Yazilikaya.Relief of a Hittite king in the embrace of a god

Yazilikaya.Relief of a Hittite king in the embrace of a god

 

 

 

 

 

Uchisar Castle

Uchisar Castle

 

 

 

Clay Goddess Figure from Catal Huyuk

Clay Goddess Figure from Catal Huyuk

 

 

 

Temple of Apollo at Side

Temple of Apollo at Side

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rock Cut Tombs at Demre

Rock Cut Tombs at Demre

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Didyma. Temple of Apollos

Didyma. Temple of Apollos

 

 

 

 

 

 

Travertines at Pamukale

Travertines at Pamukale

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Theatre at Pergamum

The Theatre at Pergamum

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Temple of Athena at Assos

The Temple of Athena at Assos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hagia Sophia by Radomił Binek

Hagia Sophia

Turkey. Crossroads of Civilization

 

22 Days in Western & Central Turkey

Land Only Price: $4450 (Cdn)

Itinerary

Day 1

 

Ankara

The group will be met at Ankara airport and driven to Ankara to our hotel, located in the Ulus district at the foot of the Hissar (citadel), which was the centre of the Roman town of Ancyra.  We will stay here for two nights. 

Day 2

 

Ankara

On our first day in Turkey we will spend the morning visiting the archaeological collections in the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations, housed in a beautifully restored 15th century covered market and warehouse located on the edge of Hissar.  There we will examine the finds from Çatal Hüyük, Hattušaš, and many other sites that we will visit.  The afternoon will be free to explore the citadel or the Mausoleum of Ataturk.

The King's Gate at Hattusas

The King's Gate at Hattusas

Day 3

 

Sivas

In the morning we will drive east out of Ankara into the Hittite Highlands to spend the night in the heart of the Hittite empire at Böghazköy.  This landscape is unique with rich deposits of minerals and metals, leeching out and colouring the rocky hills.  We will start our exploration of the Hittite world in the afternoon at the site of Hattušaš, which was the capital and has well preserved gates and temples.  We will also visit the small local museum in Boğazkale where we can see artefacts from the site including a small fraction of the 30,000 tablets found in the archives.

Day 4 

 

Cappadocia

We will continue to investigate the Hittite remains with a visit to Yazilikaya, the empire’s holiest religious sanctuary which is comprised of a combination of manmade structures and natural rock galleries, all decorated with wonderful carved reliefs.   At Alaca Hüyük we will examine the reliefs of the Storm god worshipping ceremonies and visit the small museum to see the display on the 15 strata of the site dating back to 4000 BC.  In the afternoon we will drive south to Cappadocia where we will spend two nights in the heart of Cappadocia.

Yazilikaya

Yazilikaya

Day 5 

 

Cappadocia

Cappadocia is a unique geological landscape formed when a marsh was filled with successive layers of volcanic material from eruptions from Hasan Daği (3268 m) to the West just south of Aksaray, and Erciyes Daği (3917 m) to the east near Kayseri.  We will spend the day exploring the Göreme Open Air Museum and the rock-cut buildings and churches of this magical landscape.  We will also visit Uchisar Castle, Esentepe, Avanos, Zelve, and the Devrent Valley, famous for its fairy chimneys.

Cappadocian Landscape

Cappadocian Landscape

Day 6 

 

Konya

In the morning we will leave scenic Cappadocia, driving west and south through the Konya plain to Aksaray following the ancient caravan route that linked Konya to Persia and the east.  On the road between Aksaray and Nevsehir we will pass two hani, inns on the caravan route.  Before reaching Konya we will stop at the site of Çatal Hüyük, one of the earliest known human communities.  This evening we will have the option of seeing the Mausoleum of Rumi, poet and founder of the whirling dervishes.

Day 7   

 

Side

After visiting the Konya Archaeological Museum, we will drive to the south coast and the ancient site of Side.  At Side, ancient Sidon, were found the series of sarcophagi that are the highlight of the Istanbul Archaeological Museum, including the famous Alexander Sarcophagus.  We will visit the archaeological zone and the atmospheric Temple of Athena, picturesquely lighted at night!

