PILGRIMAGE TO TURKEY

TURKEY

Land of Culture, Faith and Mystery

Personally escorted by

DAY 2, Thurs. - Arrive Adana, meet our guide and driver and transfer to our hotel. Dinner and overnight Adana. BD

DAY 3, Fri. – Our pilgrimage begins as we travel to Antakya, known in ancient times as Antioch. We will visit the museum to see the mosaics and visit the Hittite site at Karatepe Arslantas and St. Simeon the Younger’s monastery near Uzunbag. Paul made several missionary journeys here and the term “Christians” was first used in Antioch (Acts 11:26). We will see the four arched bridge built by Diocletian over the Asi and the nearby Grotto of St. Peter, the cave where the Apostle is said to have preached. We will have some time to explore on our own in Antakya before departing for Iskenderun, the great city founded by Alexander. Dinner and overnight Adana. BLD

DAY 4, Sat. – Morning visit to Tarsus, a very important city in ancient times, it was here that Cleopatra supposedly met Mark Antony. It was also the birthplace of St. Paul. In Acts 21:39, Paul is proud of his city and says, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city”. We continue on to Cappadocia for dinner and overnight. BLD

DAY 5, Sun. – Today we have a full day in Cappadocia as we see the surreal landscapes of volcanic ash formed 3 million years ago: spectacular red rock cones, troglodyte churches and homes dated from 4000 BC. We will view the fairy chimneys which were formed through years of erosion. We also visit Goreme where the paintings in the ancient churches have a special place in Christian art as the effects of both the East and West are discernable. We will see Zelve where the entire village was carved into the rocks as a hiding place during the period of Christianity. We will have a chance to see Uchisar, Avanos and Derinkuyu before dinner and overnight Cappadocia. BLD

DAY 6, Mon. – This morning we depart for Konya. We stop in Sultanhanı to visit the well preserved Caravanserai. While in Konya we visit the Mevlana Museum and Tomb, dedicated to the 13^th century poet and philosopher who founded the mystic order of the Mevlevi dervishes. Mevlana was a firm believer in the virtues of music and dance as a means of abandoning oneself to God’s love and freeing oneself from earthly bondage. He considered the whirling pattern of motion to be representative of the soul’s state of agitation. Now on to the Karatay Museum; its dome is lined with tiles, blue predominating on white, and the effect is dazzling; and the Ince Minare Medrese (Seminary of the Slender Minaret) the minaret is bejeweled with glazed blue tiles and is now only half its original size, thanks to a bolt of lightning. The Ince Minare has a fine collection of stone and wood carvings. We continue on to Laodicea, home to one of the oldest Christian communities and ranked among the Seven Churches of Asia (Revelations 1:11;3:14; Colossians 4:13ff). Drive to Hierapolis (now called Pamukkale) for dinner and overnight. BLD

DAY 7, Tues. – Today we spend the day in Pamukkale where we will see the ruins of the Roman baths. St. Phillip was martyred here in 80 AD. Walk the famous avenue of tombs and the Necropolis, which has more than a thousand cut-stone sarcophagi spilling all the way down the hill. We continue on to Kusadasi for dinner and overnight. BLD

DAY 8, Wed. – Today we visit Mary’s House, thought to be the last home of the Virgin Mary and Ephesus, the best preserved ancient city in the world. Once on the sea, Ephesus is now about 3 miles inland. Paul preached at the Stadium (Acts 19) and the Theater and wrote some of his Epistles here. There will be a visit to the Cave of the Seven Sleepers. We will visit the Council Church of St. Mary before continuing to the Basilica of St. John. Dinner and overnight Kusadasi. BLD

DAY 9, Thurs. – We drive through Izmir, one of the Seven Cities of the Revelation and the site of the martyrdom of Polycarp, on our way to Bergama, the modern name for the ancient Greek-Roman site of Pergamum, another of the Seven Cities of Revelation and a magnificent architectural and artistic center in its heyday. Visit the Acropolis, Asklepieion, and the ruins of the ancient library which once contained 200,000 books. This afternoon we drive to Bursa for dinner and overnight. Enjoy a thermal bath at your hotel tonight. BLD

DAY 10, Fri. – We begin today exploring Bursa, the first capital of the Ottoman Empire. Visit the Green Mosque, (the Yesil Cami) Ulu camii thought to be the finest mosque in Turkey, and the Green Tomb (the Yesil Turbe). Now on to Iznik, known in ancient times as Nicaea, where the Nicene Creed was formed. We will visit the Hagia Sophia in Iznik and then, after lunch in Nicaea, we depart for Istanbul by ferry. We arrive in Istanbul late in the afternoon and check into to our hotel. This evening we will experience a Mevlevi Semi (Dervish Mystic Religious Rite), an elaboration of the whirling done by Mevlana Rumi in ecstasy on the streets of Konya in the 13^th century. The ceremony has seven parts symbolizing the whirling dervish’s love of God, humankind and all creation. Dinner and overnight in Istanbul. BLD

DAY 11, Sat. – We begin with a visit to the Kariye Museum which occupies what was once the Church of the Holy Savior in Chora. The 14th century mosaics and frescoes depicting biblical scenes are considered to be among the finest Byzantine works in the world. View the Constantinian Walls, built by Theodosius II in 413AD. The massive walls are 10 to 20 feet thick and protected ancient Constantinople from attack. Now on to Topkapi Palace, home of the Sultans, which contains treasures beyond imagination. Overnight İstanbul. BL

DAY 12, Sun. – Morning visit to the Egyptian Bazaar (spice market) before our Bosphorus Cruise that will take us to the mouth of the Black Sea. We will enjoy a fish lunch at Tarabya Fish Restaurant. After lunch we return to Istanbul to Yerebata Cistern and visit Hagia Sophia (Church of Holy Wisdom), Christendom’s most important church for 900 years before it was turned into a mosque in 1453. We continue on to the great Blue Mosque, a grand monument to Islam. Overnight Istanbul. BL

DAY 13, Mon. – Today we visit Süleymaniye Mosque, a famous imperial mosque of the Ottomans. We continue to the famous Grand Bazaar whose 64 winding streets are covered and crammed with over 4000 shops. We will enjoy a farewell dinner together at Galata Tower. Overnight İstanbul. BLD

DAY 14, Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - We will depart from Istanbul for our return to the United States arriving home the same day. BL

* Itinerary is subject to change due to leader’s and/or local office discretion or conditions *