Turkey Archaeological Tour

Istanbul, Ankara, Bogazkale, Yazilikaya,  Cappadocia, Konya, Antalya,  Termessos, Pamukkale, Aphrodisias, Kusadasi, Ephesus, Sardis, Pergamon, Ayvalik, Troy, Gallipoli

Tour Dates: Year-around

DAY 1: En Route

Depart the U.S.A. on your flight to Turkey.

DAY 2: Arrive Istanbul

Arrive Istanbul. Meet and transfer to hotel. Welcome cocktail reception. Dinner at an outdoor restaurant.

DAY 3: Istanbul

Visit the Kariye Museum (St. Chora Church) famous for its Byzantine mosaics and frescoes, the Topkapi Palace, home of the Ottoman rulers for 400 years. It is now a museum housing a world renowned collection of jewelry and porcelain. After lunch visit the 6th century Hagia Sophia built by the emperor Justinian to be the grandest church of Christianity, it is now a museum.

DAY 4: Istanbul - Ankara

Morning visit to the Mosaic Museum with its exquisite scenes of rural life, then the Hippodrome Square and the famous Covered Bazaar. Afternoon flight to Ankara for dinner and overnight.

DAY 5: Bogazkale - Yazilikaya - Ankara

Morning departure for the center of the Hittite era. Visit Bogazkale (Hattusas) which is known as the city of temples. See the Kings Gate, the Lions Gate, the tunnel, great citadel, grand temple and the museum. Also see the ancient site of Yazilikaya (inscribed rock), close to Bogazkale. This is the most famous of the Hittite rock monuments. Here there is also an open air pantheon. Reliefs of Hittite gods and goddesses adorn the walls. These are carved into the native rock and date back to the 13th century BC. Return to Ankara for overnight.

DAY 6: Ankara - Cappadocia

Morning departure for Cappadocia, where the wind and weather have eroded soft volcanic rock to form one of the most interesting landscapes in the world. Visit the valleys of Goreme and Zelve and the villages of Cavusin and Avcilar. This area dates back to 4000 BC. Christians dug underground cities and churches here. Dinner and overnight in Nevsehir.

DAY 7: Cappadocia

Visit Kaymakli, a vast underground complex of entire communities interconnected by tunnels, discovered accidentally in 1963 and the citadel of Uchisar overlooking Goremes petrified valley. Visit Avanos, the pottery makers village.

DAY 8: Cappadocia - Konya - Antalya

Drive to Konya, visit the Mevlana Museum, and the Karatay Medrese (religious school). Dinner and overnight in Antalya.

DAY 9: Antalya

A full day is devoted to the striking Greco-Roman archaeological sites along the Turkish Riviera. Stop first at Perge, a wealthy and culturally well-developed city in ancient times. A few miles away is Aspendos, where the prosperity this city experienced in the second and third centuries AD is still visible. Enormous blocks of marble were transported from as far as the Marmara Islands for the construction and ornamentation of its imposing buildings. After lunch continue to Side, an ancient Turkish harbor that has made a graceful transition into a lovely resort village. Its present popularity is due not only to its new resort atmosphere, but also to the many archaeological ruins that permeate this ancient settlement.

DAY 10: Antalya - Termessos - Pamukkale

Visit Termessos, the Roman city located on top of the Taurus Mountains, then drive to Pamukkale to visit Hierapolis, its theater, the Necropolis and the Archaeological Museum.

DAY 11: Aphrodisias - Kusadasi

Drive to Aphrodisias, the recently excavated Roman city dedicated to the goddess of Love, Aphrodite. The site is being excavated by the New York University. See the Hadrian Baths, the well preserved stadium, the theater, the agora and the beautiful Archaeological Museum containing the best Aphrodite's statues in Anatolia. Continue to Kusadasi for dinner and overnight.

DAY 12: Ephesus - Izmir (Smyrna)

Leave for Ephesus. Visit the Shrine of the Virgin Mary where she supposedly spent her later days. Proceed to Ephesus and see the spectacular ruins from the period of St. Paul, some of which are only recently excavated. See the Odeon, the Bouleterion, the fountains, the temples, the brothel, the library, the agoras, the Great Theater, the Roman baths, the gymnasiums, the Archaeological Museum, St. Johns Basilica and his tomb and the Temple of Artemis (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World). Continue to Izmir for dinner and overnight.

DAY 13: Sardis - Pergamon - Ayvalik

Drive to Sardes, the capital of ancient Lydia. Visit the Temple of Cybele and Diana (Artemis) which became one of the Seven Churches of the Revelation later on. See the golden river, Pactalos, and the Royal Road. Then visit the reconstructed Synagogue, the Gymnasium and the new excavation area. Proceed to Pergamon Acropolis to see the steepest theater of the Ancient World, the Temple of Trajan, then visit the Asclepion, the ancient hospital. Dinner and overnight in Ayvalik.

DAY 14: Troy - Gallipoli - Istanbul

Drive to Homers legendary Troy, famous for its wooden horse. Archaeological digs have proved that there were nine separate periods of settlement in Troy. Cross the Dardanelles by car-ferry, drive to Istanbul for dinner and overnight.

DAY 15: Istanbul

Visit the Archaeological Museum containing the greatest treasures of Greek and Roman antiquities discovered in Turkey, the Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Cami), everyone??s favorite with its six minarets and blue Iznik tiles, and the Underground Cistern. We take an afternoon boat tour which takes us along both the European and Asiatic shores of the Bosphorus. Tonight a farewell dinner at a famous outdoor restaurant.

DAY 16: Istanbul

Transfer to Istanbul airport.

* Rates and availability subject to change without notice.