Sept 2022 Israel & Turkey Tour Summary: Day 13

Day 13 – Thursday, September 22: Izmir / Thyatira / Sardis / Philadelphia / Pamukkale

Today was our first full day here in Turkey. We travel a long distance today, visiting four of the seven Churches of Revelation along the way. Our final destination was Hierapolis (Pamukkale). The weather was cool in the morning (50s), with perfect temps (low 70s) in the afternoon, with partly sunny skies.

Izmir/Smyrna

Following an hour and a half drive, our first stop was to ancient Smyrna. It is located within the modern city of Izmir. We read from Revelation 2:8-11 before we got off to see the very limited ruins (primary the agora) from outside the fence. We then drove up to a high hill for a great view of Smyrna and the small archaeological site below.

Thyratira

We drove about 45 minutes east to the next site, Thyatira. Within the site we read from Revelation 2:18-29. Like Smyrna, this site has only limited ruins, mainly from the Late Roman / Byzantine Period, although arches from the time of Alexander the Great (4th century BC).

Sardis

We drove about an hour to our next stop, Sardis. We read Revelation 3:1-6 within the site of the ancient synagogue. The visit included walking through the ancient synagogue with amazing mosaics and gymnasium. We also saw the huge and most impressive Temple of Artemis. This temple once had about 120 massive pillars. It dates to the 4th century BC.

Philadelphia

Our last site of the day was Philadelphia. It is located 45 minutes east of Sardis. Only two large arches remain among the limited ruins. There was also an inscription with “Philadelphia” in Greek. We read from Revelation 3:7-13.

It took about two hours on the road to arrive at our hotel in Hierapolis (Pamukkale). It is a very nice hotel. We enjoyed a buffet dinner together. Some even took the opportunity to enjoy a Turkish Bath.

Day 14 – Friday, September 23: Hierapolis, Laodicea, Collosea, Kusadasi