The impressive natural harbour is virtually all that remains of the Ionian
city of Smyrna, now Izmir. However this is our base for
visiting two of the greatest cities of the ancient world. A day will be
spent at Pergamon, capital of the Attalids, which, at
its most glorious in the 2nd and 3rd centuries BC, was a rival of Athens
and Alexandria. We will be shown the Hellenistic royal palaces, the Theatre,
the Sanctuary of Athena, and the sites of the Library of Pergamon and
the great Altar of Zeus, now in Berlin. In Lower Pergamon the most important
monument is the Sanctuary of Asclepius. To the east of Izmir is Sardis,
the capital of King Croesus of Lydia, once the richest city in the world,
where coinage was invented. The site is symbolised by the fine Greco-Roman
Temple of Artemis. We drive across the mountains to the village of Birgi,
where we will be shown an 18th-century merchant’s house and a Seljuk
mosque, before arriving at our luxurious hotel overlooking the Aegean
at Kusadasi.
A trio of sites of surpassing interest, formerly set on the Aegean, lie
just to the south. First is Priene, on the slopes of
Mount Mycale, overlooking the valley of the river Meander. Here the most
impressive features are the surviving street plan and the Temple of Athena,
designed by the architect of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus. Next, we
come to Miletus, greatest of all the Ionian cities until
it was sacked by the Persians in the 5th century BC. The lonely ruins
of the vast theatre, once set at the water’s edge, are especially
memorable. Finally we reach the grand and remarkably well-preserved Sanctuary
of Apollo at Didyma, famous for its Oracle.
A day will be devoted to exploring Ephesus,
whose ruins remind us of the wealth and grandeur of the Hellenistic and
Roman eras. We will take in the Odeon, the Prytaneoion or Town Hall, the
colonnaded Sacred Way and a terrace of Roman houses. The highlights are
the beautiful façade of the Library of Celsus and the great Theatre
where St Paul preached to the citizens. We will also be shown the ruins
of the Basilica of St John the Evangelist. Inland is the pretty site of
Aphrodisias with its magnificent Temple of Aphrodite,
evocative Stadium and excellent new museum. Travelling south via the lake
at Labranda and the temple of Zeus at Ouramos,
we arrive in Bodrum where we will be shown the fascinating
Museum of Underwater Archaeology in the great Crusader castle. A visit
to the remote Lycian caves at Caunos provides the finale
to our tour.
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PRICE
l £2,790
The cost includes accommodation in a first-class hotel in Izmir (2 nights),
a superior hotel in Kusadasi (4 nights) and a first-class hotel in Bodrum
(2 night); economy class air travel London (Gatwick) / Izmir : Bodrum
/ Istanbul / London (Heathrow) by scheduled services; ground transport
by private coach; all meals except one lunch; guides; taxes; entrance
fees; visa and the services of a lecturer and a tour organiser.
Price without flights £2,600
l Single room supplement
£280
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