7 Churches in Asia Minor (06 Night – 07 Days Turkey)

Ephesus (Rev,2:1-7) was an important coastal city for Pagans and Christians, for religious and secular reasons, including being the place Romans landed when about to take over the province of Asia. Its ancient population was about a quarter of a million. The temple of Artemis at Ephesus was sponsored by the Lydian king Croesus, designed by the Greek architect Chersiphron, and decorated with bronze statues sculpted by the renowned Pheidias, Polycleitus, Kresilas, and Phradmon. Entrusted one to the other by Jesus himself, John and Mary would certainly respect the last wishes of their beloved Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is entirely plausible to believe that since Mary’s safety would be of paramount importance to John, he took Mary with him to the safety of Ephesus. The people of “Kirkince” (now Sirince), a village about 17 km from Meryem Ana Evi, traditionally believed that there had been a house on Bulbul Dagi (Nightingale Hill) where Mary had lived. Every year on August 15, the Feast of the Assumption, they made a pilgrimage to Meryem Ana Evi. They believed that Mary was Assumed into heaven from this place. Hierapolis is listed in the New Testament along with Laodicea as the center of Epaphras’s work (Colossians 4:13). This was at the time Paul was writing to strengthen the message Epaphras was preaching and to condemn the “people who go in for self-mortification and angel-worship” (Colossians 2:18). Another less well-known resident of Hierapolis was Papias, a disciple of St. John and the author of the lost book called the Sayings of Jesus. Pamukkale, located in the province of Denizli this natural wonder is comprised of terraces and travertine formed by hot springs and streams depositing carbonate minerals. Pamukkale has gained eminence for its waters believed to have curative powers and been used as a thermal bath for centuries.

• Breakfast
• Dinner
• Accommodation : A 4-star hotel in Pamukkale.

The ancient city of Laodicea (Rev,3:14-22), also known as Laodicea on the Lycus, is the first institutional and the largest archaeological site in Denizli. Laodicea had one of the seven churches of Asia mentioned in the Book of Revelation. The seventh one is the Laodicea Church. Philadelphia (modern Alashehir) (Rev, 3:7-13) was founded in the 3rd century BC by one of the Pergamenian kings and named after Attalus II (159–138 B.C.) who, in spite of Roman pressure, maintained loyalty and love for his brother, Eumenes II (197–159 B.C.)— thus the name “Philadelphia” (brotherly love). One of the most picturesque areas of any of the Seven Churches is the site of Sardis (Rev,3:1-6). Sardis is an ancient city that was located near the village of Sart, in the Salihli district of Manisa, and was the capital of Lydia state. It was founded in 1300 BC and was destroyed in 1200 AD. Sardes is the place where the money was first printed according to known history. It is also the beginning of the famous King's Road in history. The spur of Mt. Tmolus (Boz Dağ) protrudes from the base of the mountain like the prow of a ship and constitutes the nigh impregnable citadel of the once famous city. Down through the ages wind and water have carved the sandstone and conglomerate of that spur and the surrounding country into distinctive sharp hills. The area of Old Smyrna (Rev,2:8-11) near Bayraklı across the bay from the present Izmir was inhabited during the first half of the third millennium B.C. Smyrna was the second city to receive a letter from the apostle John in the book of Revelation. Acts 19:10 suggests that the church there was founded during Paul’s third missionary journey. Due to the fact that the port city of Izmir houses the second largest population in Turkey today, the site of ancient Smyrna has been little excavated. Excepting the agora, theater, and sections of the Roman aqueduct, little remains of the ancient city.

• Breakfast
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• Accommodation : A 4-star hotel in Izmir.

The Saint Polycarp Church is the oldest church in Izmir and represents ancient Smyrna’s role as one of the Seven Churches of Revelation. Saint Polycarp was converted by John the Apostle and became Bishop of Smyrna. He was martyred by the Romans at age 86 in 155 AD at Kadifkale, which was atop the hill near modern-day Izmir. According to tradition, when they tried to burn Polycarp at the stake, the flames wouldn’t touch him. They finally stabbed him to death. Akhisar, the site of ancient Thyatira (Rev,2:18-29), is a thriving modern city, but with almost no remains of its old self to be seen except the ruins of an ancient temple, possibly to Apollo, a colonnaded road, and a large church. The city was home to a Christian community from the apostolic period. The community continued until 1922 when the Orthodox Christian population was deported. In the first sentence of the letter in Revelation to the angel of the church in Thyatira, there is a reference to “the Son of God, whose eyes flame like fire and whose feet gleam like burnished brass” (Rev. 2:18). Drive to Bursa and check-in at the hotel overnight.

• Breakfast
• Dinner
• Accommodation : A 4-star hotel in Bursa.

Church of the Holy Wisdom “, known as Hagia Sophia (Άγια Σοφία) in Greek, Sancta Sophia in Latin, and Aya Sofya in Turkish, is a former Byzantine church and former Ottoman mosque in Istanbul. Hagia Sophia was rebuilt in her present form between 532 and 537 under the personal supervision of Emperor Justinian I. For over 900 years the Hagia Sophia was the seat of the Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople and a principal setting for church councils and imperial ceremonies. n 1934, under Turkish president Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Hagia Sofia was secularized and turned into the Ayasofya Museum. On 17 July 2020 - following a surprising decision taken by the Turkish government - Hagia Sophia Museum was converted back to a mosque after 85 years. Hippodrome is a great place to start learning about Istanbul. Sultanahmet Square is a historical square located in the Binbirdirek neighborhood of Fatih district of Istanbul. During the Byzantine Empire, it was called Hippodrome in Constantinople. It was an arena used for chariot racing throughout the Byzantine period. First built during the reign of Roman emperor Septimius Severus in the early 3rd century CE, the structure was made more grandiose by emperor Constantine I in the 4th century CE. The Hippodrome was also used for other public events such as parades, public executions, and the public shaming of enemies of the emperor. Following the Fourth Crusade in the early 13th century CE, the Hippodrome fell out of use and its spectacular monuments and artworks were looted.

• Breakfast
• Accommodation : A 4-star hotel in Istanbul.

The most valuable treasure collection in the world may be seen in Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. A visit to the Topkapi Palace enables you to visualize how life was lived in an Ottoman Palace, with its fabulous Treasury, Porcelain Pavillion, and the recently restored Harem quarters.The Topkapi Palace Museum ; Sultan Mehmet II. called Fatih the Conqueror, after conquering Istanbul in 1453, built his first royal palace in the Forum of Theodosius, on what are now the grounds of Istanbul University, in the district of Beyazit.Later, impressed by the situation of the Byzantine Acropolis at today’s Saray Point, dominating the confluence of the Bosphorus, the Golden Horn, and the Sea of Marmara, Fatih gave orders for the construction (1475 – 1478) of the palace which is known as the Topkapi Palace. End of the service. Your guide and driver will drop you at the Istanbul International Airport, or Sabiha Gokchen Airport. Or, if you wish to continue your Turkey journey, they will take you to your Istanbul hotel.

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