See below…… This trip is first come, first serve, as we will only be doing one bus load— so the first 40 to sign up get to go!!
Tour Hosts:
• Dr. Ben Witherington &
• Nancy L. Dumas
MAY 23-JUNE 13, 2020
The Genesis to Revelation Tour
Covering Old Testament and New Testament Sites
Egypt – Israel – Turkey / MAY 23-JUNE 13, 2020
Tour Itinerary:
May 23 Sat Depart Atlanta – Fly Cairo
Take the non-stop direct TK 32 flight from Atlanta to Istanbul depart at 22:35.
*You will check-in your luggage all the way to Cairo.
May 24 Sun Arrive Istanbul Airport at 16:40 – Take TK 694 18:25 /
19:55 connection flight to Cairo
Your guide will meet you with a “BEN WITHERINGTON – TUTKU” sign. Meet and
assist through customs and formalities. Transfer by bus to the hotel. Overnight
in Cairo. (D)
May 25 Mon Cairo
Visit the Pyramids of Cheops, Chefren & Mikarinus, and the New Egyptian
Museum (if opened). Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Cairo. (B,D)
May 26 Tue Cairo
Visit the step pyramid at Sakkara, Memphis open museum and Dahshour
pyramid. Dinner and overnight in Cairo. (B,D)
May 27 Wed Cairo Airport – Fly to Luxor MS 361 07:30/08:40
Arrive Luxor. Visit Karnak and Luxor temples. Dinner and overnight in Luxor.
(B,D)
May 28 Thu Luxor – Fly back to Cairo MS 360 18:20/19:30
Visit the Valley of the Kings, the two huge Colossi of Memnon and the temple
of Queen Hatshepsut. Fly back to Cairo. Walk to hotel through internal airport
tube. Dinner and overnight in Cairo.
May 29 Fri Cairo Airport – Fly Tel Aviv
Walk to the international departure terminal for 4D 054 08:55/11:15 flight to
Tel Aviv. At Tel Aviv Airport, your guide will meet you with a “Ben Witherington
– TUTKU” sign. Meet and transfer to hotel in Jerusalem for check-in. Rest of the
day is free. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Jerusalem. (B,D)
May 30 Sat Jerusalem
Visit the National Israeli Museum, the Shrine of the Book, walk in the old city,
the Mt. of Olives, the Church of the Lord’s Prayer. Dinner and overnight at the
hotel in Jerusalem. (B,D)
May 31 Sun Tiberias
Drive north, visit Nazareth and Village of Nazareth Museum. Also Sepphoris
and Cana since that’s in the neighborhood. Dinner and overnight at the hotel
in Tiberias. (B,D)
June 1 Mon Sea of Galilee – Tiberias
Visit Caparneum, Tabgha, go up on the cliffs of Arbel, and then down to
Yardenit, to the Jordan river. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Tiberias. (B,D)
June 2 Tue Tiberias – Tel Aviv
Visit Megiddo, Caeserea Maritima. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Tiberias.
(B,D)
June 3 Wed Tel Aviv Airport – Fly Istanbul
Morning flight to Istanbul TK 865 08:30/10:55. Your guide will meet you with a
“Ben Witherington – TUTKU” sign. Meet and transfer to your hotel for check-in.
Afternoon private Boat Tour along the Bosphorus seeing both European and
Asia shores of Istanbul. Dinner and overnight in Istanbul. (B,D)
June 4 Thu Istanbul
Visit Hagia Sophia Church, Hippodrome Square, Archaeology Museum, St Irene
Church. Dinner and overnight in Istanbul. (B,D)
June 5 Fri Istanbul Airport – Morning flight to Hatay TK 2252
10:00/11:55
Visit Antioch Museum, St Peter Church. Dinner and overnight in Adana. (B,D)
June 6 Sat Adana – Urfa
Drive to Urfa. Visit the famous Gobeklitepe site and its new museum. Optional
visit to Urfa Old City Bazaar. Dinner and overnight in Urfa. (B,D)
June 7 Sun Urfa – Gaziantep – Fly Izmir XQ 9229 22:25/00:15 – Izmir
Drive to Gaziantep to see its new mosaic museum ranked number one in
the world. Dinner at a local restaurant. Continue to Gaziantep Museum for
evening flight to Izmir. Overnight in Izmir. (B,D)
June 8 Mon Pergamum – Izmir
Drive north to Pergamum. Take cable car up to Acropolis. Visit its 10,000-seat
theatre on the side of the acropolis which is the steepest in the ancient world;
the magnificently restored temple of Trajan; a library of 200,000 volumes
second in size only to that in Alexandria; the base of the Altar of Zeus; and the
temple of Dionysus. Then, we will visit the medical center of Asclepius with its
own theatre, library, underground tunnel and other buildings. John warned
the church here that they were living in a place of “Satan’s throne” (Rev. 2:12-
17). Return to Izmir for dinner and overnight. (B,D)
June 9 Tue Sardis – Hierapolis – Pamukkale
Drive to Sardis (Rev. 3:1-6). Here we see the remains of the magnificent temple
of Artemis, the beautifully reconstructed gymnasium and public baths, and
the largest known synagogue outside Palestine. Then, visit Hierapolis and the
Martyrium of St. Philip, a 5th century AD structure on the site where Philip—
either the apostle or the evangelist (Acts 6:1-7; 21:8-9; Acts of Philip)—was
believed to have been killed in AD 80. Dinner and overnight in Pamukkale.
