SEVEN CHURCHES WITH CAPPADOCIA 12 DAYS

In this tour;3 nights in ISTANBUL, 1 night in BURSA, 1 night in ASSOS, 2 nights in IZMIR ,1 night in PAMUKKALE , 1 night in KONYA, 2 nights in CAPPADOCIA. 

We visit;Hagia Sophia(Church of Divine Wisdom),St.Savior Chora(Kariye)Museum,Taksim Squere, Bosphoros cruiseSpice Market(Egyptian Bazaar)Bosphoros criuse,Topkapi Palace,Blue Mosque,Underground cistern,Grand Bazaar, Nicea St. Sophia Church, old silk bazaar in Bursa,Troy, Assos,Akropolis of Pergamum, Thyatira,Izmir-Smyrna, Sardis, Philadelpia, Hierapolis, Leodicea,Ephesus,Temple of Artemis,Hous of Virgin Mary,Basilica of St. John, Antioch in Pisidia, St. Paul Church in Konya,Optional Hot Air Balloon tour,Goreme open Air Museum,Uchisar Castle,Avanos with pottery and tile making lessons,Zelve Opan Air Museum,Kaymaklı Underground city,Pasabag valley,Dervent Village.turkish carpet making lesson

Day 1 (Istanbul)

Today, we arrive in Istanbul, where a transferman will meet us at the airport. We transfer to our hotel downtown, and have a brief orientation late in the afternoon.

This evening, we can discover any of the Turkish restaurants in the area as we enjoy dinner on our own.

 Day 2 (Istanbul) 

This morning we visit Hagia Sophia, the "Church of Divine Wisdom." 

Completed under the Emperor Justinian in AD 537, the magnificent dome of the Hagia Sophia was once the pre-eminent architectural wonder of the Byzantine world. 

The massive building was a Christian church for almost a thousand years, until the conquest of Constantinople in 1453, when Mehmet the Conqueror claimed it for Islam. 

This impressive structure has also been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Tour of Istanbul including visits of St. Saviour in Chora - (Kariye Museum) Originaly formed the center of a Byzantine Monastery complex. 

Only the church section which was dedicated to Jesus Christ the Saviour, has survived.

Continue your tour with the visit of Taksim Squere.

We have lunch on our own, and then board the Old Tram for a ride down Istiklal Street to the heart of Art Nouveau Istanbul. 

Istanbul has many Art Nouveau buildings; several were designed by the Italian architect Raimondo Tommasso d'Aronco, the chief palace architect for the last Ottoman sultan, Abudulhamid II, who ruled from 1876 to 1909. D'Aronco drew heavily Ottoman and Islamic architecture and art, reinterpreting them through the lens of the then-popular European Art Nouveau movement and its organic, floral forms. 

The results can be seen in the many beautiful palaces and grand private homes he designed for Istanbul's government and its elite citizens.

Day 3 (Istanbul) 

This morning, we'll discover some of Istanbul's most famous sites on foot, including Topkapi Palace. Mehmet the Conqueror started building this complex in about 1459 and it served as the royal palace of the Ottoman sultans until 1853. 

Today, it is one of the world's richest museums, with a staggering collection of jewels, arms, porcelain, sculpture, manuscripts, and more. 

Next, we stop at the classic Blue Mosque, so-called for the shimmering blue tiles that line its interior. 

Flanked by symmetrical soaring minarets, it is one of the defining elements of the Istanbul skyline. This classic of Ottoman architectural design was constructed under the patronage of Sultan Ahmet I, from 1609-1616.

Hippodromme,center of sporting (chariots races,athletics)events and political activities of the old city.

The Blue Mosque,one of the famous mosgues of the Ottomans are known for it’s blue Iznık tiles and unique with its 6 minarets.

Today lunch is on your own.After the lunch. Just a short walk across the square takes us to the Underground Cistern, the largest of the many underground cisterns built during the Byzantine Empire to supply the city with water. 

This cistern is especially fascinating because the Byzantine builders recycled many stone structures—capital heads and columns-- that had been used in earlier temples. 

Now an upside down Medusa stares out at us from her watery home. The tour will end with the visit to the Grand Bazaar, the vast and legendary covered market that is the biggest souk in the world with nearly 4000 shops of antiques, jewelry, and carpets. 

