Overnight in Pamukkale.Īt Hierapolis (Pamukkale), enjoy the 'Cotton Castles' of brilliant white calcium rock formations and hot-water travertines, where hot mineral waters emerge from the earth and cascade over cliffs. Paul wrote one of his prison epistles to the church at Colossae, a city situated on the Lycus River. Visit the unexcavated site of ancient Colossae by the village of Honaz. Will travel the Royal Road that once connected Ephesusĭistant Babylon. The marvelous excavations include the ancientĬhurch and the great first-century Temple of Augustus. Paul preach during his first missionary journey

Pisidian Antioch, where nearly the whole city came to hear St. Iconium was once the home of the sect of mystical Muslims called Swirling Dervishes. Paul preached and encouraged believers during his first missionary journey (Acts 14:1-6). Then depart for Iconium (Today's Konya), where St. Paul's well, the Gate of Cleopatra, and the latest excavations.

Overnight in Antioch.Īfter breakfast at the hotel, we will drive to Tarsus to visit the St. Then you will visit an unbelievable Tunnel system carved through the mountains by the emperors Vespasian and Titus. Barnabas, and John Mark departed from Antioch on the St. Continue to visit the archaeological remains of Seleucia, the port from which St. Discover the impact of leaders such as Ignatius of Antioch and John Chrysostom. Paul and Silas departed from here on the second missionary journey (Acts 15:35-36). South of the church, The Iron Gate was one of the actual entrances of Biblical Antioch strolling through the old part of the city, you cannot help recalling the saints who walked these old streets, for little has changed since that time. We will visit the cave where they met in secret where St.

Paul, Barnabas and Timothy all preached in this place where Jesus followers were first called Christians (Acts 11:26). It was the third largest city of the Roman Empire, rivaled only by Rome and Alexandria. Overnight in Adana.Īntioch was the headquarters journeys of St. Adana is situated some thirty miles east of Tarsus, birthplace of the St. Continue to Adana the country's fourth largest city. You will enjoy your own-guided tour to one of the best-preserved underground cities in Cappadocia, the city of Kaymakli. Quarters, stables, and chapels for worship, descend five to ten stories into the earth. Such cities, with carved rooms for kitchens, sleeping Persecuted Christians - tens of thousands of them - escaping into the earth to flee Arab invaders in the tenth century, tunneled out more than twenty underground cities of refuge here in Cappadocia. The beauty and quaintness of these chapels, with numerous wall paintings and Christian symbols, is astonishing. We will travel to Cappadocia's scenic Ihlara Valley, where early Christians carved some 3,500 cave churches from the tufa rock. In Acts 2:9, pilgrims from Cappadocia were assembled with the thousands in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost when they received the initial baptism of the Holy Spirit and heard the Apostle Peter preach his powerful message. KAYMAKLI UNDERGROUND CITY - IHLARA VALLEY - ADANA Finally, savor the natural wonders of the Citadel of Uchisar and Zelve Valley. Watch the potters at their craft, in the famous pottery producing town of Avanos. This vast area is one of the most photogenic landscapes in the world.Įxtraordinary rock formations have become symbolic of this region, where you will enjoy the Valley of the Fairy Chimneys and Goreme's breathtaking Open Air Museum. Cappadocia, with its center in Caesarea (Kayseri), was once the heart of the Hittite Kingdom of the Old Testament. Welcome to Central Anatolia, where a dozen empires have risen and fallen, as their massive armies moved back and forth across this 'land bridge' between Europe and Asia.

Meander river ancient greece