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May 15th - Saturday - Day 1: Istanbul-Turkey Sacred Spiritual Tours

Arrive in Istanbul and transfer to our domestic flight to Ankara.

Arrive in Ankara, where we will be met at the airport by our professional guide.

May 16th - Sunday - Day 2:

Stanton St. Bernard Crop Circle 13 Mini Swirls

Stanton St. Bernard Crop Circle 13 Mini Swirls

Morning visit to the Mausoleum of Ataturk, founding father of the Turkish Republic and the Anatolian Civilizations Museum, situated below the citadel. With its crown of ten domes it was once a covered bazaar where cloth made from angora wool was traded. This world-famous museum houses a great collection of the Hittite Civilization antiquities with Neolithic statues dating to the 5th millennium BC and artifacts from �atal Hoyuk.

In the afternoon, we depart for Cappadocia via the Salt Lake Road.

May 17th - Monday - Day 3:
Today we experience Zelve Valley, The U�hisar Village, The Pottery Village of Avanos, and the Underground city of Kaymakli.

Cappadocia Fairy Chimney - Turkey Sacred Tour

Cappadocia Fairy Chimney - Turkey Sacred Tour

One of the strangest regions on earth, with its surrealist landscapes. Several thousand years of erosion formed the Fairy Chimneys.

We visit Goreme Valley and some of its famous rock carved churches.

Cappadocia saw the penetration of Christianity into Anatolia. Following the footsteps of St. Paul, the first Christians came to settle in the almost inaccessible natural grottoes. They created the rock carved churches and the underground cities. The churches were painted with brilliant colors relating the important episodes of the Bible. The apogee of Byzantine and Christian Cappadocia took place between the beginning of the 10th Century and the second half of the 11th Century. Its magnificent rock churches and Byzantine paintings constitute an important part of the Oriental Christian art.

May 18th - Tuesday - Day 4:
After breakfast we depart for Nigde via Tyana.

Kemerhisar is to the south of Nigde and is scattered over three hills on the site of the ancient town of Tyana. Semiramis, the legendary queen of Assyria and founder of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, is thought to have been instrumental in establishing Tyana, which dates from 1200 B.C. as a late Hittite principality. Ancient remains on the site include a Doric marble pillar on the "Hill of Semiramis" and fifteen linked marble arches of a Roman aqueduct. A path leads from the south of the site to the Baths of Kemerhisar, which is mentioned in ancient writings. The warm water was drunk for its healing powers.

It is here that we get a feeling of Apollonius, the great philosopher often referred to as a Greek, but who was actually born at Tyana. Excavations are now underway in Tyana of a temple that marked his birthplace.

Our next stop is Nigde. Lying on a plateau, embellished by volcanic peaks, is this city of the Central Anatolian Region, which was called "Nahita" in the Hittite period. Since its foundation, it has been a major commercial center, standing on the ancient trade route between Anatolia and the Mediterranean.

Nigde Archaeological Museum. The museum rooms contain written documents of the Hittite period, statues, masonry, lamps, bronze and gold objects from the Roman-Byzantine periods, coins from the Hellenistic to Ottoman periods, carved wooden doors from the Seljuk period, and many other artifacts.

May 19th - Wednesday - Day 5:

Turkey Sacred Tour - Pessinus Temples Cybele

Turkey Sacred Tour - Pessinus Temples Cybele

We drive to Pessinus, where we visit the Temple of Cybele, the Phrygian Mother Goddess who was also venerated by the Greeks and Romans. Discovered by Belgian archaeologists in 1967, it is surprisingly small, though it was once the most important temple in the area. Next to the sanctuary was a theater, which also served as the stairs leading to the temple, a combination that was unique in the ancient world.

Next we travel to Konya, a green Oasis in the middle of Anatolia, known for its Seljuk Art and mysticism. In the antiquity known as Iconium, this was a prosperous city on the way to the Orient. However the apogee of the city took place after the conquest of Seljuk Turks. In the 12th Century the city became the Islamic Cultural Center with a very high spiritual level. Free time to explore.

