SEVEN CHURCHES WITH ANTALYA 8 DAYS
TOUR INFORMATION...MORE INFORMATION IN THE DESCRIPTION BELOW.
- Category: HALAL & BIBLICAL & JEWİSH TOURISM TURKEY
- Service Duration: 45 Minutes
- Price:Free
Description
Day 1: Arrival to Antalya Airport and transfer to the Hotel
1.Night - Accommodation in Kemer Region.
Day 2: Visit of Demre, Myra and Kekova (Sunken city)
KEKOVA: An hour from Dalyangazi by sea, especialyby sea, especialy enjoyable for the yachtmen, is the islands of Kekova (home of the sun). Kekova is also the name of picturesque islands, numerous bays and ancient cities. Along the northern shore of Kekova island, structural movements of the land over the years have caused some of the ancient houses to be totaly submerged while remains of the others are scattered along the shore. A fascinating Lycian Necropolis chesttype tombs spread out along the costline lies at Theminussa near the present day. Üçağız is the main land cross.
MYRA: Some of the finest example of Lycian funerary architecture are to be found at Myra, near the expanding present day town of Demre. The site, about a mile from the town includes a vast Roman theatre in good repair and build agains a cliff face that also houses too impressive sets Lycian tombs. Many of the tombs have long cabin features carved in to the rocks, presumably reflecting the domestic architecture of the period. Carvings above are mostly in poor repair but the overall effect to this jumble of the architecture of death is dramatic.
DEMRE (St. Nicholaus Church): Best known as the patron saint of children, who was born at Patara araund AD.300 and bishop of Myra where he died. The miracles he performed in life time and stories that surrounded him have identified today in the west with Father Christmas.
2.Night - Accommodation Dalaman Region
Day 3: Move to Selcuk, lunch in Selcuk.
Afternoon visit of Ephesus, Mother Mary's House and St. JEAN Church.
EPHESUS & ST. JEAN CHURCH EPHESUS: According legend, Ephesus (also Ephesos) was founded by the tribe of the Amazons, great female warriors. The name of the cityis thought to have been derived from "Apasas", the name of a city in the "Kingdom of Arzawa" meaning the "city of the Mother Goddess" and some scholars maintain that the sign of the labrys, the double-axe of the mother goddess which adorned the palace at Knosssos, Crete, originated in Ephesus. Ephesus was inhabited from the end of the Bronze Age onwards, but the location was changed owing to floods and the whims of various rulers. While Carians and Lelegians were among the city's first inhabitants, Ionian migrations began around 1200 BCE and Ephesus is chiefly known as a Ionian Greek city.
MOTHER MARY‟S HOUSE: Beyond Ephesus and on Bulbul Dag (mountain), 8km southwest of Selcuk, the monument is thought by some to be where the Virgin Mary died, and is visited by Christian and Muslim pilgrims from around the world. The small stone house is now a chapel, and probably dates back to the 4th century, although the foundations are thought to be 1st century. St. JEAN : Basilica which was built by Byzantine Empire Justinyen for the name of St. John at 6th AC, is take place on Ayasoluk hill. Cross planed building have entrance at west is 40 X 110 m. sized, and a domed type basilica. It stands over the believed burial site of John the Apostle. It was modeled after the now lost Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople.
3.Night - Accommodation in Kusadası Region.
Day 4: Departure to Izmir and visit to the Catholic Church SMYRNA.
After lunch at Izmir. Afternoon visit of Bergama ancient city and stay in Bergama.
IZMIR KATOLIK CHURCH&BERGAMON ANTIQUE CITY SYMYRNA: The history of Izmir ( Smyrna ) stretches back to around 3,000 BC when Trojans established the city of Tepekule in the northern suburb of Bayrakli ; the Aeolians were the first to settle here, then the Ionians took over from them, with the Lydians next and who destroyed the city in 600 BC, after which it made a short recovery on the arrival of Alexander the Great in 334 BC. After Alexander‟s death, and following his wishes, his generals reestablished Smyrna on Mount Pagos in Kadifekale and the city went on to flourish under Roman rule.
PERGAMON: Was an ancient city located in the Anatolia region, approximately 25 kilometres from the Aegean Sea in present-day Bergama, Izmir Province of Turkey. The city had great strategic value, since it overlooked the Caicus River Valley (modern name Bakırçay) which provided access from Pergamon to the Aegean coast. Pergamon reached the height of its influence during the Hellenistic period, becoming the capital of the Attalid kings. During the Roman period the city was the first capital of the Asian province, but it eventually lost this status to local rival, Ephesus.
