Journey through Turkey's history on a day trip from Izmir to Pergamon and the Asclepion. Pergamon is a Unesco site that bears traces of the Ionian, Hellenic, Roman, and Byzantine civilizations. After pickup, drive to Pergamum Acropolis. Bergama, with its historical and cultural richness, is one of the most special cities in Turkey with 3,000 years of history. Bergama witnessed many civilizations and continues to share the traces and manuscripts of this background. Arrive in Pergamon and get on a cable car for Acropolis (about a 5-minute ride). See the Altar of Zeus, the Temple of Dionysus, the Temple of Demeter, and the Great Library, containing 200,000 bundles of books. Continue to see the theater, gymnasium, royal palaces, the Temple of Trojan, aqueducts, fountains, cisterns, and arsenals, some of the most important structures constructed in Pergamum Acropolis. Drive for about 10 minutes to the Pergamon Asclepion, one of the first hospitals in history. Ancient historians said this is ”the place where death is forbidden to enter and testaments are not opened.” The Asclepion is accessible from the Sacred Way and is a 1-km-long street. The Asclepion is the largest medical center of the period, including the serpentine column which became the symbol of modern medicine and pharmacies and was named after Asclepios, the god of healing and medicine. Findings reveal that surgical operations were also performed in Asclepion in addition to diets, hot and cold baths, and physical exercises as the three basic components. Patients were treated in this center with medicines, herbs, music, mud and sunbaths, and psychotherapy. Later, make an optional visit to the Pergamum Carpet Weaving School. Pergamum is also an important city for the carpet business. Pergamum carpets are among the most advanced crafts of the city and have an ethnographic value.

Artifacts have been found at the Pergamon archaeological site that date back to the time of the Hittites. There were early Greek settlements and later Persian domination; though, the city apparently did not blossom until the Hellenistic period. Built upon a steep hilltop 1000 feet above the plains below where the rivers Cetius and Selinus join to create the Caicus River, the Kingdom of Pergamon was founded in the 3rd century BC by Philetarios, a commander who served under Lysimachos. The kingdom faced repeated skirmishes with the invading Gauls and, later, in allegiance to Rome, it fought and defeated the Seleucids. It thrived, nonetheless, as a center of culture and learning throughout the Hellenistc period, especially under the Attalid dynasty, when many of the building projects that you will see remains of today were undertaken. It was during this time that the famous Charta Pergamenta, the first sheepskin parchment, was developed. The library at Pergamon, built and founded by Eumenes II, rivaled that of the day’s foremost library in Alexandria and, out of jealousy, the Egyptian King, Ptolemy, banned the export of papyrus inspiring the invention of the new writing material. Though Pergamon was a major center of pagan worship and not conducive to Christian life, the church there was well established by the end of the 1st century. It was severely challenged, however, by the activities of the pagan community and this struggle is what lies at the heart of the Book of Revelation’s message to the church at Pergamon. The Lord commends the congregation for its obedience, devotion and faithfulness in the face of the persecution, flagrant heathenism and impiety that was being practiced all around them in this city of temple worship and ritual sacrifice (Revelation 2:13). They are then condemned for loosely interpreting doctrine, compromising their morals and allowing themselves to be misled in order to satisfy their carnal desires and their worldly aspirations (Revelation 2:14,15). If they do not recognize the error of their ways and right themselves, they will face perdition; if they do prevail, they will receive sustenance from the Lord, blessings and more of the grace that is already working within them to allow them the capacity for faith (Revelation 2:16,17). Among the many ruins at this sprawling site, you will have the opportunity to see the incredible theater that is set into a steep hillside, the famous library, the Temple of Trajan, the baths, the acropolis and more. The Asclepion, where the famous medical researcher and physician, Galen, studied is located a few kilometers south of the acropolis. Though the impressive Zeus Altar has been removed to the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, its foundations remain to be seen lying in the shade of large trees. What remains of Pergamon is quite extensive and well presented.

Day 1: Following an early pickup from your hotel in Istanbul, head towards Gallipoli Peninsula by giving a break on the half way ( Breakfast served at own expense ) Along the way, stop in Eceabat and enjoy lunch at a local restaurant. Following lunch, continue your journey to Gallipoli. Once you arrive, embark on a guided tour of the most important sites and monuments, including Brighton Beach, the Beach Cemetery, ANZAC Cove, the Ariburnu Cemetery, the ANZAC Commemorative Site, the Mehmetcik Statue, the Lone Pine Australian Memorial, Johnston's Jolly, 57th Regiment Turkish Memorial, the Nek, and the Chunuk Bair New Zealand Memorial. At 6:00PM, transfer to your accommodation for your overnight stay. Day 2: Depart for a tour of Troy. Visit the Trojan Horse, Sacrificial Altars, The 3,700-year-old city walls, Houses of Troy I, Bouleuterium (Senate Building), and Odeon (Concert Hall). Marvel at the remains of the various cities from Troy I through to Troy IX. Next, travel to Bergama, admiring the luscious views along the way. Savor a delicious lunch before heading uphill to the ancient Pergamon Acropolis - once the residence of the royal families and aristocrats. Explore the former palaces, temples, and water reservoirs, as well as the Acropolis, the library, the Temple of Athena, the Temple of Trajan, the Altar of Zeus, the gymnasium situated on the terraces, the Lower Agora, the Hellenistic Theater, and the Temple of Dionysus. Your tour finally finishes at 5:30PM, at which point you can sit back and relax on your return journey to either Selcuk or Kudasasi.

