An Archaeological Study Tour
Turkey – Crossroads of Europe and Asia
May 22 – June 11, 2011
Led by Professor Kenneth W. Harl


Our spring tour of Western Turkey will encompass the entire range of Anatolian history. First, we visit the Hittite center at Bogazkoy, and continue through Cappadocia, with its wild rock formations and hidden Byzantine churches, to coastal Turkey, providing unparalleled opportunities for viewing the famed Hellenistic cities of Asia Minor: Side, Perge, Aspendos, Ephesus, Pergamon, Sardis, Priene, Miletus and legendary Troy. After visiting the beautiful tiled mosques and mausoleums of Ottoman Bursa, the tour ends in Istanbul, with its magnificent mosques, exceptional Archaeological Museum, the Topkapí Seraí Museum and exotic bazaars. The profusion of flowers, gentle climate and lovely Mediterranean beaches will make this tour a fascinating vacation.

Sunday, Monday, May 22 & 23: ANKARA: Independant departures from our home cities Sunday arriving into Ankara on Monday. Transfers will be provided to the Hilton Hotel. This evening the group will meet with Professor Harl for an orientation lecture and dinner.

Meals: Dinner

Tuesday, May 24: ANKARA: Our tour begins at the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. Its outstanding collection of Hittite art provides an excellent introduction to the tour. After stopping to see the Roman remains of the Temple of Augustus, we drive to Gordion, where we will spend the remainder of the day exploring the former capital of the kingdom of Phrygia. As we approach the site, the immense royal tumuli loom across the landscape. We will have an opportunity to enter the largest, known as Midas’s tomb, and to visit the vast acropolis Phrygian city.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Wednesday, May 25: CAPPADOCIA: We depart Ankara for the Hittite center at Bogazköy, first excavated in 1906. A complete tour of this incredible site includes the famous Lion Gate, the fortifications and the temples and palaces of the city. After lunch, touring continues with the cult center of Yazilikaya, its reliefs cut into the living rock. We then drive on through lovely rolling hills into Cappadocia and to the deluxe Cappadocia Cave Resort in Üchisar.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Thursday, May 26: CAPPADOCIA: We drive to Kayseri to visit the site of Kültepe, one of the most important ancient settlements in Turkey and the site of the earliest written documents found in Anatolia. The afternoon will be spent touring the Göreme Valley, with its unusual and beautiful rock formations, known as “fairy chimneys,” and its rock-hewn Byzantine churches decorated with elaborate frescoes.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Friday, May 27: KONYA: After visiting Kaymaklí, one of the many underground towns hewn from the tufa, we drive to Konya, stopping en route at the Selcuk caravanserai, Sultan Hani and at Çatal Höyük, the oldest Neolithic site excavated in Anatolia. Touring this afternoon in Konya includes the many Selçuk monuments of Alaeddin Park and the Mosaic Museum, housed in a former madrassa. Dedeman Hotel Konya.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Saturday, May 28: ANTALYA: A spectacular drive over the Taurus Mountains, with a stop to visit the beautifully preserved Graeco-Roman city of Sagalassos and at Egridir Lake for a seafood lunch en route to Antalya. Founded by King Attalus II in the second century BCE, Antalya’s old town retains its charm, with its winding streets and Ottoman houses. We have chosen a hotel in a lovely beach area within walking distance of the old town for our three-night stay.Divan Talya Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, lunches & dinner

Sunday, May 29: ANTALYA: The Hellenistic cities of Perge, Side and Aspendos are only a short drive from our hotel and will introduce us to the Graeco-Roman world. At Aspendos we will visit the finest theater surviving from this period, while the colonnaded streets of Perge’s agora are a good example of city planning. We will spend the afternoon in the Archaeological Museum, which has an outstanding collection.
Meals: Breakfast, lunches & dinners

Monday, May 30: ANTALYA: This morning we will drive to the fabulous mountain site of Termessus with its remarkable theater and ancient cemetery. This mountain stronghold, one of the most impregnable fortresses in ancient Asia Minor, turned back Alexander the Great in 333 BC. The afternoon will be at leisure.
Meals: Breakfast

Tuesday, May 31: PAMUKKALE: We drive to Pamukkale to visit ancient Hierapolis and the pools formed by calcium deposited by water flowing down from the plateau. Hotel Colossae.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Wednesday, June 1: IZMIR: Today’s touring takes us to ancient Aphrodisias, excavated by archaeologists from New York University. As Aphrodisias was the site of a flourishing school of sculpture during the Roman Empire, its museum houses a large collection of sculpture and statuary. After an extensive visit to the site, we continue to the Hilton Hotel in Izmir.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Thursday, June 2: IZMIR: Touring today takes us to the Ionian cities of Priene and Miletus and the great temple of Apollo at Didyma. At Priene, perched high above the Maeander Valley, we will visit its temple of Athena, agora and theater; at Miletus we will explore ancient Port Leonas, named for the two lion statues that guarded the entrance.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Friday, June 3: IZMIR: We will spend the entire day visiting the spectacular city of Ephesus, which is being excavated and restored by several archaeological teams. Included in our visits are the remains of the temple of Artemis, considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the library, agora and theater, the newly excavated mosaic floors of private villas and the fine museum.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Saturday, June 4: IZMIR: This morning we will tour the American excavations at Sardis, the capital of Lydia, with its temple of Artemis and recently restored synagogue. The afternoon will be spent at Izmir’s fine Archaeological Museum, with time to explore the local bazaar.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Sunday, June 5: ÇANAKKALE: Driving north along the Aegean, we reach the famous Greek city of Pergamon. We visit its theater, unusual for its steep slope and position, the library, where parchment was first used extensively, and the Asclepion, one of the most famous therapeutic centers in the ancient world. We continue to Troy, immortalized by Homer and excavated by Schliemann between 1871 and 1890. The first really scientific excavation was begun under Carl Blegen in 1932. This complex site now reveals nine different periods, from 3000 BCE to 400 CE. Iris Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Monday, June 6: BURSA: Driving along the Sea of Marmara, we reach the former Ottoman capital, Bursa, to visit its beautiful Ottoman mosques and monuments. We overnight at the Hotel Almira, which has a lovely Turkish bath.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Tuesday, June 7: ISTANBUL: En routeto Istanbul we stop to visit the major sites in Iznik, ancient Nicaea, site of two Ecumenical Councils, 325 and 787. As capital of Bithynia, this interesting city was the home of Diocletian, Constantine and Justinian. We continue to Istanbul and the Marmara Hotel on Taksim Square.

Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Wednesday, June 8: ISTANBUL: Today’s touring will begin at the Hippodrome and include the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque, as well as an extensive visit to the Topkapi Serai Museum, with its dazzling display of jewels and fascinating harem. After lunch we continue touring to the Mosaic Museum and the ancient cisterns of the city.

Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Thursday, June 9: ISTANBUL: This morning’s touring begins at the newly installed Archaeological Museum, noted for its fine collection of sarcophagi. Our visit to the Turkish monuments of the city includes the Süleymaniye Mosque and the Church of Kariye Camii, with its restored frescoes and mosaics. We will explore the famous Spice Bazaar and visit the charming Rüstem Pasha Mosque, built by Sinan.

Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Friday, Saturday, 10 & 11: ISTANBUL: Our tour ends with a full day at leisure to wander in the vast Istanbul bazaars and explore the old city before our farewell dinner. Saturday we will privide transfers to the airport for our flights home.
Meals: Breakfast & 1 dinner