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Location:
Turkey
Interest:
Country Studies
Price Range:
$3500 - $5000
Start Date:
3/24/2010 - 4/9/2010
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Louise Alburas

Turkey


From Legends to History: Turkey's Legacy of Civilizations and Culture

Prices for this date starting at: $3966 per person

Date selected:


3/24/2010


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POPULAR!
Number: 12828RJ

Duration: 16 nights

Theme: Country Studies

Meals: 43 total, 14 Breakfasts, 14 Lunches, 15 Dinners

Activity Level: 5
(see description)

Itinerary: Ankara, Turkey 2 nights; Avanos - Cappadocia, Turkey 3 nights... More

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Exploritas Connection: Meet fellow participants, share ideas and discuss common interests
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Program Extension(s) Available
After you enroll, extend your program with a related learning adventure:
• Extension: Istanbul: Ancient City - Modern City


From Roman ruins and Byzantine mosaics, Turkey’s history spans three continents and more than 10,000 years. Expert instructors leading select excursions survey Anatolia and Asia Minor -- the ancient lands of Turkey -- to trace the numerous civilizations that have thrived here since the Bronze Age. Gain an overview of Turkey’s rich legacy of civilizations and culture, comparing and contrasting the old world with the vibrancy of today.



Highlights


• 

A local artisan in Avanos teaches ceramic hand arts.


• 

Visit the underground city in Cappadocia, complete with ventilation and communication systems.


• 

Examine the exquisitely wrought biblical mosaics in Istanbul’s Byzantine Kariye Mosque.



Day 1

Overnight flight from the U.S.A.
1 night

Days 2-3

Arrivals Ankara
2 nights

Begin with an expert lecture on the Hittites, a culture that thrived in this region during the 14th-century B.C. The Hittites were pioneers of ironworks and used a pictographic language, some of which is displayed at the Anatolian Civilizations Museum. A marvel itself, the museum is housed on the south side of Ankara Castle in former Ottoman bazaar buildings.



Lodging: City center boutique hotel.



Days 4-5

Coach to Cappadocia
3 nights

This one-time center of Hittite power served another purpose in later centuries when early Christian communities took refuge from persecution during the Byzantine era. Venture among the 300 Byzantine chapels built in the rock formations, as well as to the fascinating underground city of Özkonak north of Avanos.



Lodging: Picturesque hotel.



Days 6-8

Coach to Konya
1 night
Coach to Antalya
1 night

Visit the tomb of Jalal ad-Din "Rumi," the 13th-century Persian poet and theologian whose modern followers, known as the Whirling Dervishes, perform Sufi worship through dancing and singing. Delve further into history in the ancient city ruins of Perge, built in 1,000 B.C. by Greeks from Northern Anatolia, a region of Turkey also known as Asia Minor. The city thrived under Roman rule during the second-century B.C., from which most of the ruins date.



Lodging: Comfortable hotels.



Days 9-12

Coach to Pamukkale
1 night
Coach to Kusadasi
3 nights

Pamukkale, or “white castle” in Turkish, is a geothermal feature of terraced hot springs in southwest Turkey. The ancient city of Hierapolis was constructed atop the springs and many ruins remain. Discover the ruins of Ephesus, the ancient Ionian city near Kusadasi, which during its heyday in A.D. 100 was home to a half-million residents.



Lodging: Spa hotel; resort on Aegean Sea.



Days 13-17

Coach via Troy to Canakkale
1 night
Coach via Gallipoli to Istanbul
3 nights
Departure

Examine the legendary Troy, immortalized in Homer’s The Illiad before comtinuing on to Turkey’s capital. Discuss life in modern Turkey and explore the cities landmarks, including Hagia Sophia, once Christendom’s greatest church and Topkapi Palace, former home of the Sultans.



Lodging: Boutique hotel in historic area.



Turkey

Turkey is bracketed by seas on three sides, which has facilitated its status as a crossroads of different civilizations for tens of thousands of years. It is modernizing rapidly, but its past is everywhere apparent. It is a country where centuries-old mosques and castles blend with modern streets and buildings to create a unique blend of past and present, European and Oriental influences.