(B,D)
June 10 Wed Pamukkale – Laodicea – Kusadasi
Visit Laodicea. Although the excavation work is still in its early stages, Laodicea
was a major city in Roman times, as is clear from not only the size of the
ancient site but also its two theatres, stadium, aqueduct and major street
lined with shops. Laodicea is not only the last of the seven churches to whom
Sphinx John directed the book of Revelation (Rev. 3:14-22), but it also had a close
relationship with the nearby churches of Colossae and Hierapolis (Col. 4:13-15)
and was the recipient of one of Paul’s now lost letters (Col. 4:16). Overnight in
Kusadasi. (B,D)
June 11 Thu Ephesus – Izmir
Today we will visit the famous ancient city of Ephesus. Ephesus was also the
site of the Artemis temple—one of seven wonders of the ancient world. There
is the same theatre where some 24,000 citizens of Ephesus gathered shouting
“Great is Artemis!” in a riot started in response to Paul’s ministry there. The
apostle visited this city only briefly during his second missionary journey (Acts
18:18-21) but returned during his third missionary journey for a much longer
period of two years and three months (Acts 19:1-20:1). Timothy later served as
pastor in this city during which time Paul wrote him two letters (1 & 2 Timothy).
Some years later Ephesus served as the home base for the apostle John’s
ministry from where he wrote a number of letters (1, 2, 3 John) and to which
he sent the Book of Revelation. In addition to the ancient city, we will also visit
the “slope houses” (the wealthiest homes in Ephesus that have been marvelously
reconstructed), the Ephesus Museum, which houses several impressive items
from this site, and the Basilica of St. John. Dinner and overnight in Izmir. (B,D)
June 12 Fri Smyrna – Izmir
Begin the day by driving up to Mt. Pagus (now called Kadifekale or “Velvet
Castle”) which is the acropolis of ancient Smyrna from where we have a great
view of the modern city of Izmir and its harbor. Here we think about John’s
word of commendation for the Christians in Smyrna who were persevering
in the faith despite persecution (Rev. 2:8-11). You will see the location of the
Smyrna Theater which is being excavated very recently since 2018. Thanks to
the latest excavations, you can also see the location of the Smyrna Stadium
where St Policarp was martyred. Then, we will visit the Smyrna Agora, see
its latest excavations including the Graffiti Section which is closed to public.
We will finish our tour in early afternoon for you to rest, relax, shop or pack.
Tonight, Farewell Dinner and overnight in Izmir. (B,D)
June 13 Sat Transfer to Izmir Airport for TK 2313 11:00 / 12:20 flight
to Istanbul.
*At Izmir airport, you will check-in your luggage all the way to Atlanta. Arrive
Istanbul at 12:20pm. Take the TK 31 14:05 connection flight to Atlanta. Arrive
Atlanta at 19:40 same day.
Egypt – Israel – Turkey / MAY 23-JUNE 13, 2020
$6,290 Per Person in Double
$1,650 Single Supplement
• Roundtrip international flights Atlanta-Cairo and Istanbul-Atlanta
• Roundtrip domestic flights Cairo-Luxor-Cairo
• Cairo-Tel Aviv one way flight
• Tel Aviv-Istanbul one way flight
• Istanbul-Hatay domestic flight
• Gaziantep-Izmir domestic flight
• Izmir-Istanbul flight to connect your Atlanta flight
• 3 nights at Fairmont Nile City Hotel or similar
• 1 night at Steigenberger Nile Palace Hotel or similar
• 1 night at Le Meridian Airport Hotel or similar
• 2 Nights at Olive Tree Hotel in Jerusalem or similar
• 2 Nights at Leonardo Plaza in Tiberias or similar
• 1 Night at Tal by the Beach in Tel Aviv or similar
• 2 Nights at Moevenpick Hotel in Istanbul or similar
• 1 Night at Seyhan Hotel in Adana or similar
• 1 Night at Nevali Hotel in Urfa or similar
• 2 Nights at Swissotel in Izmir
• 1 Night at Doga Thermal Hotel in Pamukkale
• 1 Night at Korumar Hotel in Kusadasi
• 2 Nights at Swissotel in Izmir
• Sightseeing as per the itinerary
• Daily open buffet breakfasts at the hotels
• 20 Dinners
• Private English speaking licensed tour guides during all tours
• All Entrance fees for all sightseeing in Egypt, Israel, Turkey
• All transportation by private AC Buses
• Headsets
• Service charges and local taxes
• TUTKU bag, t-shirt, electric plug (converter), maps.
• Egypt Visa Fee to be obtained upon arrival (to be paid cash at Cairo
Airport)
• Turkish Visa Fee to be obtained online before arrival www.evisa.gov.tr
• Tips to drivers, guides and hotels staff
• Lunches and drinks (except St Peter’s Fish Lunch in Sea of Galilee)
• Travel and Health Insurance, any kind of insurance
For registration, please contact:
Nancy L. Dumas
19980 Bunker Loop
Fairhope, AL 36532
[email protected]
PAYMENT PROCEDURE:
$400 per person Deposit : September 1, 2019 (Refundable up to
February 1, 2020)
Full Payment : February 15, 2020
PAYMENT can be made by two ways; credit card
(Visa or Mastercard) or by bank wire transfer. If you
wish to pay with a credit card (Visa or Mastercard
only), you can fill in the secure form at our website
https://secure.tutkutours.com/tours/200523EGILTR
Cancellation Penalty:
– 120-90 days prior to departure: No Penalty
– 89-60 days prior to departure: 10%
– 59-45 days prior to departure: 25%
– 44-30 days prior to departure: 50%
– 29-15 days prior to departure: 75%
– 14 days & After No refund
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