Origins

*Your schedule will vary depending on your departure point. This schedule assumes an İstanbul departure via airplane.

1. After a two hour flight from İstanbul we will take a short drive to the historic area of Mardin where we will spend one night. Depending on our arrival time we will visit ancient Syriac churches and local shops.

2. On day two we will tour a nearby Syriac monastery along with other sites before a three hour drive west to Şanlıurfa.

3. On our first of two nights in Şanlıurfa we will tour the cities markets and local shops. Following breakfast we will head south to Haran where Abraham’s father was buried prior to his departure for the promised land of Canaan. After lunch we will visit Göbekli Tepe, what is believed to be on of the oldest human settlements in the history of mankind before returning to our hotel.

4. After breakfast we will head west to Gaziantep, but not without a stop at Rumkale, a fortress from the Byzantine period built along the Euphrates. As we arrive in Gaziantep, we will visit the Zeugma Mosaic Museum before spending the evening here in ‘Antep.’

5. Following breakfast we will begin a three hour drive to Antakya, ancient Antioch of Syria, where we will visit several Christian sites, including one location that is believed to have been where Paul and Barnabus were sent from.

6. Considering Paul, after breakfast we will drive about three hours west for a short visit to Tarsus (Paul’s hometown) where we will spend the evening before flying back to İstanbul the next morning.

*Please note that there are several possibilities for add-ons during this tour such as spending a day at the beach, touring Adıyaman and many other amazing sites – just ask!