Day 1 / 4 May (Sat): Kuala Lumpur – Istanbul

• Pilgrims – Assemble 3 hours before at Emirates check in counter.

Day 2 / 5 May (Sun):    Istanbul - Adana                                                               (D)

• Flight depart at 2:25hr via Dubai on Emirates
• Arrive in Istanbul and depart to Adana.
• Arrive Adana, transfer to Hotel.
• Dinner and check in.
• Overnight.

Day 3 / 6 May (Mon): Adana                                                                     (B/L/D)

• Breakfast at hotel.
• After Mass, visit Grotto of Peter the Apostle
• Visit Archaelogical Museum.
• Dinner and overnight.

Day 4 / 7 May (Tue): Adana – Cappadocia                                                          (B/L/D)

• Breakfast at hotel.
• After breakfast, drive to Tarsus, the birthplace of Paul. During St. Paul’s time Tarsus was a university city surpassing Athens and Alexandria. Cicero was a governor here in 51-50 B.C. and the romantic meeting between Cleopatra and Mark Anthony took place in Tarsus.

TARSUS - The stone arch, which was probably the Sea Gate to the old walled city. It is popularly known as Cleopatra's Gate; some call it St. Paul's Gate. St Paul's well, situated at the house where the Apostle Paul lived. The city of Tarsus put up a plaque by the well in 1980 commemorating the work of Paul.

Some excavations in the city revealing a mosaic floor, a basalt street and columns along one side of the street, apparently from the Roman period. East of the city is the River Cydnus, which had once brought Cleopatra to Tarsus to meet Mark Antony. The stone-arched bridge built during the time of the Emperor Justinian (6th century).

• Drive to Cappadocia.
• Dinner at local restaurant, overnight at Cappadocia.

Day 5 / 8 May (Wed): Cappadocia                                                                           (B/L/D)

• Drive to Goreme early in the morning. Take an early hot air balloon ride over the landscape at sunrise.

Later in the morning, visit the Underground City of Kaymaklı, early Christian settlements with chapels, monasteries, tombs and shelters. Uchisar Rock Fortress and Pigeon valley. This is an amazing fortress built into solid rock with amazing views of ancient dwellings of Christians and churches. Continue visit to Ucguzeller Valley, Three beauties. Land of the Hittites, which are a tribe mentioned in Genesis 23. Goreme Valley, National park and rock churches. Avanos, with its fascinating pottery and carpets which can only be found in this part of the world. Here you will visit a carpet and pottery factory to see how these are traditionally made. Be treated to an exciting lifetime experience to have a exotic meal in an actual cave. Cappodocian fairy chimney house and experience what it was like for a Christian living in those times.

Zelve Valley - Here the fairy chimneys are unique to the region and the hiking through the valley’s numerous cave dwellings will be an amazing experience.

Pottery Factory in Avanos to see how traditional pottery are being made.

• Dinner at local restaurant. Overnight in Cappodocia.

Day 6 / 9 May (Thu): Cappadocia – Derbe - Konya                                          (B/L/D)

• Breakfast at hotel.
• Depart for DERBE (Karaman) - Derbe, was where Paul preached the gospel and gained many converts, among whom was Gaius (Acts 14:6, 20; 20:4), is some 24 km south-east of Lystra.
• Continue driving to Konya. Paul and Barnabas visited the city on Paul's first missionary journey (Acts 13:51–14:7). Here they preached in the synagogue and then the city. Paul revisited the city on his second (Acts 16:2) and probably third journeys. In the center of the modern city of Konya, directly on the hill on which the ancient Iconium was located stands the Church of St. Paul, built in 1910 by the Sultan for the numerous Catholic workers on the Anatolian Railway.
• Mass at St Paul’s Church (Sahibiata, 42040 Meram/Konya, Turkey)
• Visit The Archaeological Museum which includes the Sidemara Sarcophagus
• Check in the hotel.
• Dinner and overnight in Konya.

