ITINERARY

After breakfast, drive along the Black Sea to Trabzon which was the seat of the Emperor during the Latin conquest of Constantinople and served as the capital of the Pontic Kingdom. After lunch in Trabzon, visit the church of Hagia Sophia of Trepizond, raised on a terrace overlooking the Black Sea where once Hadrian built a temple to Apollo. We continue to visit the Gulbahar Hatun Mosque which was built in 1584 by the Father of Suleyman the Magnificent in honor of his mother. We walk to our hotel through the narrow streets and the fortifications of the old city and  see the people of Trabzon. Dinner and overnight in Trabzon.

Today we continue on to Erzurum. We drive inland crossing the Pontic Mt. Ranges. This was the route which Xenophon and his Ten Thousands followed in 400 BC. In the afternoon, we arrive in Erzurum, check into our hotel and visit the city. We concentrate on the Cifte Minareli Madrasa, Yakutiye Madrasa, Uc Kumbetler, the finest examples of Selcuk architecture. Our visit also includes the Citadel of the city.

We leave hotel for our visit of the Fatih Mosque and the famous Monastery of Sumela, far from any village or habitation.  Often shrouded in mists, the Monastery seems to clinging to a sheer rock face above the heavily wooded slopes.  Here we meet with the local Laz people, who are one of the last Georgian tribes left in Turkey. They will entertain us with their music. Back to Trabzon, the rest of the day is at leisure. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.

We leave Erzurum to drive to Ani via Kars.  We arrive in Kars, have lunch and enjoy a Caucasus dance show.  We then proceed on to Ani, the former Armenian capital.  In the mid-10th century, nothing in Europe could touch Ani in its size and magnificence.  In the East, Constantinople and Baghdad were its rivals. After our visit of Ani, we drive further to Dogubeyazit where we will spend the night. En route, we will witness the famous Mt. Ararat with its snow covered peak.  In dark clouds it looks very unreal. After we check into our hotel in Dogubeyazit we go to visit the famous Ishak Pasha Palace with a magnificent setting and enjoy the sunset before returning to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

We leave hotel to drive further South to Van which was the capital of the famous Urartian Kingdom and gives its name to the largest lake in Turkey. We visit the Archeological Museum of Van which displays artifacts belonging to the Hurrian and Urartian Civilizations. The rest of the day is spent visiting the Van Castle, which has a dramatic location and served not only the Urartians, but also for the Ottomans.
Dinner and overnight in Van.

Today is dedicated to visiting the Church of Akdamar located on a small island in Lake Van. This is one of the best and most sophisticated Greco-Armenian Churches of the 10th century.
It is unique with its decorations carved on the outer walls of the church depicting scenes from the Old Testament. Today we will have a cooking class on local food and enjoy the fruits of our labor. Return to Van for dinner and overnight.

Today we drive to Diyarbakir. Upon our arrival we visit of the famous ancient city walls which are the longest in Turkey and have five monumental gates. We will then go to the Grand Mosque (Ulu Cami). This remarkable mosque was the very first of the Great Selcuk mosques in Anatolia.
Dinner and overnight in Diyarbakir.

Today early in the morning we drive to Biblical Harran, famous for its beehive-style mud houses. Genesis refers to Harran as Terha, the place where Abraham took his wife and son. It is difficult to believe that this deserted place on the edge of the Syrian desert was once a major economic, religious and a learning capital. We will have lunch here in a beehive-style house. From Harran, continue on to Urfa where we will visit the Pool of Abraham which is charming and unusually peaceful with attractive gardens and canals leading to the pool. The remainder of the day is on your own to explore the old bazaar of the city which has a very Syrian flavor. At dinner we will enjoy the company of local people and enjoy a musical performance. Overnight at our hotel in Urfa.

In the morning we visit of the Nemrut Dag which houses the colossal statues and the testimony of the King Antiochus of the Commegene Kingdom. It is a unique and breathtaking experience. Drive back to Sanliurfa for dinner and overnight at our hotel.

