May 17 Tue Depart Atlanta - Fly Istanbul
Take the non-stop direct TK 32 flight from Atlanta to Istanbul depart at 21:55. *You will check-in your luggage all the way to Istanbul.
May 18 Wed Arrive Istanbul Airport at 16:40
Your guide will meet you with a “BEN WITHERINGTON - TUTKU” sign. Meet and assist through customs and formalities. Transfer by bus to the hotel. Overnight in Istanbul. (D)
May 19 Thu Istanbul
Visit Hagia Sophia Church, Hippodrome Square, Archaeology Museum, St Irene Church. Dinner and overnight in Istanbul. (B,D)
May 20 Fri Istanbul Airport - Morning flight to Hatay TK 2266 10:10/12:05
Visit Antioch Museum, St Peter Church. Dinner and overnight in Adana. (B,D)
May 21 Sat Adana - Urfa
Drive to Urfa. Visit the famous Gobeklitepe site and its new museum. Optional visit to Urfa Old City Bazaar. Dinner and overnight in Urfa. (B,D)
May 22 Sun Urfa - Gaziantep – Fly Izmir XQ 9229 23:30/01:20 - Izmir
Drive to Gaziantep to see its new mosaic museum ranked number one in the world. Dinner at a local restaurant. Continue to Gaziantep Museum for evening flight to Izmir. Overnight in Izmir. (B,D)
May 23 Mon Pergamum - Izmir
Drive north to Pergamum. Take cable car up to Acropolis. Visit its 10,000-seat theatre on the side of the acropolis which is the steepest in the ancient world; the magnificently restored temple of Trajan; a library of 200,000 volumes second in size only to that in Alexandria; the base of the Altar of Zeus; and the temple of Dionysus. Then, we will visit the medical center of Asclepius with its own theatre, library, underground tunnel and other buildings. John warned the church here that they were living in a place of “Satan’s throne” (Rev. 2:12-17). Return to Izmir for dinner and overnight. (B,D)
May 24 Tue Sardis – Hierapolis - Pamukkale
Drive to Sardis (Rev. 3:1-6). Here we see the remains of the magnificent temple of Artemis, the beautifully reconstructed gymnasium and public baths, and the largest known synagogue outside Palestine. Then, visit Hierapolis and the Martyrium of St. Philip, a 5th century AD structure on the site where Philip— either the apostle or the vangelist (Acts 6:1-7; 21:8-9; Acts of Philip)—was believed to have been killed in AD 80. Dinner and overnight in Pamukkale. (B,D)
May 25 Wed Pamukkale - Laodicea - Kusadasi
Visit Laodicea. Although the excavation work is still in its early stages, Laodicea was a major city in Roman times, as is clear from not only the size of the ancient site but also its two theatres, stadium, aqueduct and major street lined with shops. Laodicea is not only the last of the seven churches to whom John directed the book of Revelation (Rev. 3:14-22), but it also had a close relationship with the nearby churches of Colossae and Hierapolis (Col. 4:13-15) and was the recipient of one of Paul’s now lost letters (Col. 4:16). Overnight in Kusadasi. (B,D)
May 26 Thu Ephesus - Izmir
Today we will visit the famous ancient city of Ephesus. Ephesus was also the site of the Artemis temple—one of seven wonders of the ancient world. There is the same theatre where some 24,000 citizens of Ephesus gathered shouting “Great is Artemis!” in a riot started in response to Paul’s ministry there. The apostle visited this city only briefly during his second missionary journey (Acts 18:18-21) but returned during his third missionary journey for a much longer period of two years and three months (Acts 19:1-20:1). Timothy later served as pastor in this city during which time Paul wrote him two letters (1 & 2 Timothy). Some years later Ephesus served as the home base for the apostle John’s ministry from where he wrote a number of letters (1, 2, 3 John) and to which he sent the Book of Revelation. In addition to the ancient city, we will also visit the “slope houses” (the wealthiest homes in Ephesus that have been marvelously reconstructed), the Ephesus Museum, which houses several impressive items from this site, and the Basilica of St. John. Dinner and overnight in Izmir. (B,D)
May 27 Fri Smyrna - Izmir
Begin the day by driving up to Mt. Pagus (now called Kadifekale or “Velvet Castle”) which is the acropolis of ancient Smyrna from where we have a great view of the modern city of Izmir and its harbor. Here we think about John’s word of commendation for the Christians in Smyrna who were persevering in the faith despite persecution (Rev. 2:8-11). You will see the location of the Smyrna Theater which is being excavated very recently since 2018. Thanks to the latest excavations, you can also see the location of the Smyrna Stadium where St Policarp was martyred. Then, we will visit the Smyrna Agora, see its latest excavations including the Grafitti Section which is closed to public. We will finish our tour in early afternoon for you to rest, relax, shop or pack. Tonight, Farewell Dinner and overnight in Izmir. (B,D)
May 28 Sat Transfer to Izmir Airport for TK2311 09:20/10:40 ADBIST +TK786 13:15/14:25 IST-TLV flight.
At Tel Aviv Airport, your guide will meet you with a “BEN WITHERINGTON - TUTKU” sign. Meet and transfer to hotel in Jerusalem for check-in. Rest of the day is free. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Jerusalem. (B,D)
May 29 Sun Jerusalem
Visit the National Israeli Museum, the Shrine of the Book, walk in the old city,the Mt. of Olives, the Church of the Lord’s Prayer. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Jerusalem. (B,D)
May 30 Mon Tiberias
Drive north, visit Nazareth and Village of Nazareth Museum. Also Sepphoris and Cana since that’s in the neighborhood. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Tiberias. (B,D)
May 31 Tue Sea of Galilee - Tiberias
Visit Caparneum, Tabgha, go up on the cliffs of Arbel, and then down to Yardenit, to the Jordan river. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Tiberias. (B,D)
Jun 1 Wed Tiberias - Tel Aviv
Visit Megiddo, Caeserea Maritima. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Tel Aviv. (B,D)
Jun 2 Thu Transfer to Tel Aviv Airport for TK795 12:20 /15:50
TLV-IST + TK694 19:10/20:30 IST-CAI flight. Your guide will meet you with a “BEN WITHERINGTON - TUTKU” sign. Meet and assist through customs and formalities. Transfer by bus to the hotel. Overnight in Cairo. (D)
Jun 3 Fri Cairo
Visit the Pyramids of Cheops, Chefren & Mikarinus, and the New Egyptian Museum (if opened). Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Cairo. (B,D)
Jun 4 Sat Cairo
Visit the step pyramid at Sakkara, Memphis open museum and Dahshour pyramid. Dinner and overnight in Cairo. (B,D)
Jun 5 Sun Cairo Airport - Fly to Luxor MS 361 07:30/08:40
Arrive Luxor. Visit Karnak and Luxor temples. Dinner and overnight in Luxor.(B,D)
Jun 6 Mon Luxor - Fly back to Cairo MS 360 18:20/19:30
Visit the Valley of the Kings, the two huge Colossi of Memnon and the temple of Queen Hatshepsut. Fly back to Cairo. Walk to hotel through internal airport tube. Dinner and overnight in Cairo.
Jun 7 Tue Transfer to Cairo Airport for TK691 09:35/13:05
CAI-IST+TK31 15:40/21:10 IST-ATL