4.Night - Accommodation Bergama region
Day 5: Visiting the Asklepion Health Center and Bergama Church.
Move to Akhisar city and lunch in Akhisar.
Afternoon visiting Akhisar the Thyaateira Church
ASKLEPION , PERGAMON CHURCH& THYATEIRA CHURCH ASKLEPION: The site in Pergamon was founded in the 4 th Century BC around a sacred spring that still flows. Over the next centuries, it became one of the best-known healing centres of the ancient world, second in importance only to Epidaurus in Greece and was also the world's first psychiatric hospital. The influential physician Galen was born in Pergamon and practiced here in the 2 nd Century AD, having first made his medical reputation treating warriors in the gladiatorial games of the city.
PERGAMON: About 70 miles north of Smyrna stood the magnificent city of Pergamum, one of the most important cities in the Roman Empire. The city boasted almost 180,000 inhabitants (about 3 times the size of Burlington, VT) and was known throughout the world for its architectural innovations, including the temple of Athena, the great altar to Zeus, and a library that held over 200, 000 volumes. By the first century A.D., Pergamum had become not only a key political center, but a major intellectual and religious center as well. A plethora of cultic philosophies and spiritualities existed there, but the religious landscape was dominated by the Roman Imperial Cult, which recognized the Greek gods but worshipped the emperor as a “god.” The emperor referred to himself as “savior.”
THYATEIRA: (also Thyatira) is the name of the modern Turkish city of Akhisar ("white castle"). The name comes from Koine Greek "Θυάτειρα" (Thuateira). The Turkish equivalent of Thyateira is Tepe Mezarligi. It lies in the far west of Turkey, south of Istanbul and almost due east of Athens. It is about 50 miles (80 km) from the Mediterranean.
5.Night - Accommodation in Manisa region .
Day 6: Visiting of Sardes Church in Salihli and after the Philadelphia Church in Alasehir
SARDIS, PHILADELPHIA & LAODIKEIA CHURCHS SARDIS: Around 612 BCE, the greatest city in the world at that time, Nineveh, was besieged and sacked by an allied army of Persians, Medes, rebelling Chaldeans, and Babylonians, putting an end to the Assyrian Empire. This event shaped a new political map: Babylon became the imperial centre of Mesopotamia and the kingdom of Lydia became the dominant power in western Anatolia with Sardis as its capital.
PHILADELPHIA: Modern-day Alasehir, Turkey was originally named Philadelphia, "city of brotherly love." Philadelphia/Alesehir is located approximately 80 miles east of Smyrna/Izmir and 26 miles southwest of Sardis. It stands on the Cogamis River, a tributary of the Hermus river. History Philadelphia was founded in 189 BC by King Eumenes II of Pergamum. who named the city for the love of his brother who would be his successor, Attalus II. Lacking an heir, Pergamum King Attalus III Philometer bequeathed his kingdom, including Philadelphia, to his Roman allies when he died in 133 BC. Rome set up the province of Asia in 129 BC by combining Ionia and the former Kingdom of Pergamum. The ancient city of Philadelphia had several temples. Like nearby Sardis, it was hit with a devastating earthquake in 17 AD; the city was rebuilt with the help of Emperor Tiberius. Ancient Philadelphia was the sixth of the Seven Churches of Revelation. In Revelation 3:12, the believer who overcomes is compared to a pillar in the temple of God. What to See Today, all there is to see at ancient Philadelphia are columns of a Byzantine church, on which some frescoes are visible.
LAODICEA: Laodicea was a wealthy town that was known as a strategic banking center. They used their own wealth to pay for the reconstruction of the city after a devastating earthquake in A.D. 60, rejecting offers of financial aid from Rome. The city was also famous for the soft, black wool it produced and its ancient medicine, particularly an eye salve. All three industries – finance, wool, and eye salve – came into play in this letter. Laodicea‟s water supply was also relevant to the message in this letter as the water had to travel several miles through an underground aqueduct before reaching the city. Therefore, the water arrived foul, dirty, and tepid – lukewarm, just like the people in the church.
After lunch we will see The Church of Laodikeia in Denizli and the Red springwater.
6.Night - Accommodation in Pamukkale region.
