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Footsteps of Saint Paul (15 nights/16 days),
Biblical Tour |
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Footsteps of Saint Paul (15 nights/16 days),
Biblical Tour
Footsteps of Saint Paul (15 nights/16 days)
Key Information:
Tour Duration:
15 nights / 16 days
Days of Operation: Private
Tour
Destination(s): Turkey
Hotel's Class: 5, 4, 3 Stars
Hotel or Tourist Class
Season: All Year
Airfare Included: No
Tour Customizable: No |
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Overnight Places:
3 nights Istanbul, 2 nights Adana, 1 night Cappadocia, 1
night Konya, 2 nights Antalya, 1 night Pamukkale, 1 night
Kusadasi, 2 night Izmir, 1 night Ayvalik, 1 night Bursa. |
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With his vigour to spread the
Gospel, St. Paul spent most of his Christian life traveling over
thousands of miles by land and sea, encountering endless
difficulties. Most of these journeys were done in the lands of
present day Turkey for a multiple of reasons.
The main reason was that Anatolia and the states therein were
culturally, commercially and intellectually so advanced that,
Christianity's acceptance here would mean a speedier spread
throughout Anatolia. In order to reach the people, St. Paul had
to travel through Anatolia extensively. Another reason may be
the state of moral deterioration existing among the pagan world
of ancient Anatolia, which was ripe and ready to accept new
philosophies, religions and doctrines.
No doubt these journeys were a great hardship for St. Paul who
had to cover most of the area on foot, spending most of his
nights outside in bitter cold or hot temperatures. Our journey
through the same routes will not be as difficult |
Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Istanbul.
Arrival at Istanbul airport , you will be met and transferred to
your hotel. Overnight. (D).
Day 2: Istanbul.
Following the breakfast we drive to the 'Old City', we will stop
by the Hippodrome before proceeding to the Blue Mosque, so
called because of the impressive blue tiles lining its walls.
Next on our itinerary is the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts.
Then we will go into the St.Sophia Museum. Following this stop,
we will go onto the Underground Cistern built by Justinian in
535, and on to the Suleymaniye Mosque built by the Master
Architect Sinan during the reign of Suleyman the Magnificent,
the Lawgiver. Dinner will be at a night spot which features live
music and Folklore Show. Overnight in Istanbul. (B/D).
 Day
3: Adana.
We will take the early flight to Adana, ancient Cilicia , and
drive straight to Tarsus, the birth place of St. Paul. During
St. Paul's time Tarsus was a university city surpassing Athens
and Alexandria. Cicero was a governor here in 51-50 BC. and the
romantic meeting between Cleopatra and Mark Anthony took place
in Tarsus. Highlights here will be St. Paul's well, tomb of
Sardanapulus and Cleopatra's Gate. Back to Adana for dinner and
overnight. (B/D).
Day 4: Adana.
Today we journey East to Antioch-on-the- Orontes, Daphne and
Sele ucia
Pieria. Antioch is thought to have been founded in 300 BC. Among
all the cities in the world of the first century AD. Antioch
offered the most ferric ground for new ideas, philosophies and
religions. First to preach here was St. Peter followed by St.
Paul and Barnabas whose extensive efforts proved to be very
fruitful for Christianity. Incidentally, the word Christians was
first coined in Antioch. The strong and wealthy community of
Antioch contributed financially to the Christian community of
Jerusalem. Highlights include the museum which houses a superb
collection of mosaics from Antioch, Daphne and Seleucia Pieria,
St. Peter's Grotto, the cave church came to be known as the
meeting place of the early
 Christians.
According to the legend, ancient Daphne was the sacred grove
where Apollo tried to rape a nymph of the same name whom Eros
struck with an arrow thus making her incapable of loving neither
a god nor a mortal. Apart from being dedicated to Apollo, Daphne
was also a place of carnal pleasures and any soldier caught in
the area was dismissed from service.
The next site we will visit today is Seleucia Pieria which was
the port city of Antioch in ancient days. The most interesting
monument here is the Tunnel of Titus which is a tremendous canal
dug for the purpose of diverting waters of Orontes river.