Alexander Sarcophagus

Alexander Sarcophagus

Day 8   

 

Antalya

In the morning we will visit the Side Museum before driving west to Antalya.  First we will visit the ancient site of Aspendos to see the finest theatre in Anatolia.  We will then stop at Perge famous for its Hellenistic city gate and colonnaded street.  We will arrive in Antalya in the late afternoon and check into our hotel for 2 nights.  Our hotel is in the old Kaleici district of Antalya, which surrounds the yacht harbour.

Day 9 

 

Antalya

We will spend the day driving north to the site of Termessos, which is situated dramatically in Güllük Mountains National Park.  It has the most unforgettable mountain backdrop to a theatre in Turkey.  With picnic lunches in hand we will spend the day exploring the agora, cemeteries, city walls, quarries and public buildings.  Near the entrance to the park is an interpretative centre with information about the excavations and the flora and fauna of the area.

The Theatre at Termessos

The Theatre at Termessos

Day 10

 

Kas

On the way out of town, we will stop at the Antalya Archaeological Museum, which houses an excellent collection of Roman sculpture.  Our first stop will be at one of the sites in the glorious Beydağlari Sahil Milli Parki, ancient Phaselis.  We will see a well-preserved aqueduct, bath complex, and theatre.  Continuing to drive west, we will stop to investigate the Byzantine church of St Nicholas at Demre.  We will arrive in Kas in the late afternoon in time to enjoy this charming fishing village with its Lycian tombs.

Day 11

 

Bodrum

Today we will travel west around the Lycian coast, which until recently was accessible only by sea.  We will investigate the sites of Patara with its sand dune shrouded theatre and Roman Triumphal Arch, Xanthus, capital of the Lycian league, and of Fethiye where we will have the option of a late lunch by the shore before driving on to Bodrum.

Castle & Harbour at Bodrum

Castle & Harbour at Bodrum

Day 12

 

Bodrum

On Wednesday, we will have a chance to visit the Mausoleum of Halikarnasos, designated as one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World.  Halikarnasos was the capital of Caria ruled by the Hecatomnid dynasty.  Mausolus was the most famous of that line and his funerary monument was so opulent that ever after, all elaborate tombs bear his name.  In the afternoon we will drive west to Gümüşlük which is protected as part of a nature and culture reserve and so retains its sleepy charm. 

Day 13

 

Bodrum

Today we have the option of either a day off to explore the souk in Bodrum or a day on board a traditional Turkish fishing boat, weather permitting.  If you choose the boating option we will board a gulet and sail across to the Knidian peninsula to ancient Knidos.  We will have time to explore the ruins, have lunch and swim on this beautiful shoreline.  In the afternoon, we will sail back to Bodrum by the setting sun.

Day 14

 

Kusadasi

Today we will drive northeast from the Bodrum Peninsula to the modern village of Pamukale, famous for its natural wonders, the snow-white travertine deposits, and ancient site of Hierapolis.  An Italian mission has been excavating here and has revealed a bath complex associated with the hot springs, and the cemetery with an array of elaborately carved sarcophagi, now displayed in the restored caldarium. 

Day 15

 

Kusadasi

In the morning we will check out of our hotel and drive north to Didyma to see the unfinished Temple of Apollo, which is one of the most impressive religious structures of Greek Classical antiquity. We will then continue north Miletus to see the great Theatre.  Then we will continue to drive north to the hillside site of Priene, set amidst a pine forest on the slopes of Mount Mycale.   We will then drive north to Kusadasi.

Head of Medusa from Didyma

Head of Medusa from Didyma

Day 16

 

Pamukale

Today we will focus on the wonderful sites and museums associated with the city site of ancient Ephesus.   First we will visit the main site of Ephesus with its amazing standing Roman ruins including the theatre where St Paul harangued the Ephesians, the many baths, the photogenic Library of Celsus, the Slope Houses and the extensive street system.  Then we will visit the Temple of Artemis, another one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world, and one of the reasons for the prosperity of Ephesus. 