Spice Market, Egyptian Bazaar built in the 17th century, this is the second largest covered bazaar in Istanbul. 

On to the Egyptian Spice Bazaar, where the pungent and savory aroma of exotic oils, herbs and spices have perfumed the arched stone corridors for nearly 350 years. Now also proferring nuts, honey, dried fruits, traditional sweets and herbal remedies, the Spice Bazaar’s redolent wares will transform you into a veritable spice trader!.

This afternoon, we take to the Bosporus cruise. You can look north to the “European” district of Galata, or east to the Asiatic side of the Bosporus and the Maiden’s Tower. 

In ancient times, the Golden Horn could be closed off to warships with a giant chain stretching from here to Seraglio Point We enjoy a dinner together in a local restaurant.Overnight at hotel.

Day 4 ( Istanbul- Nicea, Bursa)  

Drive to Nicea through Bursa. At Nicea, you will see remains of Constantine’s palace, now covered by the water at the shore of Lake Iznik. It was here in this palace chapel that the First Ancient Church Council convened in A.D. 325 to produce the Nicene Creed. 

Enjoy Nicea’s St. Sophia Church, where the Seventh Church Council convened in 787.Than drive to Bursa,after lunch to visit Silk Bazaar constracted by Ottoman Sultan.then drive to hotel in Bursa  for dinner and overnight.

Day 5 (Bursa-Troy, Assos-Behramkale) 

This morning after breakfast we drive to Çanakkale.

After driving four hours we arrive to Troy to see the popular ruins of the ancient city of Troy, the site of the mythological battle Homer immortalized in his Illiad. 

Archaeologists have proved that there had been nine separate periods of settlement here dating back to 3,000 BC. Lunch is near Troy.  

Our last visit is Assos ancient city. Assos was visited by St. Paul during his third missionary journey through Asia Minor,which was between 53-57 AD,on his way to Lesbos. 

After leaving the platonic Academy in Athens, Aristotle went to Assos where he was welcomed by King Hermiasand opened an Academy in this city.

Than to our hotelfor dinner and overnight near Assos.

Day 6 (Assos, Izmir) 

Then we drive to down the mountainous coastline of Turkey. 

Our stop will be at the ancient Acropolis of Pergamum, famous for its wealth of archaeological ruins where, from the Temple of Trajan, you will take in the stunning views of the surrounding countryside.

Pergamon is a place where, wrote St. Jhon to the Church of Pergamon,''Satan's throne is sited''.We also visit red-court in the city center.We have lunch in a local restaurant.

Than we drive to Thyatira,and where the fourth of the seven Churches of Asia Minor to receive an epistle from the Apostle John. 

Drive toIzmir-Smyrna for dinner and overnight.

Day 7 ( Ephesus- House of Virgin Mary- St John Church, Izmir) 

After breakfast, we drive for  an hour to the world-famous ancient Greco-Roman site of Ephesus, one of the largest and best-preserved ancient cities in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

You can walk on the remarkably preserved wide marble streets, flanked by columns and temples. 

We see the Library of Celsus, a tiered façade decorated with exquisite statues. 

The amphitheater we’ll see is the same one where St. Paul preached to the Ephesians. And there are also remarkably preserved baths. 

Ephesus was also the site of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. 

No longer standing, it was said to be one of the most colossal temples ever built.

We also visit the nearby House of the Virgin Mary, nestled high in the hills overlooking the city of Ephesus.

We also view the ruins of the sixth-century Basilica of St. John, said to stand over the burial site of the Apostle of Jesus, who is thought to have authored the Book of Revelation and the Fourth Gospel of the Bible while in Ephesus.  

Later this afternoon, we have the unique opportunity to get acquainted with the old turkish carpet-making tradition of Anatolia, befor we drive to hotel in Izmir for dinner and overnight.

Day 8 (Izmir, Pamukkale)

After breakfast drive to Sardis, .The church of Sardis had become dead in spite of its reputation.

Twice beforthe citie's akropolis had fallen ,because Sardis had fallen asleep and let down her guard.Than we drive to Philadelpia .

The church here stood at an important junction of the imperial post that run from rome through Troas, Pergamon, and Sarsis on through to Tarsus and the East. 

They had an open door through which to share the gospel.