Another highlight her e
will be the rock tombs with their impressive facades pertaining
to the Hellenistic period. Return to Adana for overnight. (B/D).
Day 5: Cappadocia.
After an early breakfast we drive north to Cappadocia and first
stop at Derinkuyu. This is an underground city , carved into
soft rocks resembling a huge labyrinth of tunnels, rooms,
kitchens, wine cellars and passageways. A huge chimney
ventilates this 8-leveled dwelling which was used by Christians
hiding from their Roman and Byzantine persecutors. Their
colorful frescoes remain as vibrant as when they were first
made.
Further on we come to Cappadocia whose effect on the visitor is
like that of a village out of Grimm's Fairy Tales. What Turks
commonly call "Fairy Chimneys" are jutting pieces of volcanic
rocks that have been beaten and shaped by the wind and rain.
Highlights will be The Apple Church, The Church of St.John the
Baptist and the Church with a Buckle in Goreme. Dinner at hotel
and overnight. (B/D).
Day 6: Konya.
Right after breakfast, we begin our drive to Konya or ancient
Uconium which became an important Christian city following St.
Paul's preaching. A Phyrigia legend says that Konya was the
first city to be founded after the flood. St. Paul and Barnabas
came here in 47 A.D. and their preaching was accompanied by many
miracles. St. Paul made two more stops here on his second and
third journeys. Today's Konya is quite new but the center of the
city is very old. Overnight in Konya. (B/D).
Day 7: Antalya.
Early morning we will drive to Psidian Antioch (Yalvac) where
St. Paul opened Christianity to the world. Yalvac's history goes
back to 280 B.C. During St. Paul's time the population was a
mixture of Jews, Romans and Greeks. Very little is left of
Psidian Antioch today. There is the propylaea of the acropolis
with a number of carved stones and the remains of a Byzantine
church. We pass by Egirdir Lake and arrive in Antalya for
overnight. (B/D).
Day 8: Antalya (Perge-Aspendos-Side).
Ruins of Perge are 18 kms to the northeast of Antalya. This is
where St. Paul began preaching after arriving from Cyprus.
Highlights are, the Gymnasium, the Bath, the Agora, the Theater,
the Stadium and the Hellenistic Gate. Another one of the
Pamphilian cities is Aspendus. The Theater is the best preserved
in the world with its incredible acoustics. Today's Side is
built exactly on top of the ancient city. Side means
"pomegranate" and this fruit has been depicted in the coinage
found in the area. The highlights here will be the Temples of
Athena and Apollo, the State Agora, the Theater and the Museum.
Overnight in Antalya. (B/D).
Day 9: Pamukkale (Laodicea-Hierapolis).
 We
leave our hotel early in the morning and drive to Hierapolis but
before we get here we stop at Laodicea. We find here two
Theaters, a large Stadium, a Water Tower and an Odeon. The city
is supposed to have been named by Antiochus II in honor of his
wife, Laodicea. St. Paul wrote a letter to the church here
(Acts:4:16).
We arrive in Hierapolis which was founded by Pergamon king
Telephos and named after his wife Hiera. Most likely, the very
large Jewish element in this city was an important factor in the
rapid expansion of Christianity. During the Byzantine period the
city became the seat of diocese with a large Christian Church
dedicated to St. Philip, martyred here in 80 A.D. Highlights
include the Roman Baths, the Temple of Apollo and the Theater.
Overnight at Pamukkale. (B/D).
Day 10: Kusadasi.
 We
start early as we will see four sights today. Closeby Hierapolis
is the beautiful ancient site of Aphrodisias . This ancient city
of learning, fine arts and sculpture has provided us with
exquisite pieces of work which are on display on the site. Its
Stadium is among the best-preserved in the world. The "Bishops
Palace", Odeon and the Theater will be the highlights here. Our
next stop Didyma served as a religious sanctuary to god Apollo.
Oracular inscriptions in Didyma indicate dates as far back as
6th cent.B.C. Legend tells us that with the arrival of Alexander
the Great, the sacred spring of the Temple which had dried up
began to flow again. Highlights will be the Temple of Apollo.
Further north we arrive at Miletus whose history dates back to
800 B.C. Famous Philosopher Thales comes from Miletus and he is
credited with the theory that all things come from water.