 

Day 17

 

Pergamon

Today we will drive north, visiting the ancient Lydia capital of Sardis on the banks of the gold rich Pactolus River.  It is here where coinage was invented leading to the expression “rich as Croaesus” named after the famous last king of Lydia King Croesus (560-546 BCE).  Among the key monuments to see here are the ancient Synagogue,  the Roman Hall of the Imperial Cult and the impressive Temple of Artemis.  Then on to Pergamum.

The Theatre at Aphodisias

The Theatre at Aphodisias

Day 18

 

Behramkale

After visiting the Bergama Museum, we will drive up to the Acropolis of Pergamon. The remains of the ancient city spread over a large area from the top of a high acropolis, down terraced slopes, into the plain below.  We will visit the Acropolis, The Altar of Zeus, the dramatically situated Theatre, before finally descending to the lower city to see  the Red Basilica.  On the way out of town we will visit the charming Asclepieion, which was the foremost medical centre of the ancient world, founded on the reputation of Galen.   We will then drive north and west to charming fishing village of Behramkale to spend the night.

The Asklepeion at Pergamum

The Asklepeion at Pergamum

Day 19

 

Cannakale

Before we drive north, we will visit the Hellenistic site of Assos to see the magnificent fortification walls and the unusual Doric Temple of Athena through the Troad or Roman Mysia to visit the famous site of Troy, where we will see the city, which was immortalized in the Iliad of Homer.  The site is very complicated with nine cities superimposed on top of each other, a situation complicated by the visionary if destructive excavations of Schliemann.  We will explore the Early and late Bronze fortifications and also get to examine the results of the current excavations.  From Troy we will drive to the port town of Cannakale, strategically situated on the east side of the Hellespont, where we will spend the night.

Ruins of Troy VI

Ruins of Troy VI

Day 20

 

Istanbul

After checking out of our hotel, we will board our bus on the Hellespont car ferry and cross over to the Gallipoli peninsula, site of the WWI battlefield where so many ANZAC soldiers lost their lives and where Ataturk became a national hero.  We will visit the Anzac beach and museum before driving along the north coast of the Sea of Marmara to Istanbul where we will spend three nights in the Sultanahmet district of the old city.  Our hotel is within walking distance of the hippodrome, the Blue Mosque, Ayia Sofia and Topkapi palace.

Anzac Beach 1915

Anzac Beach 1915

Day 21

 

Istanbul

First we will visit the Archaeological Museum, where we will see the Alexander Sarcophagus and finds from most of the Classical sites, which we have visited.  We will then descend into the Yerebatan Basilica Cistern and then savour the architectural wonders of Justinian’s basilica, Ayia Sophia.  In the afternoon we will take a cruise up the Bosphoros to the second bridge to observe the palaces and monuments built along its shores including the Dolmabache Palace and Rumeli Castle.

Rumeli Fortress by Radomił Binek

Rumeli Fortress

Day 22

 

Istanbul

Today we will explore monuments associated with the period of the Turkish Sultanate by walking through the old city from the Blue Mosque to Topkapi, and also visiting the Grand Bazaar.  Afterwards, there will be the option to indulge in a Turkish bath at the end of the tour with a visit to the nearby Cemberlitas Hamami, designed and built by the architect Sinan in 1584 for Nurbanu Sultan, the wife of Sultan Selim II.  We will end the tour with an optional dinner in the fish market of Kumkapi.

Day 23

 

 

Tour Ends.

 

Note:

The price of the trip includes:
  • hotel taxes
  • accommodation based on double occupancy
  • overland transportation via mini bus & ferry
  • all visits and sightseeing as per itinerary
  • the service of your tour conductor, Margaret Morden or William Rowbotham
The price of the trip does NOT include:
  • gratuities for individual services
  • meals, except breakfasts when included with accommodations
  • all items and expenses of a purely personal nature
  • travel to and from Turkey

 

10.02.2012