Next we drive to Leodicea  which is locatad in the Lycus River Valley of western Asia Minor,a primary trade rout between the cultures of  the West and the East.

The city known as a primary hub for the Roman aqueduct.The ''lukewarm '' church with a  faith  that is neither hot or cold.   

Pamukkale "The Cotton Castle" with its snow-white terraces formed by thermal waters cascading down the hillside. 

At nearby Hierapolis we will see the stadium and take a fascinating stroll through the tombs of the Necropolis.

Before dinner take time to relax in the thermal pool or spa at your hotel in Pamukkale. 

Dinner and overnight at hotel.

Day 9 ( Pamukkale, Konya )

This morning after breakfast we have a long drive to Konya (Iconium). Drive to Antioch of Pisidia, where nearly the whole city came to hear Paul preach during his first missionary journey (Acts 13:14-52). 

The marvelous excavations include the ancient church and the great first-century Temple of Augustus. 

Today, you will travel the Royal Road that once connected Ephesus with distant Babylon.

On the way Lunch is in a village called Sille  near Konya.An old christan  city  which has an old church and interasting natural formations. 

Than we drive to Konya.

We have an opprtunity to visit a modern church called St. Paul Church in Konya. 

Paul and Barnabas visited the city on Paul's first missionary journey (Acts 13:51–14:7). 

Here they preached in the synagogue and then the city. After about three months the opposition became so great that they had to flee for their lives to Lystra and Derbe. 

Paul revisited the city on his second (Acts 16:2) and probably third journeys. 

Iconium is situated at the western edge of the great Anatolian plateau at an elevation of 3,600 feet (1,100 m.) and roads from the east, especially from Cilicia (Tarsus) gather to it. 

From Iconium there is a pass through the mountains to the west  as the road heads toward Pisidian Antioch. 

In Paul's day the prosperous city was a Roman colony. Drive to hotel in Konya for dinner and overnight.

Day 10  ( Konya, Cappadocia) 

Today, after breakfast we drive to Cappadocia. We’ll drive to the famous Goreme “open-air museum,” a group of ancient churches carved from the rock. 

Most of these chapels have colorful frescoes inside, which date from the tenth to the 13th centuries. 

Than we drive shortly to Uchisar Castle which is the panoramic watching point Cappadocia. 

Many rooms, steps, tunnel and galleries inside the castle. 

Avanos, the latter providing us with the opportunity to purchase some of the hand-turned pottery and tile that has been shaped here for millennia and some of the techniques still used date back to Hittite times to 2000 BC. 

Drive to hotel in Cappadocia for dinner and overnight.

Day  11 (Cappadocia)

Today you may have an optional Hot-Air Balloon Ridecappadocia-tours-turkey Cappadocia is one of Turkey’s most fanciful and recognizable landscapes, and during this optional hot-air balloon flight, we’ll soar over its amber terrain and fairy-tale chimneys, savoring a unique panorama in the quiet, rosy light of dawn.

Please note: The cost of this tour cannot be refunded to passengers who cancel less than 24 hours prior to the flight .

After breakfast,this morning we drive to Kaymaklı Underground City .

During the Hittite era, as successive armies swept across Asia Minor, underground cities were built as a uniquely defensible community, approximately eight stories underground. 

We can explore some of the hundreds of rooms, wandering the many narrow, sloping passageways between kitchens with enameled food storage areas, water cisterns, stables, and living spaces—all well ventilated by air shafts. 

At one time, several thousand people lived here. Following our underground city discovery, we'll see more of this scenic area of Cappadocia.

Such as Pasabag Highly remarkable earth pillars can be seen here, in the middle of a vineyard, hence the name of the place which means: the Pacha's vineyard. 

Pacha means "General", the military rank, in Turkish and it is a very common nick name. 

This site is also called Monks Valley.See another interesting rock formation called Dervent valleyThe small fairy chimneys in the valley form a lunar landscape, or moonscape, by their strange look. 

The valley also has many animal shaped rocks. It looks like a sculpture zoo made by nature After lunch  this afternoon we visit Zelve open -Air Museum.

This nature site is the perfect place to take photos of remarkable landscape of tufa cones. 

Return to hotel for dinner and overnight in Cappadocia.

Day 12 ( Fly to Istanbul)  

After breakfast transfer to  airport for your flight out.

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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