Highlights here are the Theater, Baths of Faustina and the
Council Chamber.
Next on our itinerary is Priene with its well planned streets
and graceful buildings and temples. Highlights will be the
Agora, the Ecclesiasterium and the Temple of Athena Polias.
Overnight at Kusadasi. (B/D).
Day 11: Izmir (Ephesus).
On our way to Izmir this morning we will stop by the famous city
of Ephesus. Our tour will begin with the Basilica of St. John
"the Evangelist" who came here with the Virgin Mary and wrote
his Gospel in Ephesus. The Temple of Artemis, considered as on
the Seven Wonders of the World, was located here.
Ephesus as you will see, is in very good state of preservation
and the overall existing view of this ancient city will make it
evident that she was a wealthy cultural and commercial center in
the past. St. Paul's preaching in the area resulted with the
uproar of the Guild of Silversmiths and eventually the whole
population of Ephesus. Highlights include the Library of
Celcius, the Temple of Hadrian, the Fountain of Trojan, the
Brothel and the Theater. We will also stop by the House of
Virgin Mary nearby, where she is reputed to have spent her last
years and died. You will be able to collect
 some
holly water from the Sacred Spring. Overnight in Izmir. (B/D).
Day 12: Izmir (Sardis).
We drive to Sardis whose history dates back to 12th cent. B.C.
Sardis felt the influence of Christianity very early and was
included in the Seven Churches of the Apocalypse. During the
Byzantine times it was the seat of a bishopric. Highlights will
be a Synagogue, Gymnasium, Byzantine Church and the Temple of
Artemis. We will then proceed to Thyateria or Akhisar, which was
another one of the towns where Christianity spread quickly. It
was the site for one of the Churches of Revelation. We will see
another one in Izmir, when we drive back for overnight. (B/D).
Day 13: Ayvalik.
On our way to Ayvalik this morning we will stop by hauntingly
beautiful Pergamon which rises high on a hill as one nears the
city of Bergama. Being one o f
the richest and most powerful of kingdoms of the ancient world,
one look will tell you it still retains its past grandeur even
in its shattered yet dignified present state. Highlights will
include the Altar of Zeus, Temple of Trojan and the Theater.
Coming down the mountain we will stop by Asclepion, a leading
health center of the ancient world where methods of treatment
included music therapy and barefoot walking. Overnight in
Ayvalik. (B/D).
Day 14: Bursa (Troas-Assos).
We leave our hotel and proceed to Troas and Assos before heading
towards Bursa. Troas was a busy port situated on the north-west
coast of Asia Minor. Recent excavations revealed a dozen
different cities covering 3000 years of human occupation. During
his stay in Troas, St. Paul had a dream in which he saw a vision
of a man asking him to "Come over to Macedonia and help us"
after which he decided to go to Europe. All in all, he stopped
and preached here 3 times.
Assos perched high on a cliff overlooking the Aegean and the
Island of Lesbos is breathtaking. Its Acropolis carries the
impressive Temple of Athena. Arriving at Assos on foot from
Troas, St. Paul preached here and climbed down to the little
port on the shore to board the boat on his return journey to
Jerusalem. Overnight in Bursa. (B/D).
Day 15: Istanbul (Iznik/Nicea).
After the breakfast, we will visit the Yesil Cami (Green Mosque)
and the Yesil Turbe (Green Tomb). The Ulu Mosque is completely
Seljuk in style, a big rectangular building with immense portals
and a forest of supporting columns inside. After a stop at the
Ottoman House Museum, we leave Bursa behind us and drive to
Nicea.
The city was founded around 1000 B.C. In 325, the First
Ecumenical Council was held here for the purpose of condemning
the heresy of Arianism. The Seventh Ecumenical Council was also
held here in the St. Sophia Church, which we will visit first.
The church was built in the 4th century and has a mosaic floor
which dates to the 6th century. All gates and walls date from
the Byzantine times. We proceed to Istanbul and check into our
hotel. (B/D).
Day 16: Departure.
Transfer following the breakfast. (B).
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 Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
(B), (L), (D); B= Breakfast, L= Lunch, D= Dinner.
Reservation |
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