We leave our hotel and drive to Antakya (the biblical city of Antioch), pleasantly situated on the Orantes River. We will have lunch in Antakya. The early Christians established their first major Gentile community outside Palestine. Antioch was also the point of departure for Paul's missionary activity throughout Anatolia. We visit the Grotto where St. Peter preached for the first time and founded the first Christian community. We then visit the famous mosaic museum. The mosaics on display are ample testimony to the luxurious life style enjoyed by its citizens. The remainder of the day is at leisure. Tonight we will enjoy drinks at the home of a local family. Dinner and overnight in Antakya.

Today we drive from Antakya to Adana. Upon arrival in Adana, a very short drive will take us to Tarsus, the birthplace of St. Paul. Visit St. Paul's Well, the Gate of Cleopatra and the recently excavated Roman street and marketplace. Leisurely return to Adana, with sufficient time for sightseeing and shopping.
Dinner and overnight at our hotel in Adana.

Early departure to begin our drive over the picturesque Taurus Mountains and passage through the famed Cilician Gates. Crossing the Anatolian plateau, we come to the famed city of Konya (its biblical name is Iconium). Although Paul was not successful in establishing a community here, Konya became world famous as the school and burial place of the Sufi mystic poet and teacher, Mevlana (Jalal-ud-Din Rumi). After lunch, we will visit the Mevlana Museum that houses the tomb of this famous spiritual leader that has become a sacred Islamic shrine and place of universal pilgrimage.
From there we proceed to the Karatay Museum, ancient Islamic theological school and see displays of exquisite Selcuk tiles of the 13th century.
Dinner and overnight at our hotel in Konya.

Leave Konya for proceeding on to the beautiful region of Cappadocia. On the way, we will visit one of the Underground cities of Cappadocia which was used in times of danger. In ancient times, inhabitants carved underground dwellings out of the soft volcanic rock which eventually grew to become entire cities. Lunch will be at a local family house. After, we visit the Pigeons' valley and the Castle of Uchisar before we get to our hotel. Tonight after our dinner we will enjoy a private showing of a Dervish ceremony and a Bektashi dance show.  Bektashi is a syncretic religious order of Islam and was founded in the 13th century. Overnight in Cappadocia.

We continue for our full day tour of the region. Our first stop is at Goreme where we will see many rock cut churches with beautiful frescoes. Then we will drive to see the Pashabagi Valley before we arrive at the Zelve Open Air Museum which was one of the earliest monastic settlements in the area. We will have time to visit local crafts people. Then drive to Kayseri for the evening flight to Istanbul.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Istanbul.

A full day visit of Istanbul including the Blue Mosque, Hippodrome, Underground Cistern and the church of Hagia Sophia with its world famous mosaics and architecture.  Hagia Sophia was the spiritual center of the Byzantine Empire for almost a thousand years.  The Blue Mosque is one of Istanbul’s largest and most beautiful mosques with a pyramidal cascade of domes and semi-domes and six graciful minarets.
The rest of the day is dedicated to exploring more of Istanbul including the Chora Church (Kariye Camii), one of the most important monuments in Istanbul and famous for its mosaics.  Visit the Mosque of Suleman the Magnificent. Drive along the ancient walls of Constantinople before returning to your hotel.  
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Enjoy a second full day exploring Istanbul. Visit Topkapi Palace, residence of the Ottoman Sultans for three centuries. Now a museum, it consists of gardens and buildings of the former palace restored to hold a wealth of treasures. Among the most notable are one of the world’s finest collections of Chinese porcelain, a spectacular collection of jewelery, gems and gold, and the wardrobes of the Sultans, consisting of more than 13,000 costumes. Lunch within Topkapi complex.
Later this afternoon visit the Archaeological Museum adjacent to Topkapi Palace, which includes the celebrated Alexander Sarcophagus. Tour the Grand Covered Bazaar; the largest covered marketplace in the world where a dazzling array of items-from furniture and carpets to jewelery and clothing-are sold in the bazaar’s 4000 shops. Overnight at the hotel.

Transfer to the international airport for outgoing flights.