GEMS of AEGEAN 06 / DIAMONDS OF MYTHOLOGICAL MOUNT IDA  (2 days) from KUSADASI

AYVALIK,PERGAMON ,ANTANDROS,ADATEPE VILLAGE

1st DAY :

You drive first to Pergamon and start to visit the Acropol.The Acropol is at an elevation of 300 meters and is especially rich in structures from the Hellenistic period.The palaces of the kings of Bargama,the theater ,holy areas and temples ,the agora ,the gymnasium,heroon (tomb of a deified hero) and other remains from the Roman period are all to be found on this hill.The excavation at Bergama began in 1877 and the most important find is the Zeus Altar which was taken to Berlin to be displayed there.It is only possible to see the base of the altar at Bergama.The most impressive structure on the ancient site is undouptedly the Traianus Temple which has been reerected after very successful restoration work.Other structures worthy of note are :the Temple to Dionysus ,which was constructed completely from marble in the Ionic style ,the 15.000 seat theater which is the steepest of its kind,the second largest library of its time containing 200.000 works and the Bergama Library ,built by King Attalos 1,which is located behind the Temple to Athena.

After the visit of Acropol ,you’ll continue to visit to the ‘’Red Basilica’’ in Bergama.

The "Red Basilica", also called variously the Red Hall and Red Courtyard, is a monumental ruined temple in the ancient city of Pergamon, now Bergama,in western Turkey. The temple was built during the Roman Empire, probably in the time of Hadrian and possibly on his orders. It is one of the largest Roman structures still surviving in the ancient Greek world. The temple is thought to have been used for the worship of Egyptian gods – specifically Isis and/or Serapis, and possibly also Osiris, Harpocrates and other lesser gods, who may have been worshipped in a pair of drum-shaped rotundas, both of which are virtually intact, alongside the main temple.

Although the building itself is of an immense size, it was only one part of a much larger sacred complex, surrounded by high walls, that dwarfed even the colossal Temple of Jupiter in Baalbek. The entire complex was built directly over the River Selinus in a remarkable feat of engineering that involved the construction of an immense bridge 196 metres (643 ft) wide to channel the river through two channels under the temple. The Pergamon Bridge still stands today, supporting modern buildings and even vehicle traffic. A series of tunnels and chambers lies under the main temple, connecting it with the side rotundas and giving private access to different areas of the complex. Various drains, water channels and basins are located in, around and under the main temple and may have been used for symbolic reenactments of the flooding of the Nile.

The temple was converted by the Byzantines into a Christian church dedicated to St John but was subsequently destroyed. Today the ruins of the main temple and one of the side rotundas can be visited, while the other side rotunda is still in use as a small mosque

Then you’ll have Lunch at the local restaurant

After lunch time you visit Asklepion ancient city.This is situated to West of the ancient site.It was constructed in the 4th century BC and this area was dedicated to the god of health,Aesculapius and is the remains of one of the first health centers in the World.In its day Asklepion ,was famous for its motto,’’Death cannot enter the place its forbidden’’.On the ‘’Blessed Way’’ you can find the symbol used today by pharmacists -the snake entwined round a stick.Among some of the methods of treatment used here were music and psychotherapy .During the Romanperiod the famous pharmacist and physician,Galenos ,worked here at the Asklepion before working as the court physian. Locally the Asklepion is known as ‘’Ayvaz Ali’’.

End of the visit of Asklepion ancient city you’ll drive to discover Ayvalık with the visit of Cunda ısland , also called Alibey Island, (Turkish: Cunda Adası, Alibey Adası), Greek Moschonisi is the largest of the Ayvalık Islands archipelago in Turkey, which was historically called the Hekatonisa or Moschonisia archipelago in Greek. It lies in the Edremit Gulf on the Turkey's northwestern coast, off the coast of Ayvalık in Balıkesir Province, Turkey, with an area of 23 square kilometres (9 sq mi). It is located 16 kilometres (10 miles) east of Lesbos, Greece.

You will visit Taksiyarhis Church.The church was built by the Alibey(Cunda) Island Greek Orthodox (Moschonese) community on its old foundations as the Metropolitan Church.At the time of its construction ,the majority of Cunda Island was Greek and the Greek population was around 8.000-10.000.the church is attributed to ‘’Taksiyarhis’’,the Guardian Archangels Gabriel and Mikhail.It still constitutes the most important monument of Cunda Island.

In 1927-1928 ,the church building was converted into a mosque without a minaret .In the following periods ,it stood abandoned for a while,then it was registered as an’’immovable cultural property to be protected and preserved for a long time by temporary measures.In 2011,the church building allocated to the Rahmi M.Koç Museum and Culture Foundation was restored and took its current form.

The bell inside was removed during the World War II and used to inform the public.It was later revealed that this bell was the largest bell in the World.this bell is now exhibited in the Bergama Museum in Berlin,the capital of Germany.

Another historical texture that you should not leave without seeing during your visit to Ayvalık is the historical mills.There are 3 mills in cunda Island.While one of the mills is used as a restaurant by a private enterprise,another mill is not open to use.The third mill ,along with the Agios Yannis Church,eas bought and restored by Rahmi Koç.

End of the day you arrive to the hotel in Ayvalık

2nd DAY :

You start to discover Ayvalık with the visit North of Ayvalık. You’ll visit first on the way the ancient city of Antandros in Altınoluk.

Only 15 years ago, almost none of the travelers knew of the existence of the ruins of the ancient city Antandros, located on the Gulf of Edremit, in the southern part of the Troad. The only visible traces of the once mighty city were the scattered fragments of buildings, hidden in an olive grove, and not encouraging an in-depth exploration. However, a lot has changed since then, and the team of researchers led by Professor Gürcan Polat has made remarkable discoveries in Antandrus. The biggest attraction of this place is a wonderfully preserved Roman villa, adorned with mosaic floor and wall frescoes.

In addition to the villa, in Antandros you can see the remains of huge baths, Roman cisterns, and an extensive necropolis.

Then you arrive to the altar of Zeus .In the Iliad ,Homer mentions that the Gods lived on Mount Ida and that they watched and ruled the Trojan War from here.It is also included in this epic that Zeus ,the God of Gods ,lived here and watched and ruled the war.Researchers waorking in the region also think that high place ,built on a hill overlooking the sea and Edremit gulf,belongs to the chief god Zeus.

After the visit of the Altar of Zeus ,you’ll visit the village of ADATEPE .This village lies at the western slopes of Mount Ida, overlooking the Aegean Sea and Lesbos Island. This area was thetemporary home to Paris, son of King Priam ofTroy, where he enjoyed his pastoral life before being invited to judgement in the first beauty contest among Athena, Hera and Aphrodite.

Since those poetic times described in Homer’s Iliad, civilization flourished in and around Adatepe and perhaps some of the olive trees, still offering their generous fruits to mankind, are the living witnesses of this legend. Old stone houses with typical architecture reflect the happy times when Turks and Greeks lived peacefully in this village. Today , the whole village and surrounding olive groves are protected by law as cultural and natural heritage.

End of the visit of Adatepe village ,you arrive to Kusadası

THE GUIDE MAY CHANGE THE ROUTE FOR THE VENUES

THE CAPACITY OF THE TOUR MAXIMUM 12 PAX