we drive through fig and olive
orchards to our hotel on the Aegean cost. Dinner and overnight at your
hotel. ( KUSADASI ). [ B L D ]
DAY 7
KUSADASI
Full day
sightseeing of well preserved sites of Ephesus. We begin with Ephesus,
the great city and metropolitan center of the Antiquity, whose extensive
ruins are among the best preserved in the world. As we walk down the
main street of Ephesus, we will visualize its ancient life and
buildings. Then we drive up to the Virgin Mary's House
claimed to be the true place where Mother Mary spent her last years
before she had died in this area. This is one the most important
pilgrimage shrines in the world. Up on the hill above the town Selcuk,
we will visit the Basilica of St. John built for the
apostle author of the book of revelations. Looking at the size of this
church, we can easily say that it was one the largest churches in its
time. Returning to the town Selcuk, we will visit the local Ephesus
Museum with a nice exhibit of the objects such as statues,
sarcophagi, busts, inscriptions, found during the excavations at
Ephesus. If time permits we will drive up to Sirince a
traditional village situated on a hill top. The village people still
produce embroidery and lace work and also a good place to taste some
local Turkish wine. Dinner and overnight at your Hotel ( KUSADASI
). [ B L D ]
DAY 8
ISTANBUL
Drive to
Izmir. Izmir is the third largest city in Turkey and main port in the
western part. Izmir occupies the site of ancient Smyrna, where
the famous poet Homer was born in the 8th C. Smyrna is also one of the
Seven Churches mentioned in the book of Revelation. Visit Kadifekale
the hill-top Hellenistic fortress and the church of St. Polycarp
the oldest church of Izmir. We finish our tour in Izmir with the Roman
market place Agora. Evening flight to Istanbul. Dinner and
overnight at your hotel. ( ISTANBUL ). [ B D ]
DAY 9
ISTANBUL
This
morning, we will cruise up the Bosphorus with private boat, sit
on the deck and enjoy the nice traditional water-front houses built by
the Ottomans in the last or in the turn of this century. We will
disembark near the Spice bazaar, and have free time for
shopping in the Spice Market where you will find hundreds of spices and
herbs. Spice market was built by the Ottomans in the 16th C., and has
been used as the main market of spices and herbs since then. We head for
the Grand Bazaar of Istanbul, where will have time for
shopping. In the grand bazaar which is an old ottoman bedesten built in
the 15th. C., and said to have about 3,500 shops under its roof, you
will find almost anything from souvenirs to jewelry, from textiles to
Turkish ethnographic items. Rest of the afternoon is at leisure, you may
want to stay in the grand bazaar or stroll through the streets. Farewell
dinner at a special restaurant. Overnight at your Hotel ( ISTANBUL
). [ B D ]
DAY 10
TRANSFER TO AIRPORT
Check-out
and transfer to the airport for our morning flight back home. End of
Services. [ B ]
[ B ] :
Breakfast
[ L ] :
Lunch
[ D
] : Dinner |