May 20th - Thursday - Day 6:

Visit Rumi's Tomb, �atal Hoyuk, Whirling Dervish
Tomb of Rumi - Sacred Tour - Turkey

After breakfast we explore the Mevlana Museum, with the tombs of Rumi, his family, and outstanding members of the Mevlevi order. You can take time to meditate near the tomb of this awe-inspiring mystic and see what worlds might open to you.

This afternoon we have the rare opportunity to visit the 9,000 year old Neolithic site of �atal Hoyuk, located on a vast prairie beside the active Hasan Dag volcano. The name means "forked mound" and refers to the site's mounds which formed as centuries of people tore down and rebuilt the settlement's mud-brick houses.

Here there existed a matriarchal, spiritual Great Mother Turkey Sacred Tour

and art-loving people who worshipped a Mother Goddess of a fertility cult that could have been the precursor of Artemis, or Cybele, as she is known in Anatolia. We visit a shrine for the ancient Mother Goddess with a sculpture of the Great Mother of �atal Hoyuk seated with a tame lion on either side, showing that She was a sacred woman, the Great Mother of Nature, and the tamer and civilizer of the world as well.

Whirling Dervishes, Turkey Spiritual Tour

Whirling Dervishes, Turkey Spiritual Tour

After dinner we will be treated to a performance by the Whirling Dervishes of men dressed in white robes, whirling and rotating around the floor. During this moving meditation the dancer focuses on his great love of God, and can thus attain divine unity.

May 21st - Friday - Day 7:
After breakfast we depart for Pamukkale, experiencing Aphrodisias en route.

Its ruins are as impressive as those of Ephesus. The Aphrodite Temple, the marbled stadium, the Theatre, the Odeon, the Agora and the Roman Baths are all beautifully preserved.

Aphrodisias Sacred Site, Turkey

After lunch we continue to Pamukkale, one of the most interesting places in the world, famous not only for the entrancing beauty of its unique geological formations, but also for its historical remains. Located above the theater of the area, the mineral water comes from the thermal springs of Mount Caldag and is collected in the "Sacred Pool" of ancient times, where we will have the option to swim amidst the Travertine Terraces, Pamukkale Sacred Pools, Thermal Springs, Turkey

Pamukkale Sacred Pools, Thermal Springs, Turkey

a UNESCO World Heritage site, which are among the remains of Hierapolis (Holy City). The name Pamukkale means "cotton castle", derived from the dazzling white calcareous castles which are formed by limestone-laden thermal springs, creating a fairyland of bizarre solidified cascades and shell-shaped basins. Enjoy meditating in the waters, which change color according to how the light enters.

May 22nd - Saturday - Day 8:

Depart for Kusadasi via Miletus & Dydma.

Miletus Temples, Serapis, Athena, Turkey Sacred Tour

Miletus Temples, Serapis, Athena, Turkey Sacred Tour

At Miletus we explore the Temples of Serapis, Athena and Asclepius. The ancient city of Miletus was the oldest and the most powerful of the twelve Ionian cities in Asia Minor

The Temple of Serapis is from the 3rd century CE. Only the very fine pediment is visible, the rest of the temple being concealed under dense vegetation. In the remains of the Temple of Athena, built in the first half of the 5th century BCE, there are six Ionic columns on each of the shorter sides and ten on the longer sides.

Before 500 BC, Miletus was the greatest Greek city in the east. It was the natural outlet for products from the interior of Anatolia and had a considerable wool trade with Sybaris in southern Italy. Miletus was important in the founding of the Greek colony of Naukratis in Egypt and founded more than 60 colonies on the shores of the Black Sea.

Apollo Temple, Sacred Sites of Turkey

In the afternoon we drive to Didyma and the Temple/Oracle of Apollo and the Artemis Temple. The design of the Temple of Apollo was influenced by the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus and the Temple of Hera at Samos.

Didyma was an ancient Ionian city, the modern Didim, Turkey. The town formed just outside of the sanctuary containing a temple and oracle of Apollo, the Didymaion. Next to Delphi, Didyma was the most renowned oracle of the Hellenic world.

May 23rd - Sunday- Day 9:

Ephesus Temple City Artemis Diana Tours

We spend a full day at Ephesus. Ephesus is the greatest Temple City in Asia Minor and was dedicated to the Great Goddess Artemis Diana. The Temple of Artemis Diana, built about 550 BCE, is one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and one of the most complex temples built in ancient times. When the Temple was in use, it was brightly painted and inlaid with stone and had a marble sanctuary and a tile-covered wooden roof.