Day 7: Visit of Pamukkale Terraces and Hierapolis ancient city.
PAMUKKALE & HIERAPOLIS: Pamukkale or the „‟Cotton Castle is a shimmering white cascade, formed by lime-stone-laden hot spring which have formed stalacties, potholes and magical fairy-tables. The water is reputed to be the beneficial to the eyes andskin to alleviate the ills of asthma, rheumatism and dermatitis. Wading in the little pools on the plateu is possible or you can take a plunge in the pool of the Pamukkale Hotel which is right on the site of the sacret pool. It is exhilirating to paddle through what feels like heated Schwepp‟s water while gazing at the ancient fragmants of columns below the water‟s surface. As much fan as the baths are, do not neglect a visit to the splendid Hierapolis. The ruins spread over a mile over the city founded by Eumenes II of Pergamon and bequeathed by Attalos II to Rome. It was leveled by an earthquake in AD. 17 but was rapidly rebuilt and enjoyed prosperity between the second and third centuries.
Afternoon we drive to Antalya.
7.Night - Accommodation in Antalya region.
Day 8: After breakfast we will visit Perge & Aspendos ancient citys
PERGE: The ruins of the city, although not on the scale of Efhessus, Pergamon, are neverless vast. Most of today‟ s Perge however, belongs to the Pax Romana – the theatre, stadium, baths and colonaded street. The stadiun is one of the best preserved of the ancient world.
ASPENDOS: Some 25 miles east of Antalya and 3 miles of the main road lies Aspendos, graced with a theatre that rivals any single adifice on the Turkish coast. Built on the second century and seating 15.000, the structure is nearly entire except for part of the upper cornice. İt is architect was Xenon a local lad, whose secret formula for creating such perfect acoustics has not yet been discovered.
Back to the Airport.
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Important information
Passport or ID required.
This tour is a long day(s) that involves a lot of walking, so it may not be suitable for people with limited mobility or children.
PRICE INCLUDES:
*Hotel pick up-drop off
*Hotel with half board (Only breakfast at the hotel is included )
*Guidance
*Entrance fees
Excluded
Flight tickets (International & National)
All meals and drinks are not included.Only breakfast at the hotel is included
Important information
Please note that all times are approximate and subject to change.
The Guide may make corrections and adaptations in the course of the tour program according to the conditions and situations of the planned places of visits
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SEVEN CHURCHES OF REVELATION |
‘I, John... was on the island called Patmos, because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, saying, “Write in a book what you see, and send it to the Seven Churches.” Rev. 1:9-11 The Seven Churches mentioned by St. John in the Book of Revelation ( The Apocalypse) are all found in Turkey and each was a founding community of Christianity. In the book of Revelation of the Bible are written messages to seven of the most prominent churches of the Roman Province of Asia, which are located in western Turkey. When we use the word “church” we mean a group of Christians, not a building. Therefore, on a tour of the Seven Churches, we are not looking for remnants of church structures. However, a visit to the impressive excavations of the sites of the ancient Roman cities where these seven churches existed can be quite fascinating, informative and moving. These sites show marks of the passing empires and cultures of the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Selcuk Turks, Ottomans and the modem Turkish Republic. A visitor to these ancient places finds remains of massive pagan temples, beautiful Muslim mosques, as well as many Christian church buildings, which were of course built much later in history. The seven cities mentioned in Revelation form what the Rev. John Stott calls “an irregular circle”, and “are listed in the order in which a messenger might visit them if commissioned to deliver the letters”. Sailing from the island of Patmos, to which John had been banished, he would arrive at Ephesus. He would then travel north to Smyrna and Pergamum, southeast to Thyatira, Sardis and Philadelphia, and finish his journey at Laodicea. He would need only to keep to what Professor William Ramsey calls “the great circular road that bound together the most populous, wealthy and influential part of the Province, the west-central region.” Though the book of Revelation was penned by the hand of the Apostle John, it is claimed that these letters emanate directly from the lips of the ascended and glorified Jesus Christ. Stott notes that “in them, by praise and censure, warning and exhortation, He makes plain much of His will for His people. The seven churches of Asia, though historical, represent the local churches of all ages and of all lands”. The onslaught on the Church was physical through a persecuting emperor and his deputies, intellectual through false cults, and moral through sub-Christian ethical standards. As we look around the world today, the same pressures are harassing different churches and the messages in these letters are also for the Church in the