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| The 2008 tour of Turkey |
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In the month of October 2008, Affinity Intercultural Foundation (AIF) and the Australian Intercultural Society (AIS) hosted a 16 day intercultural study tour of Turkey. A twelve member touring group consisting of one member from AIF and AIS each attended the tour. The tour was aptly titled ‘In the footsteps of St Paul’ as it tracked some key places in the Anatolian basin of early Christendom. The touring party consisted of members from Sydney & Melbourne ranging from religious personalities, senior police personnel & senior members of the education field. It was interesting to note some people had come for their second study tour to ‘further deepen their understanding of Muslim life and culture.’ From Sydney:
From Melbourne:
Although the tour was predominantly focussed on visiting important historical sites of early Christianity, there were opportunities to take in the rich history that Turkey had to offer as there were remnant from ancient empires including Roman, Byzantium, Seljuks & more recently the Ottomans. The vast landscape was abreast with great secrets of the past. For example, it was in Tarsus (Southeast of Turkey) that St Paul was born and the Prophet Daniel (PBUH) was buried. Also on the outskirts of Tarsus was the secret hideaway of Seven Sleepers, a story narrated in the Bible and the Quran. Saint Peter had built the first Church in Anatolian lands in the city of Antioch (Southeast of Turkey), otherwise referred to as Antakya by the Turks. It was here that St Paul had met St Peter and it was in this domain that the followers of Christ were first termed ‘Christians’ as they worshipped God in carved out caves in the hills of Antioch. The city is still a multi-faith hub as it boasts a vibrant Jewish, Christian and Muslim community with synagogue, church and mosques still lively. From Antioch, the touring party moved to Kayseri (Central Turkey) which was an important station on the Silk Road. Its history dates back to beyond 3000BC with civilisations like the Assyrians, Hittites, Romans and the Seljuks all walking through the city and making it their capital. The city still has castles dating back some 1500 years, with also the tomb of Rumi’s master. On the outskirts of Kayseri there were remnants of ancient civilisations with historical relics still in place. The next two days saw us in the splendid Capadoccia region, which translates to the ‘Land of Wild Horses’. This region has breathtaking views of mountainous hills with caves carved out for living. It can not be hard to imagine a community living in these hills as they had planned and built great facilities to sustain their livelihood. From there we ventured to Antiocheia in Psidia region otherwise known as Yalvac by the Turks. This was where St Paul of Tarsus gave his first sermon to the Gentiles (Acts 13:13–52}, and visited the city once on each of his missionary journeys, helping to make Antioch a centre of Christianity in Anatolia. It’s history dates back to ancient civilisations and it could be understood why this area was much sought after with it’s breathtaking views and its rich harvest area. Our next stop was to visit the famous Hierapolis - Pamukkale region. This area has a lot of ruins in good tact, even a colosseum that would host several thousand people on its day. The ancient city of Hierapolis and Laodikia are still being uncovered as archaeologists meticulously open up the earth to find secrets of the past. The unique stalactites of Pamukkale is no wonder why humanity had tried to build a civilisation around this feature many times over. On our way to Izmir we stopped off at Alasehir, otherwise known as Philadelphia in the ancient language, which hosts one of the seven churches. The great church unfortunately has left a fraction of what would have been a spectacle in its prime. Its footprint still remains as one could only imagine the iconic figure during its peak whilst it was being utilised by worshippers. Another civilisation not too far from Alasehir called Sardis was visited. This was another important Judeo- Christian site as it hosted a church and synagogue in the same premises. The second last city on our itinerary was Izmir. Izmir was close to major historical sites such as Ephesus, the House of Virgin Mary & Pergamon. All of these 3 important sites were visited and each had its own splendour about it. Each site showed its exotic beauties mixing spirituality and awe at the magnitude of the civilisation it once used to host. The final stop on the tour was to visit some of the magnificent monuments of Istanbul including Hagia Sofia, Blue Mosque, Dolmabahce Palace. Added to this was the visit of Samanyolu TV station (a major TV station in Turkey) and the KADIM organisation, a pioneer dialogue organisation. We were fortunate enough to also enjoy a breathtaking tour of one of the greatest harbours of the world – the Bosphorus. Apart from the itinerary the guests were fortunate enough to be treated to Turkish hospitality just about every night. The warm atmosphere was generated by our hosts and tourists engaging in deep conversation and learning more about each other. The evening was closed with the exchanging of gifts. The Australian contingent handed over memorabilia from the homeland whilst the locals amazed the tourists with some original handicraft works. Our guests were literally ‘packed to the rafters’ with presents and memorabilia from Turkey that would last them a lifetime. Upon reflection of the study tour our touring party was amazed at the rich history, the mosaic makeup of the people and the subtle differences of the culture from one region to the next. Although the tour was fast paced as there was a lot to pack in, the guests felt they were treated to something special from the very start as they would be savouring it for many years to come.
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