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St Pauls Biblical Tour Turkey

General Information


St Pauls Biblical Tour Christianity in Turkey
Type:
Historical
Price from:
1.449 EUR /person
Phone:
0090 252 316 2127
Fax:
0090 252 316 8931
Payment Types:
  • No Cash
  • No Credit Card
  • No Cheque
  • No Travellers cheque
  • No Paypal
  • No Wire Transfer
Duration:
15 days
Location Start:
Istanbul
Location Finish:
Istanbul
Start time:
08.30 am
End time:
09.00 pm
We Speak:
Spanish, English
Toursrequestform

Last updated: 11/03/2007

Ankara - Cappadocia - Tarsus - Adana - Antioch - Mersin - Anamur - Alanya - Antalya - Pamukkale - Philadelphia - Sardis - Kusadasi - Ephesus - Smyrna - Pergamum - Iznik (Nicea) - Istanbul (15 Days & 1

Photos (click on a photo to view it)

St Pauls Biblical Tour Christianity in Turkey St Pauls Biblical Tour Christianity in Turkey St Pauls Biblical Tour Christianity in Turkey St Pauls Biblical Tour Christianity in Turkey St Pauls Biblical Tour Christianity in Turkey St Pauls Biblical Tour Christianity in Turkey

Itinerary

Day 1

ISTANBUL
Dinner Included
Welcome to Turkey. Arrive in Istanbul Airport, met by your guide and transferred to your hotel. After check into the hotel, meet at the lobby for welcome and info cocktail. Overnight in Istanbul

Day 2

Istanbul
Breakfast and Dinner Included
Our journey begins in Istanbul, the only city in the world situated on two continents. Byzantium, Constantinople, Istanbul - its three names span more than 2600 years, nearly 1600 of them as the capital of two of the greatest empires the world has known, Byzantine and Ottoman. We visit the Topkapi Palace including treasury section, The Blue Mosque and Hippodrome, where chariot races and the Byzantine riots took place and free time in Grand bazaar with its 3.500 shops. Overnight in Istanbul.

Day 3

Ankara
Breakfast and Dinner Included
A fter breakfast drive to Ankara. Arrive in ANKARA (Capital of Turkey), sight-seeing of Ankara: see the Anatolian Civilization Museum, the Temple of Augustus and Ataturk's Mausoleum. drive to our Hotel for dinner and overnight stay in Ankara.

Day 4

Ankara - Cappadocia
Breakfast and Dinner Included
After breakfast, Continue to CAPPADOCIA with a lunch / rest stop in AKSARAY before a short ride to IHLARA VALLEY, to see the impressive, Byzantine rock carvings and frescoes. Enjoy your dinner and overnight stay in CAPPADOCIA.

Day 5

Cappadocia
Breakfast and Dinner Included
Full day excursion of CAPPADOCIA to see the surreal landscapes of volcanic ash, formed 3 million years ago: spectacular red rock cones,. troglodyte churches and homes dating from 4000 BC Now visit UCHISAR, GOREME and ZELVE, then AVANOS, to visit one of its famous, pottery workshops. Later return to your hotel for overnight stay

Day 6

TARSUS - ADANA
Breakfast and Dinner Included
Visit KAYMAKLI, a unique underground city. Then drive to TARSUS, birthplace of St. Paul. See St. Paul's Well, Cleopatra's Gate and the ancient city. It was near here that a Great Fish "vomited out Jonas upon the dry land" Next to ADANA for dinner and overnight stay.

Day 7

ANTAKYA ( ANTIOCH ) - MERSIN
Breakfast and Dinner Included
Full day excursion to ANTAKYA (Antioch). Here Jesus' followers were first called Christians (Acts 11:26) Peter, Paul and also Barnabas preached here. Visit St. Peter's Grotto and the exquisite Mosaic Museum. View the old city of ISKENDERUN before beginning the return drive to MERSIN for dinner and overnight stay.

Day 8

ANAMUR - ALANYA
Breakfast and Dinner Included
Depart westward along the Mediterranean shoreline, a famous coastal road. Take a lunch break in ANAMUR. See City of the Monophystie Archbishop of Seleucia. Overnight in Alanya.

Day 9

ANTALYA
Breakfast and Dinner Included
Continue to the ancient city of SIDE, the old port where Paul, Barnabas and Mark landed during their missionary journeys. Later they sailed from here to ANTIOCH. Than visit PERGE, where St. Paul preached when arriving from Cyprus (Acts 13-14), and to ASPENDOS with its magnificent theater. Next drive to ANTALYA for dinner and overnight stay.

