Private Multi-Day Tour of the 7 Churches of Revelation in Turkey

What's Included

Meeting and pickup

Itinerary

Day 1
Arrival in Izmir
3 stops
1
Basilica of St. John
The Basilica of Saint John was built by Justinian I between 548 and 565 to house the tomb of St. John. It was modeled after the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople. It replaced an earlier, smaller basilica built by Theodosius I. Justinian’s basilica measured 428 by 213 feet while Theodosius’ basilica was 246 by 146 feet. Building material came from Ephesus and the Temple of Artemis. The Basilica of Saint John became an important pilgrimage site for Christians but was no longer mentioned by the 9th century. It was destroyed in an earthquake in the 14th century. The ruins were used to construct the Isa Bey Mosque down the hill.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
2
The Temple of Artemis
The Temple of Artemis, also called Artemesium, temple at Ephesus, now in western Turkey, that was one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World. The great temple was built by Croesus, king of Lydia, about 550 BCE and was rebuilt after being burned by a madman named Herostratus in 356 BCE. The Artemesium was famous not only for its great size, over 350 by 180 feet (about 110 by 55 meters) but also for the magnificent works of art that adorned it. The temple was destroyed by invading Goths in 262 CE and was never rebuilt. Little remains of the temple (though there are many fragments, especially of sculptured columns, in the British Museum). Excavation has revealed traces of Croesus’s and the 4th-century temple and three earlier smaller ones.
1 hour • Admission ticket free
3
Ephesus Museum
Ephesus Museum, the majority of the work comes from the excavations of the ancient city of Ephesus, St. Jean Church, Belevi Grave Monument and other archaeological sites in the vicinity. The museum is a rich local archeology museum with very important artifacts for Ephesus and Anatolian archeology. Artifacts exhibited in the museum start from 6000 BC and go back to the Chalcolithic, Neolithic, Bronze, Mycenaean, Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman periods.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
Day 2
Ephesus
4 stops
4
Ancient City of Ephesus
In the Book of Revelation, the first letter was written to the church in Ephesus. The Biblical city of Ephesus was an ancient port city whose well-preserved ruins are in modern-day Turkey. The city was once considered the most important Greek city and the most important trading center in the Mediterranean region. Throughout history, Ephesus survived multiple attacks and changed hands many times between conquerors. It was also a hotbed of early Christian evangelism and remains an important archaeological site and Christian pilgrimage destination.
4 hours • Admission ticket included
5
Library of Celsus
The Library of Celsus is an ancient Roman building in Ephesus, Anatolia, now part of Selçuk, Turkey. The building was commissioned in the 110s A.D. by a consul, Gaius Julius Aquila, as a funerary monument for his father, former proconsul of Asia Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, and completed during the reign of Hadrian, sometime after Aquila's death. The library is considered an architectural marvel and is one of the only remaining examples of a library from the Roman Empire. The Library of Celsus was the third-largest library in the Roman world behind only Alexandria and Pergamum, believed to have held around twelve thousand scrolls. Celsus is buried in a crypt beneath the library in a decorated marble sarcophagus. The interior measured roughly 180 square meters (2,000 square feet).
1 hour • Admission ticket included
6
Temple of Hadrian
The Temple of Hadrian was dedicated to the deified emperor Hadrian on the Campus Martius in Rome, Italy by his adoptive son and successor Antoninus Pius in 145 CE. This temple was previously known as the Basilica of Neptune but has since been properly attributed as the Temple of Hadrian completed under Antoninus Pius. With one cella wall and eleven columns from the external colonnade surviving, the remains of the temple have been incorporated into a later building in the Piazza di Pietra, whereby its facade, alongside the architrave which was reconstructed, later on, was incorporated into a 17th-century papal palace by Carlo Fontana, now occupied by Rome's Chamber of commerce. While only part of the structure remains, excavations and scholarship have provided us with information regarding its construction techniques and stylistic influences, helping us recreate the building dynamics and significance of the Temple of Hadrian in Imperial Rome.
1 hour • Admission ticket included
7
Ephesus Terrace Houses
Ephesus terrace houses are located on the hill, opposite the Hadrian Temple. Also called "the Houses of rich", important for the reason give us information about family life during the Roman period. They were built according to the Hippodamian plan of the city in which roads transected each other at right angles. There are six residential units on three terraces at the lower end of the slope of the Bulbul Mountain. The oldest building dates back to the 1st century BC and continued in use as a residence until the 7th century AD. Ephesus terrace houses are covered with protective roofing which resembles Roman houses. The mosaics on the floor and the frescos have been consolidated and two houses have been opened to the public as a museum.
