Biblical Legacy Of Turkey

You will be met in Istanbul at the airport as pre-arranged by one of our representatives. We will then travel by private transfer to your hotel for your overnight accommodation

Overnight in Istanbul

After breakfast, we will take you to the airport for your late morning, early afternoon domestic flight to the ancient city of Antalya.
 
This beautiful sprawling city by the sea is home to nearly 2 and a half million people. The Antalya of biblical times was called Attalia, named after the King of Pergamum Attalus 2^nd and subsequently left to his son on his death.  The city was mentioned in Acts 14: 25, saying that Saint Paul and Saint Barnabas had come from Perga into Attalia and were travelling on to Antioch, and as Attalia was the chief port of Pamphylia at that time, it is believed they were there to find a boat to sail them to Antioch.
 
On the harbourfront today there is an ancient lighthouse called Hidirlik Tower, which was built during the 2^nd century and most likely was built over a previous structure.
 In the heart of Antalya is the Kaleici district, the old town, and here you will see the Greek Orthodox church of Hagios Georgios; over the eastern door is a figure of Saint George Slaying a Dragon. Again, in the same district, is a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary, later converted into a mosque and now known as the broken minaret.

Overnight in Antalya

Both Saint Paul and Saint Barnabas visited Perga twice, as stated in the book of Acts, and preached here. In the Greek text, it is said that the city was a metropolis of Pamphilia. At this site, we see periodic excavations unearthing many mosaics amongst other finds, but today you will see the ruins of the great stadium, a palaestra, which is a Greek wrestling school, tombs, and baths.

Overnight in Pamukkale

Today we will visit Colossae which is located today near the Village of Honaz, this site remains mostly untouched however you can see the Theatre, Necropolis and Church. It was the town of Colossae that Paul mentioned in a letter written whilst he was imprisoned.
 
We will then go to Laodicea, to the church 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, including the main columned street.

Overnight in the Ephesus Region

Saint Paul walked the streets in the great city of Ephesus, and today, due to the incredible preservation of the city, you can easily see what daily life was like and be transported back in time. In the New Testament, the city was mentioned several times, especially in Acts 18 through 19. On at least 3 separate occasions, we know that Paul ministered here and also that Mary lived here after being brought here by Saint John. Here you will see the Agora, the great library of Celsus, and the great amphitheatre that seated 250,000 people; many streets and shopfronts and the latrines are still almost intact. You will find the remains of the Temple of Diana and the Basilica of Saint John within the Ephesus city limits.

Overnight in Izmir

Sardis, Smyrna, and Philadelphia are mentioned in the gospels, sites of 3 of the seven churches of Revelation. Sardis was the capital of the Lydian Kingdom; here coins were first minted, and it was of Sardis 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’.

In Smyrna, people refused to worship the Roman Emperor; therefore, the town suffered and was persecuted.

Mentioned in Revelation 3: 12, at Philadelphia we see the remains of the Byzantine Basilica and parts of what is left of the city walls.

Overnight in Manisa

Pergamum was once a very powerful city; many artefacts found here 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 over 200,000 texts on parchment, the Temple of Trajan, the theatre and gymnasium, and the famous Asclepion, which is one of antiquity's first medical centres, and visit the Red Basilica, converted from paganism to a Christian church.

Thyatira was a huge trade and commercial centre, famous for the purple dyes used in the cloth industry.

Again, one of the seven churches of the Book of Revelation

Overnight in Bergama

Mentioned in the ministry of Saint Paul, it is here at Assos, overlooking the Aegean Sea, that the mighty columns still stand tall, in the ancient city of Alexandria Troas, founded in 310 BC in the region of Troy, northwestern Turkey.
It was in the city of Troas in Asia Minor that we read in Acts that 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 Macedonian call they turned back to Troas
 
Overnight in Canakkale.

This morning we will journey back to Istanbul to the Church of the Holy Saviour, sometimes referred to wrongly as the church of Saint Saviour, in the district of Chora, Istanbul.  Built as part of a monastery complex, the church was located just outside the old city walls. Built during 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 are some of the oldest in all Istanbul are everywhere you look they have survived so well and the coloıurs are as bright today.
 
Overnight in Istanbul

Today is 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.