Day 10

PAMUKKALE
Breakfast and Dinner Included
Proceed to LAODICEA which was condemned by St. John in Revelation Acts (4:15). Drive to HIERAPOLIS, now called PAMUKKALE, St. Philip was martyred here in 1st AD. Walk the Necropolis and famous Avenue of Tombs. Overnight stay.

Day 11

PHILADELPHIA - SARDES - KUSADASI
Breakfast and Dinner Included
Visit there one of the seven churches of the Apocalypse and the remains of the Cathedral. Continue to in ALASEHIR, the remains of a church. Visit , capital of the ancient LYDIA with temple of the CYBELE & DIANA, which became later a church, see the royal road. Continue to Kusadasi. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 12

EPHESUS - KUSADASI
Breakfast and Dinner Included
Drive to SELCUK. Visit the monastery of St. John and EPHESUS , the best preserved city in the world. See the Library of Celsus, a Stadium where Paul Preached (Acts 19), and the Theatre. Return to KUSADASI. Then have dinner and overnight stay.

Day 13

IZMIR ( SMYRNA ) - PERGAMUM
Breakfast and Dinner Included
This morning take a beautiful drive to IZMIR (ancient SMYRNA), After visiting the St. Policarp church in IZMIR , continue to in Akhisar , ancient commercial place in connection with TROY & SARDES. and visit BERGAMA (Pergamum) , the Acropolis, high above the plain. See the pagan Temples and Altar of Zeus.Overnight in Pergamum.

Day 14

PERGAMUM - NICEA - ISTANBUL
Breakfast Included
After breakfast long drive to Istanbul through IZNIK (Nicea) where the Nicean Creed was formed. Depart for ISTANBUL. Overnight Istanbul.

Day 15

HOME
Breakfast Included
Today drive to the Airport and return flight home, arriving the same day with fresh memories, souvenirs and a renewed interest in Turkey, the land of culture, faith and mystery.

Extra Information

Inclusions -
Tour Includes 14 nights special Boutique and 4 star Hotel Accommodations including breakfast. All transportation in Turkey by private a/c car, Meals mentioned above the program, Welcome cocktail, All entrance fees to the sites and to the museums mentioned on the above program, Comprehensive sight-seeing as itinerary, Special pre-departure information pack, English speaking professional guide throughout, Tips to the hotels and restaurants, All Portage,
Extras -
St Pauls Biblical Tour Christianity in Turkey

Since up to ninety-eight percent of the population are Muslims, Christians are obviously a minority religion in Turkey. Because it is a secular country - the only Muslim country in the world, in fact, that has no state religion - and the Constitution guarantees religious freedom, tolerance is the rule. The population thus includes members of the Armenian Apostolic and Greek Orthodox churches, Roman and Eastern Catholics, and Jews.


Dispute continues, however, over what part Islam should have in Turkish life. It is one of the most controversial issues in Turkey today, and may at some point alter whether Turkish society is organized on a secular or religious basis.


After the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, many of the early Christians, escaping from persecutions in Jerusalem, came to Asia Minor and settled in different cities like Ephesus, Hierapolis and Cappadocia. St. Paul preached in Perge, Derbe, Lystra, Psidian Antioch, Ephesus (see Letter to Ephesians) and Konya. St. John stayed for a while in Ephesus together with Virgin Mary and, after he returned from Patmos where he was exiled, died in Ephesus. St. Peter settled in Antioch and built the first Christian church carved in a cave. St. Philip settled in Hierapolis but was killed together his family by the Romans.


Christianity was declared as the official religion in 380, during the reign of Theodosius I, and destruction of pagan temples was legalized. Even so, throughout the Byzantine era Christianity had great ups and downs in popularity. Many found the road to piety confusing and assorted schisms between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Byzantine church certainly didn't simplify matters. Add this inter-faith bickering to the "Dhimmi" tax (50 percent of earnings for non-Muslims as opposed to the tithing for Muslim believers) for those living on Ottoman-held lands, no wonder large numbers of peasants converted their faith to Islam. Islam was also a relatively simple path to follow - profess belief in One God and the mission of his Prophet Muhammed, and follow the Five Pillars of Faith.


Gradually, Christianity in Turkey disintegrated, so that when the Islamic Ottomans finally conquered the Byzantine Empire, it was inevitable that what had been a predominantly Christian region would be no more.


Many settlements in Asia Minor were very receptive to the earliest Christian missionaries. The Cappadocia region became a vast refuge for Christians persecuted by Rome. Churches and entire cities were carved underground.

Even as part of the Roman Empire, Constantinople (Istanbul) and Asia Minor always remained more Greek than Roman by temperament. These differences were amplified with the spread and eventual domination of Christianity, and eventually, the empire split in two.



Another important fact for Christians is that first Ecumenical Councils were made at Nicea (Iznik today) in the Marmara Region of Turkey, between Bursa and Istanbul.

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