Saint Marys Cottage Ephesus Turkey Sacred Tour

Saint Marys Cottage Ephesus Turkey Sacred Tour

Next we explore Mother Mary's House inside the ruins of Ephesus. In 431 CE it was here the Christian church declared Mary to be the "the God-bearer" in order to legitimize Christianity in the eyes of the people of Asia Minor. Prior to that time, she was not recognized by the Christian church. Many of the Great Goddess's titles were taken and declared to be the titles of Mary, including; "Queen of Heaven", "Divine Virgin", "Mother of All".

Visit St. John Basilica built by the Byzantine emperor Justinian I in the 6th century AD with the belief that it was the site of the tomb of St John.

Ephesus was one the biggest and most famous sites in the ancient world. Towards the 3rd Century BCE, Ephesus was located naturally on the crossing point of the commercial road and so gathered all the richness of the Orient. This city offers us its witnessing to the splendor of Asia Minor during the Roman Era. Among its numerous monuments, you will see its famous Arcadian Street, large Hellenistic Theatre, the Celsius Library, and the magnificent fa�ade of the Hadrian Temple (2nd Century Corinthian style).

May 24th - Monday- Day 10:

After breakfast we depart for Izmir for an early flight to Istanbul.

Situated on two continents (Europe and Asia) and inheritor of a great history where we can still witness the remnants of five civilizations, Istanbul is one of the most fascinating capitals of the Orient. The antique Constantinople became Byzantium in the 4th Century. In 1453, the city passed from Christianity to Islam with the rule of Ottoman Sultans and a new name, Istanbul. Its urban profile has since then been symbolized by the minarets of its mosques. You will plunge to the heart of the history of the old Istanbul and discover its principal Byzantine and Ottoman monuments.

Stanton St. Bernard Crop Circle 13 Mini Swirls

Chora Church
Upon arrival in Istanbul we're off to visit Chora Church. Chora has mosaics from the 12th century depicting the role of Virgin Mary as the Mother of God, with the emphasis on Her being Mother rather than Jesus being the God, a profound thought to ponder as you take time to meditate in Her presence!

In the afternoon we explore the Topkapi Palace, the ancient residence of the Ottoman Sultans. Built by Mehmet the Conqueror on the ancient location of the Byzantine Acropolis, the palace is now used as a museum and has a wonderful view of the Marmara Sea.

May 25th - Tuesday - Day 11:

Blue Mosque, St. Sophia Museum and much more.
Blue Mosque, Sacred Tour Istanbul

Today, we visit the famous Blue Mosque, with its mighty dome, and the only mosque in Istanbul with minarets, and built on the site of the Great Palace of Byzantium in the early 17th century. Today it is a working mosque and is therefore closed to non-worshippers during the five daily prayers. The interior, with its lightness, spatial effect and color, is one of the finest creations of Turkish architecture.

Next is the St. Sophia Museum, formerly known as the Hagia Sofia (Holy Wisdom), a former Greek Orthodox Church that was converted to a mosque in 1453 by the Ottoman Empire and today is a museum. The supreme achievement of Byzantine architecture, it is the city's most celebrated monument. Large numbers of columns were brought to Constantinople from temples in Asia Minor, Lebanon, Greece and Italy, and the finest marbles and noblest metals were used.

Next we visit the At Meydani, the Ancient Hippodrome of Septime Severius (2nd Century), the Obelisk of Theodosius, the Serpentine Column and the Column of Constantine.

Afternoon shopping tour at the famous Grand Bazaar, the largest of its kind with 17 gates, 65 streets and 4000 shops in addition to its historical importance. Barter for colorful kilims, leather goods, pottery and jewelry.

The market was constructed in the 1660's as part of the imperial mosque complex, with its shop rents supporting the upkeep of the mosque as well as its schools, hospitals, baths and public fountains. Merchants sold such things as cinnamon, gunpowder, rabbit fat, pine gum, peach pit powder and many folk remedy ingredients.

May 26th - Wednesday- Day 12:

We say our farewells and depart for Istanbul International Airport grateful for all that we encountered and experienced on this sacred journey in Turkey.