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Turkey Biblical Tour 2

Turkey Holy Land Biblical Tour II St. Paul: Istanbul, Seven Churches, Greek Island of Patmos, Antioch Izmir, Pergamon, Thyatira, Philadelphia, Sardis, Pamukkale, Hierapolis Laodicea, Aphrodisias, Ephesus, Kusadasi 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 the hotel. Afternoon orientation tour in Istanbul, if time permits (according to the arrival time). Overnight in Istanbul. DAY 3: Istanbul St. Sophia, Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, St. Irene and St. Chora Museum. Overnight in Istanbul. DAY 4: Istanbul - Bursa Drive to Iznik (Nicea), the site of the First and Seventh Ecumenical Councils. Drive to Bursa, visit the Green Mosque and the Green Mausoleum. Overnight in Bursa. DAY 5: Troy - Ayvalik Continue to Canakkale, visit Gallipoli, Troy, Alexandra Troas where St. Paul met Luke. Overnight in Ayvalik. DAY 6: Pergamon - Thyatira - Izmir Depart to Pergamon, visit the Asclepion, the ancient hospital, the Acropolis, the Church at the site of ancient Serapium and the Red Court dedicated to St. John. Then visit Akhisar, the site of Ancient Thyatira. Overnight in Izmir. DAY 7: Sardis - Philadelphia - Izmir Visit Sardis, the capital city of the ancient Kingdom of Lydia, visit the Church built on the foundations of the Temple of Artemis. Continue to Alasehir, ancient Philadelphia. Return to Izmir, visit St. Policarp Church. Overnight in Izmir. DAY 8: Ephesus - Kusadasi 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. Overnight in Kusadasi. DAY 9: Kusadasi - Patmos (Greek Island) - Kusadasi Daily tour to the Greek Island of Patmos by private boat. Visit the Cave of Revelation and St. John's Monastery. Return to Kusadasi for overnight. DAY 10: Aphrodisias - Laodicea Pamukkale Visit Aphrodisias, Laodicea and Hierapolis, overnight in Pamukkale. DAY 11: Pisidian Antioch - Iconium - Cappadocia Visit Pisidian Antioch, Konya (Iconium), the Mevlana Mosque and Mausoleum, proceed to Cappadocia for overnight. DAY 12: Cappadocia Visit Goreme, Zelve Vacal city of Antioch) where St. Paul and St. Barnabas stayed. Overnight in Antakya. DAY 14: Antioch - Fly Istanbul Visit the Museum of Antioch with its famous mosaics and St. Peter's Grotto, the Cave Church where early Christians met in secret. Drive to Adana airport for late afternoon flight to Istanbul. Transfer to hotel, overnight in Istanbul. DAY 15: Istanbul Transfer to Istanbul airport for departure. * Rates and availability subject to change without notice. Breakfast Lunch Dinner
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Turkey Biblical Tour - Seven Churches -Pergamon

Pergamon had a significant place of its own in all Asia. Historically the city was the capital of the greatest kingdom that existed in this region. The city is situated at 100 kms north of Izmir. The Roman historian Pliny called it: "By far the most famous city in all Asia". The cause for this importance was this: When John wrote his letter, Pergamon had been a capital city for almost four hundred years. After the mythical times, Pergamon had been the scene of several cultures, ranging from those of the Stone and Bronze Ages until the Archaic and Classical Periods.

Among the temples, palaces and agoras, the Asclepion, which were constructed in the course of one century, belonged the big Zeus Altar and the Parchment Library. They stand as the most brilliant works of art of the fourth and third century B.C. in Anatolia. The Parchment Library housed the most famous collection of books of that time, writ¬ten on a type of processed lamb and goat skins. This was a process invented in Pergamum, when the rulers of Ptolemean Egypt embargoed the export of Egyptian papyrus sheets to Pergamon. Other magnificent buildings of this period are the Temple of Athena and those of Demeter and Dyonisos.

From this time onward the town now known as Bergama has been Muslim.

In the ancient world the city was famous for two important shrines:

a) The Altar dedicated to the Supreme God Zeus, dominating the Acropolis of the city.

b) The workship of Asklepios and its medical cult.

Asklepios was known under the name of "The Pergamon God of Health".

In ancient times there were in this part of the world three favorite religious shrines and holy places. They were: the Artemision of Ephesus, the Apollo cult of Delphi and that of Asklepios Pergamon. Asklepios the deity health and medicine served the people for several hundred years; thus making Pergamon a medical center of very great importance. Famous medical scholars, like Hippocrates and Galenus, were born in Pergamon and worked there. Pergamon had, and Bergama still has, several healing mineral springs; the waters of it were used for medical treatment There were also mud bath treatments. And the priests and medical doctors of the Asclepion applied also some psychology by having their patients run down through dark tunnels, in which the patients listened to what they believed were encouraging messages from the gods, but which were in fact shouted by the priests themselves through holes perforated in the ceilings of the tunnel.