Biblical Turkey

Istanbul
Today's tour will start after breakfast and will be your first taste of this amazing city with so much to see this day includes the  Hippodrome which was the central meeting place of Istanbul civil life from the political arena to Gladiator chariot racing this open space was used daily, now the square is calm and you will see an inscribed and decorated obelisk that has stood since the fourth century.

The Topkapi Palace, the grand home of the Ottoman Sultans with its collections of jewellery to the treasury to the amazing Chinese porcelain it is a must-see for all who come to the city, in the outer courtyard of the palace, we find the Church of Saint Irene, the meeting place of the Council of the Seven Churches in 381and the first church built here, on to the Blue Mosque built as a show of power and strength by Sultan Ahmed I between 1609 1616 our next stop just opposite, The Hagia Sophia, rebuilt, by the Emporer Justinian in 537 AD after a huge fire, it subsequently took over as Istanbul's primary Cathedral, which before was the church of St Irene and it was here in 553 AD that the Council of the Seven Churches met. After we will enter the Grand Bazaar, truly a place of wonder, the oldest market in the world, construction started in 1455 and it took 6 years to build, it has 61 covered streets and over 4000 shops selling clothes, souvenirs, Turkish delight and everything in between

In the afternoon you will be taken to the airport for your domestic flight to Adana.

Important Notes:
-The Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays
-Hagia Sophia is closed on Mondays
-Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesday
-Blue Mosque Entrance is limited on Fridays due to prayers, therefore we are unable to enter on Fridays.

The ancient city of Antioch the 3^rd largest city of the roman empire which is now modern-day Antakya in Turkey is where today's tour begins. At this wonderful biblical site where Saint Peter, Paul, Timothy and Barnabus all preached and it was here in Antioch that the followers the disciples of Jesus were first given the name Christians. Today we will visit the cave where early Christians including Saint Peter met in secret for mass and also the church of St. Peter, part of the original entrance to Antioch to the south where little has changed are iron gates, it is amazing to walk along the same route as the disciples of the new testament.

Here is the ancient seaport of Seleucia where in Acts 13:4 it tells us that Saint Paul first Departed. You will also visit the Titus Tunnel that at the orders of the emperors Titus And Vespasian, was carved through the mountains. Later we will arrive in ancient biblical city Tarsus at this ancient land we will visit the well of Saint Paul and the Gate of Cleopatra both well preserved.

In the evening we will travel back to Adana for our flight to Antalya

After breakfast, this morning our day will start in Perga, here both Saint Paul and Saint Barnabas visited and this site is periodically under excavation but you will see the ruins of the great stadium, tombs and baths.

Our next stop is Pamukkale with horizontal pools of white, it is like stepping onto a lunar landscape. Above on the slopes of the mountain, we find the incredible ancient city of Hierapolis a huge city with a stadium that is almost intact here are some of the best-preserved ruins of Asia Minor, under constant excavation, you will see the abundant ruins of the Temple of Apollo, The Great Theatre, and the entrance to hell at least so-called by pagan cults, the city is mentioned in Colossians 4:12-13.

Overnight Pamukkale

Near the Village of Honaz, we will visit Colossae an unexcavated site however you can see the Theatre, Necropolis and Church. It was Colossae that paul mentioned in a letter written whilst he was imprisoned. We will then go to the church at Laodicea of which Jesus spoke ‘’Behold I stand at the door and knock’’ Revelation 3:20-21. The churches of Laodicea and Colossae once thrived under the ministry of Epaphras this is a large site with many remains of the traces of the city and the main columned street.

Overnight in Kusadasi

Today you walk the same streets that Saint Paul walked in the great city of Ephesus, so well preserved that it is easy to be transported back in time. The city was mentioned several times especially in The New Testament Acts 18 through 19, on at least 3 separate occasions we know that paul ministered here and it was here that mary lived after Saint John brought her to Bulbul mountainside overlooking the city.

Ephesus boasts the Agora, the great library of Celsus, and the great amphitheatre that seated 250,000 people, many of the streets and shopfronts the latrines are still almost intact, you will find the remains of the temple of Diana and the Basilica of Saint John with the Ephesus city limits.

Our overnight accommodation will be in Izmir

Mentioned in the gospels are Sardis, Smyrna and Philadelphia, sites of 3 of the seven churches of revelation. The capital of the Lydian Kingdom Sardis is where coins were first minted and it was here that Jesus wrote of the wealth of this city by saying ‘I know thy works, and thou hast a name, that thou livest, and art dead’. Smyrna suffered and was persecuted for not worshipping the Roman Emporer and at  Philadelphia mentioned in Revelations 3: 12 are the remains of the Byzantine Basilica and parts of what is left of the city wall.

We will stay overnight in Izmir

Described in the bible as where Satans seat is Pergamum, also one of the seven churches of Revelation was once a very powerful city, excavations on the site dug up some amazing artefacts, many of which can now be found in the British Museum, whilst here we will visit the temple of Athena, The Temple of Zeus, The ruins of the Great Library known to have housed more than 200,000 of texts on parchment, the Temple of Trajan the theatre and Gymnasium and the famous Asclepion which is one of the antiquities medical centres, and visit the Red Basilica converted from paganism to a Christian church. Thyatira again one of the seven churches of the book of revelation, this was a huge trade and commercial centre, famous for the purple dyes used in the cloth industry.

Overnight stay in Ayvalik

Travelling north from Ayvalik we come to Assos again mentioned in the ministries of Saint Paul it is here overlooking the Mediterranean that the mighty columns still stand tall and look out over the sea,  on to the ancient city of Alexandria Troas in the region of Troy in northwestern Turkey, founded in 310 BC. It was in the city of Troas that in Acts we read Saint Paul received the call to Macedonia and it is indicated in Acts 16: 6 – 12 that Saint Luke met him here and they travelled and taught together and that after the Macedonia call they turned back to Troas

We will stay overnight in Canakkale.

This mornings journey back to Istanbul will start after breakfast, we will travel past the Dardanelle Straights to the Church of the Holy Savior sometimes referred to wrongly as the church of saint saviour, in the Chora district of Istanbul in the very heart of the city. First built as part of a monastery complex the church was located just outside the old city walls. Originally built in the 4^th century it was converted into a mosque in the 16^th century and changed into a Museum in 1948. Known for its exquisite Byzantine mosaics and frescos which cover the walls are some of the oldest surviving in the city.

Today is departure day and your last day with us on our Biblical tour, we will pick you up by private transfer and take you to the airport and it is here that we will say goodbye.