Get to know the city at your own pace with the interactive application you download to your phone. Interact with the city's top attractions and discover interesting facts and legends. Start your journey by downloading the GeziBilen Digital Guide application and continue by following the map on the relevant route. On this route, you can listen to the history of all these works from us. It is worth noting in advance that it may take days to complete our route. Because we will complete the road we depart from Bergama in Torbalı. But it will worth going back centuries and visiting ancient cities included in the Seven Wonders of the World. This is a route where we will step in the ruins where countless works have been extracted, and through which we will feel as if the dusty pages of history revive. After the end of our journey during which we will visit 18 points in total and learn a lot about the artifacts and ruins here, believe me, you will never, ever forget this experience! If you're ready to feel like you've ridden a time machine in the Pearl of the Aegean and gone back thousands of years, let's begin! Our first stop is the Pergamon Ancient City.

Seven Holy Churches Turkey Even today, Turkey is important to people because of the holy seven churches, located the in Aegean Region. Booking Tours Turkey offer you the chance to discover the holy churches with a professional guide and exceptional service in Turkey. In the chapter of Revelation, The apostle St. John had sent his greeting and had described what he had seen in Patmos. St. John told, while he was in the presence of the spirit, he had heard voice tell him to write on a Scroll what he saw before him and send them to the seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. Monday – Day 1: IZMIR ARRIVAL Today is the first day of this religious and historical tour. Your tour will take start from Izmir airport or Kusadasi port. You guide will be waiting for you to meet and transfer you to your hotel in Izmir. (Meal: Dinner) Tuesday – Day 2: PERGAMON – THYATIRA – IZMIR After breakfast you will depart for the ancient city to the church of Pergamum, in Bergama. In the Pergamum you will see the Acropolis, steepest theatre in the world, and the Altar of Zeus, mentioned as Throne of Satan in the book of revelation. After the acropolis we will visit the Asklepieion which is the center of health in Roman times. In Pergamum you will also discover the second largest library of Ancient times, after Library of Alexandria in Egypt. The estimated number of books in Pergamum library is around 200.000, called Parchments. In Pergamum we will also visit the Red Basilica (St. John's Church). Then we will drive to Thyatira, now Akhisar city, another one of the Seven Churches of Asia. Thyatira was a city famous for purple dyes. We visit the remains of a basilica and some architectural ruins from the Roman period. Lydia, the seller of purple in Philippi, was from Thyatira. After the tour we will drive back to Izmir, before checking into the hotel we will discover the panoramic side of Smyrna which is the third biggest city of Turkey. Smyrna was of the seven churches in Asia. You will also visit the central city area called Clock tower. Overnight in Izmir. (Meal: Breakfast and Dinner) Wednesday – Day 3: IZMIR – SARDIS – PHILADELPHIA - LAODICEA – HIERAPOLIS In the morning, you will depart for one of the important seven churches of Asia called Sardis. Sardis was the capital city of the ancient Lydian Kingdom of 6th century BC. In Sardis, you will visit temple of Artemis and the temple of Cybele, godess of fertility. This tepmple was converted to a Byzantine Church. In Sardis, you will visit some Lydian houses, with gymnasium and Synagogue. Here we will also see the last part of the royal Persian Road from Susa to Sardis, built by Cyrus. You will get your lunch en route. We will drive to Philadelphia, to Alasehir, another church of the Seven Churches of Asia, and the only church not censured. There we see the ruins of a Byzantine basilica, built by brick, with a high arch and some 11th century frescoes. We drive to the healing city of Hierapolis, now called Pamukkale, the white «cotton fortress» where hot mineral water bursts from the earth and cascades over steep cliffs forming pools, channels and stalactites. The therapeutic waters were known to the founders of Hierapolis and of Laodicea in 190 BC. In Hierapolis we visit the Martyrium of the Apostle Philip where he was martyred during the persecutions ordered by Domitian. We will proceed to Laodicea (Denizli) yet another of the Seven Churches of Asia Minor. We see the ancient theatre, the remains of a basilica and ancient stone water pipes. We will see the Gate of Domitian, the Arcadian Way, the 2nd century AD Theatre, the Nymphaion, the Temple of Apollo, the Plutonium and the Necropolis. After tour checkin at hotel for dinner and overnight in a Thermal Hotel. (Meal: Breakfast and Dinner) Thursday – Day 4: EPHESUS – KUSADASI After your breakfast, we will drive to the ancient city of Ephesus, the capital city of Asia Minor. Ephesus is the one of the important seven churches in Asia. On our tour we will visit the Basilica of St. John, the apostle of Jesus. St. Paul preached the Ephesians about religion and spent his last three years of life there. You will also discover the Ephesus Archaeological Museum. Than we will visit the Ancient of city Ephesus. In this ancient city we will see and walk through the history set along the marble streets, wonderful ruins, among them the Baths of Scholastica, the Library of Celsus, the Temple of Hadrian and ancient third largest Theatre. The Temple of Artemis in Ephesus is another of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Before returning to the hotel, we will visit the House of the Virgin Mary. Overnight in Kusadasi. (Meal: Breakfast and Dinner) Friday Day 5 : IZMIR – HOME Pick up from hotel and transfer to Izmir airport for your flight back home. (Meal: Breakfast)