Day 7 / 10 May (Fri): Konya – Colossae - Laodicea - Pamukkale                      (B/L/D)

• Breakfast at hotel, check out and depart for Colossae, ruins near Honaz Dag (Mt Cadmus) and Pisidian Antioch – St Paul’s Basilica: Paul preached in a synagogue now buried underneath the basilica. Parts of the city wall, a temple of the God Men, A theatre, collapsed arches of a Roman aqueduct on a barren hill and ruins of the monumental Triple City Gate.
• Continue to Laodicea. On arrival, proceed to visit the ruins, old Roman Road & Roman Amphitheatre.
• Then, drive to Pamukkale. On arrival, proceed to visit:

Travetine (Cotton Castle) - famous for the healing properties of the thermal sacred pool and beautiful cascading snow white terraced cliff side basins and waterfalls.

Hierapolis - where St Philip the Apostle was martyred in 1AD. The city also had a significant Jewish community and was mentioned by St Paul in his letter to the Colossians.

• Dinner and overnight in Pamukkale.

Day 8 / 11 May (Sat): Pamukkale - Ephesus - Kusadasi                                   (B/L/D)

• Breakfast at hotel.
• Check out and drive to Ephesus.
• On arrival, proceed to visit:

House of Mother Mary - where she stayed until she was assumed into heaven. Mass is celebrated at a chapel there.

Ephesus Church & Ephesus Archaeological Site - where you see the splendid façade of the Library of Celcus, the conspicuous Amphitheatre, the commercial agora, the Brothel, and the Temple of Hadrian, among other structures.

• Visit St. John’s Church.
• Continue drive to Kusadasi .
• Dinner at local restaurant. Check in the hotel. Overnight in Kusadasi.

Day 9 / 12 May (Sun): Kusadasi – Izmir – Pergamum - Bursa                            (B/L/D)

• Breakfast at hotel and check out.
• Proceed to visit Church of Revelation site in Smyrna.
• Drive to Pergamum, called Bergama.

It is one of the sites of the Seven Churches of Asia [Rev. 1:11; 2:12]. Here we explore the impressive Acropolis, the steepest theatre in the world, see the Altar of Zeus which is mentioned as the «Throne of Satan» in the book of Revelation, the marble columns of the Temple of Trajan and the Library which was foremost in the world and was long a rival of the equally famous Library of Alexandria in Egypt. Its wealth of volumes was estimated at over 200,000. It inspired the invention of parchment.

• Visit Acropolis, Altar of Zeus, Temple of Trajan & Library.
• Dinner, check in and overnight.

Day 10 / 13 May (Mon) : Bursa - Istanbul                                                                    (B/L/D)

• Breakfast at hotel. Check out and drive to Istanbul.
• Upon arrival, proceed for Mass at Church of St Peter and St Paul.

It is under the custody of the OFM Conventuals. The church owns an icon of the Virgin of the Hodegetria type, which originally lay in a Dominican church in Caffa, Crimea.

• After Mass, proceed to visit Church of St Anthony of Padua, the biggest active Catholic Church in Turkey.
• Dinner and overnight in Istanbul.

Day 11 / 14 May (Tue) : Istanbul                                                                                 (B/L/D)

• Breakfast at hotel.
• Visit:

Hagia Sophia - the former See of Constantinople during the Byzantine era which was seized during the Ottoman Empire and converted into a mosque, and which now stands as a museum.

Hippodrome Square - a horse racing track that was the sporting and social centre of Constantinople. The Blue Mosque is an architectural marvel, known for the cobalt blue tiles that line its interior, this spot is a world-famous destination due to its sprawling courtyard, magnificent mosaics, and vast minarets. Enter via the old Hippodrome.

Topkapi Palace - the imperial residence and administrative centre of the Ottoman Sultans for more than 400 years.

• Ending our day with a visit of the Grand Covered Bazaar, a maze of streets and shops aroma and sounds of old Turkey.
• Dinner and overnight.

Day 12 / 15 May (Wed): Istanbul – Kuala Lumpur                            

• After breakfast, free time till check out.
• Proceed to airport.
• Flight depart at 19:25hr via Dubai on Emirates.

Day 13 / 16 May (Thu) : Kuala Lumpur                                 

• Arrive Kuala Lumpur at 14:25hr with fond memories of Turkey.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ End of Pilgrimage ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shopping stops:

Pamukkale: Textile Outlet

Selcuk: Leather Outlet, Turkish Delight Outlet

Cappadocia: Pottery/Ceramic Workshop, Turquoise/Sultanite Jewellery Workshop, Carpet Cooperative