world. Stott says “it’s a call to Christians to endure tribulation, to hold fast to the truth, to resist the deceptions of the devil and to obey the commandments of God.” In each of the seven letters, which follow, the risen Christ lays emphasis, either in rebuke or in commendation, of one particular characteristic of an ideal church. Put together, these characteristics constitute the seven marks of a true and living church. The Letter to Ephesus urges Christians to return to a love for Christ (Rev. 2:3-4 “You have left your first love”). The Apostle Paul spent two and a half years here on his 3rd missionary journey, and in Acts 19, a riot broke out over the drop in sales of the silver models of Diana’s temple. According to an early tradition John replaced Timothy towards the end of the first century as leader of the Ephesian church, and probably wrote his first epistle for them. The excavations done by Austrians are considered to be the largest excavated ruins in the world. The Letter to Smyrna encourages followers to have a willingness to suffer for Christ (Rev. 2: 10 “Do not fear what you are about to suffer”). Smyrna is now the modern city of Izmir, known in history as the “Pearl of the Aegean”, and is located about 35 miles north of Ephesus. If the first mark of a true and living church is love, the second is suffering, for a willingness to suffer proves the genuineness of love. Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna in the 2nd century, proved his love when he was martyred here. Izmir (Smyrna) is the only one of the seven that has had continuous Christian congregations meeting within the city. In the Letter to Pergamum, Christ commends the church in regards to holding to the truth (Rev. 2:12-13 “You hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith”), but then reproves them for tolerating some false prophets. “The seat of Satan” (2:13) may refer to this city being a strong center of paganism with many temples on top of the fortified hill known as an Acropolis. Because of the strong worship of Asklepios, the god of healing, it became a center of medicine. The modem excavations of these places are quite impressive. The Letter to Thyatira gives emphasis to a holiness of life (Rev.2:19-20 “I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel “). It was the smallest of the seven cities and was a garrison city used to deter enemies from reaching Pergamum, 40 miles to the northwest. It was a prosperous trading center and the writer knew of the bronze worker guilds there when he wrote “These are the words of the Son of God, whose feet are like burnished bronze” (2:18). Stott tells us that “while the church manifested love and faith, service and endurance, there was moral compromise, a lack of righteousness of character”. The Letter to Sardis emphasizes the need for inward reality behind the church’s outward show (Rev. 3:1 “You have the name of being alive, and you are dead”). Sardis was the converging point of several inland roads situated in a fertile valley at the foot of Mount Tmolus. However, its ancient history was more distinguished than its modern. Once a splendid and wealthy city, but after severe defeats, it fell greatly. Its religious history, like its civil, belonged to the past. The ruins unearthed give a glimpse of the city’s beautiful past that is now dead. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Rev. 3:22 The Letter to Philadelphia reminds of the need for an evangelistic outreach to others (Rev. 3:8 “Behold, I have set before you an open door”). Like Sardis, it was in the fertile region of the Lydian kingdom. The severe earthquake of AD 17, which devastated Sardis almost completely, demolished Philadelphia. According to Prof William Ramsey, the intention of the city’s founder had been “to make it a center of the Greco-Asiatic civilization, and a means to spreading the Greek language and manners. It was a missionary city from the beginning.” The Letter to Laodicea emphasizes a wholeheartedness in everything (Rev. 3:15-16 “You are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold”). About forty miles southeast of Philadelphia, there are three famous cities clustered in a valley. Hierapolis stood on the north of the river, while on the south bank were Laodicea and Colossae. Its beginnings and past are not clear but Christ sends to this church the sternest of the seven letters. There’s no mention of heretics or persecutions, simply that they were “neither hot nor cold”. The hot springs of Hierapolis become lukewarm by the time they reach Laodicea. Perhaps none of the seven letters is more appropriate to the modern Church than this one. So as you can see, when a visitor comes to these remarkable Roman ruins carrying his New Testament and reflects on what happened in the past and meditates on the universal lessons to be learned today, a trip to the Seven Churches of Revelation in modem Turkey can be an unforgettable experience. Turkey, with its thousands of ancient sites reflecting its centuries of history and culture spanning more than 5000 years combined with its modem beauty, sunny beaches, crystal-clear waters, exotic bazaars, world-renowned cuisine, and hospitable people, is a destination guaranteed to be a life-changing trip. |
