SG500 ROOTS & COVENANTS

Departure from Singapore

Arrival @ Istanbul at 0515 hrs and clear custom

Meet and assist by English speaking guide

• Morning sharing of outreach ministries in hotel (subject to availability)

• ST. Sophia - The biggest church in the world. Originally a Byzantine church, an Ottoman mosque, and Turkish museum and finally a mosque again. Famous for its glorious interior and an impressive dome that blends both Christian and Muslim elements.

• Cistern Basilica - The underworld of Istanbul. A reservoir for the Byzantine emperors. Embrace the breathtaking and mystical scenery. 336 marble columns, bathed in an atmospheric light, support the 6th century construction.

• Hippodrome  - A public arena mainly for chariot races. It was also home to gladiatorial games, official ceremonies, celebrations, protests, torture to the convicts and so on.

• Topkapi Palace - One of the landmarks of Istanbul. Built in 1461 by Mehmet the Conqueror and remained both the symbolic and political home of the Ottoman Empire until the 19th century.

Overnight in Istanbul

This event is famous for its religious syncretism. While it is a holy Greek Orthodox site on an island, tens of thousands of both Christians and Muslims (particularly women) participate together in unique wish-making rituals. It’s a bi-annual shared religious pilgrimage to the Greek Orthodox Monastery of St George Koudounas located on the highest hill of Büyükada, the largest of the Princes' Islands near Istanbul, Turkey

Overnight in Istanbul

Check-out after breakfast and transfer to Istanbul Airport for domestic flight to Agri (Turkish name for Ararat)

• TK2730 IST-KSY 0810/1020

• Mount Ararat (Photo Stop)

• Ishak Pasha Palace

Located on the Silk Route near the Iranian frontier,  is situated on a high and vast platform of strategic importance on an area of 7600 meter square. It is not at all in the Ottoman tradition but is rather a mixture of Anatolian, Iranian and North Mesopotamian architectural tradition. The traditional model used in the construction of the Royal Palaces in the capital cities like Bursa, Edirne and Istanbul was taken as an example in the design of Ishak Pasha Palace. The western influence in Ottoman architecture during the post-classical period can be observed in Ishak Pasha Palace.

Overnigth in Dogubayazit

• Durupınar Noah’s Ark Site

• Noah’s Village - anchor stones

• Muradiyeh Waterfalls

The town of Muradiye lies a few kilometres north-east of the most north-easterly extremity of Lake Van. Muradiye Falls and St. Argelan Monastery are a few kilometres north and west of the town respectively.

Overnight in Tatvan

• Hasankeyf/Tigris River – Boat ride in Hasankeyf

  Hasankeyf is a town located along the Tigris in the Hasankeyf District, Batman Province, Turkey. It was declared a natural conservation area by Turkey in 1981.

• Mor Gabriel Monastery

  Dayro d-Mor Gabriel, also known as Deyrulumur, is the oldest surviving Syriac Orthodox monastery in the world.

Overnight in Mardin

• Mardin

  Mardin is a charming city situated on the slopes of a rocky hill. Currently listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List as Mardin Cultural Landscape to be evaluated for the permanent one, every inch of the city oozes history and culture, and these lands along the Tigris River have been the crossroads of civilizations since the dawn of civilization itself. The entire city is essentially an open-air museum. It was an important spot in the Middle Assyrian Empire.

• Abraham's Birth Cave/Fish Pond

  When Abraham destroyed the idols in the temple, Nimrod wanted to burn him on a large pile of wood as an exemplary punishment. The moment Abraham was set on fire, the fire turned into a clear pool. The burning wood turned into fish. This is why we call this lake “Balıklıgöl” today, and why the fish are considered sacred. Muslims believe the “Mevlid-i Halilulrahman Mağarası” Mosque in the Şanlıurfa is the birthplace of Abraham.

  Archeological Museum of Sanliurfa (Sanliurfa is believed to be the site or ancient Ur). The muslims also believed that is was where the land of Uz where Job was.

Overnight in Sanliurfa

• Jacob's Well

  Jacob’s well in Harran. “When Jacob saw Rachel daughter of his uncle Laban, and Laban’s sheep, he went over and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle’s sheep.” Gen 29:10

• Harran

  Haran nurtured 4 generations of Abraham’s family: Rebeca, Rachel, Leah and Jacob’s 12 sons. “Go instead to my homeland, to my relatives, and find a wife there for my son Isaac.”（Gen 24:4 / Deut 26:5). The Vernacular Domed Beehive houses of Harran were registered as archaeological and urban site in 1979. After this date, the use of materials in the ancient site was prohibited and therefore the construction of new conic shaped houses ended. Feel the coolness inside these houses on a hot day, wear local clothes and touch the history of the city during your visit in Harran.

• Göbekli Tepe

  Göbekli Tepe is a Neolithic archaeological site in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey. The settlement was inhabited from c. 9500 to at least 8000 BCE, during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic.

• Helfeti Euphrates Boat ride and lunch (meeting with Singapore missionary serving amongst the Kurdish people)

Overnight in Helfeti

• We will spend the morning in Helfeti in a prayer retreat as Helfeti represents the crossing of the Euphrates by Abraham in order to reach Canaan. That’s why Abraham was called a Hebrew. Significant.

• Zeugma Mosaic Museum

  The breath-taking mosaics found during the excavations of the Zeugma Ancient City are now exhibited at the Zeugma Museum in Gaziantep. The Zeugma Mosaic Museum, one of the most important mosaic museums in the world, has an extraordinary mosaic collection in terms of subject and color diversity, as well as quality – in particular, the number of tesserae (mosaic stones) per square meters.

Overnight in Gaziantep

• Kaymakli Underground City

  Kaymaklı underground city has 8 floors in total, but 4 floors can be visited today. These cities, which were built for short-term asylum, have sections such as a kitchen, barn, rooms, cellar, church, winery.

• Camel Rock

  A rock in the valley looks like a camel as a result of erosion.

Overnight in Cappadocia

• Hot air balloon (optional）- The best destination in the world for hot air balloon is definitely in Cappadocia. The landscape of Cappadocia which is formed by the nature makes that experience unforgettable.

• Goreme open air museum - Göreme open-air museum, which is a monastery where religious education is given, has the most beautiful atmosphere of the region with its rock-carved churches.

• Pasabagi - Experience mushroom shaped fairy chimneys with multiple stems and caps.

• Pigeon valley, Uchisar castle

• Depart from Cappadocia to Istanbul.

  TK2009 NAV/IST 2105/2235

Overnight in Istanbul (near airport)

Depart to Singapore

Arrived in Singapore