1 hour • Admission ticket included
Day 3
Denizli & Pamukkale
4 stops
8
Colossae
The Biblical city of Colossae was located 120 miles (193 km) east of Ephesus in the Lycus River Valley in ancient Phrygia, part of the Roman territory of Asia Minor. It was one of a triad of cities in the area (the other two being Laodicea and Hierapolis), resting at the foot of Mount Cadmus. Its biblical significance lies in the fact that the book of Colossians was addressed to the church here (Col 1:2) and that Philemon lived in this city.
2 hours • Admission ticket free
9
Laodikeia Antik Kenti
In the Book of Revelation, the seventh and final letter was written to the church in Laodicea. The Biblical city of Laodicea is located in the Lycus River Valley together with Hierapolis and Colossae. This valley is a natural route of travel from east to west. The city was founded by the Seleucid king Antiochus II and named for his wife Laodice about 260 BC.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
10
Hierapolis & Pamukkale
Hierapolis (Holy City) was an ancient Greek city located on hot springs in classical Phrygia in southwestern Anatolia. Its ruins are adjacent to modern Pamukkale in Turkey and currently comprise an archaeological museum. The site has the Tomb of Philip the Apostle. The hot springs have been used as a spa since the 2nd century BC, with many patrons retiring or dying there. The large necropolis is filled with sarcophagi, most famously that of Marcus Aurelius Ammianos, which bears a relief depicting the earliest known example of a crank and rod mechanism. The great baths were constructed with huge stone blocks without the use of cement and consisted of various closed or open sections linked together. There are deep niches in the inner section, including the bath, library, and gymnasium. It was added as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
11
Pamukkale
See the incredible nature of Pamukkale, which means "cotton castle" in Turkish. It is a natural site in the Denizli Province in southwestern Turkey. The area is famous for a cotton-white carbonate mineral left by the flowing of thermal spring water. You can climb up a white hill covered in carbonate minerals and even swim in a hot spring pool at the top. Incredible!
2 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 4
Alasehir, Salihli & Akhisar
3 stops
12
Alasehir
The city may have been founded by Eumenes King of Pergamum (197-160 BCE) in the C2BCE, and the name was likely after his brother Attalus (later reigned 159-138 BCE), who through loyalty won the title Philadelphus. The city was handed over to Roman rule in 133 BCE after the death of Attalus III. The city may well have been founded for a social purpose, to promote a certain unity of spirit, customs, and loyalty within the realm.
2 hours • Admission ticket free
13
Sardis (Sardes)
As one of the oldest cities of Asia Minor, the city lay along a highway that stretched from the Persian city of Susa, following a parallel course to the Tigris River, passing through Cappadocia to Sardis. Located in the Hermus Valley (modern R. Gediz) on the banks of a southern tributary, the Pactolus (modern Sart Cay) and north of the range of the Tmolus Mountains (modern Bozdag).
2 hours • Admission ticket included
14
Akhisar
Thyatira, modern-day Akhisar, was an important trade center, particularly for the textile industry of Hellenistic and Roman times, the city lay along a low-lying corridor that followed a north-south riverbed connecting the Caicus and Hermes riverbeds. It was a cultic center to Apollo (the sun god) and apparent home of the wealthy trade guilds. It was for centuries a frontier fort, first for the western edge of Seleucus I of Syria's territory, then the eastern frontier of the Pergamene Kingdom. It passed from the hands of Pergamon to Rome in 133 BCE.
2 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 5
Bergama & Izmir
4 stops
15
See this great museum in Bergama. It has many historical Roman and Byzantine monuments and Ottoman culture.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
16
Pergamon Ancient City
Pergamum (modern-day Bergama) was also known as Pergamon and Pergamos. The impressive city has been variously described as the most illustrious city of Asia; the most spectacular Hellenistic city of Asia Minor because of its imaginative town planning and a royal city. The city was located 16 miles inland from the Aegean Sea, two miles north of the Caicus River (modern Bakir Cay) in southern Mysia. It was about 57 miles north of Izmir, built on a precipice about 1165 feet above sea level, one thousand feet above the surrounding plain. The terraces that overlook the Caicus River valley lead to the entry gate of the city.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
17
Akropolis
Located within the ruins of Pergamum, see the incredible Acropolis that shows the glory of this great ancient city. Truly breathtaking!
1 hour • Admission ticket free
18
Old Smyrna
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.
2 hours • Admission ticket included

Additional info

• Wheelchair accessible
• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Service animals allowed
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
• Transportation options are wheelchair accessible

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