Alumni

Travel

Carthage College Study Tour to Eastern Turkey

With Professor Dan Schowalter
August 4-17, 2011

This bus tour of the eastern regions of Turkey provides an amazing combination of historical and religious insights along with spectacular natural beauty. The landscape changes regularly with unusual geophysical features and outstanding vistas. The tour will include places associated with the earliest history of human beings, famous stories of the Hebrew Bible, and the frontiers of the Hellenistic and Roman empires. In addition, we will see firsthand evidence for early Christianity in Byzantine and Armenian contexts, and sites associated with important developments in the history and culture of Turkey.

Our guide, Mehmet Imamoglu, has great experience and expertise with travel throughout Turkey, but especially in the east. He is a thoughtful and kind man with a great sense of humor and a love of American music and basketball. Our tour leader, Dan Schowalter is a professor of classics and religion at Carthage and co-directs an archaeological excavation in Israel. He studies Roman Society and Religions in the first three centuries CE. This leadership team along with an outstanding itinerary in a seldom-seen area makes this trip a fabulous opportunity for those who love to travel.

Itinerary:

Aug. 4 Depart U.S.
Aug. 5Arrive Istanbul, flight to Gaziantep (o/n Gaziantep)
Aug. 6Visit Gaziantep Museum and former site of Zeugma (o/n Gaziantep)
Aug. 7Drive to Nemrud Mountain with heroic size sculptures (o/n Kahta)
Aug. 8Drive to Diyarbakir, tour Museum, Grand Mosque, and city walls (o/n Diyarbakir)
Aug. 9Drive to Tatvan, visit Malabadi Bridge, drive to Crater Lake at Nemrud (o/n Tatvan)
Aug. 10Drive toward Van, visit church on Aktamar Island (o/n Van)
Aug. 11Tour Van Museum, Hosap Castle, afternoon free (o/n Van)
Aug. 12Drive to Dogu Beyazit, see Muradiye Waterfalls and Ishak Pasa Palace (o/n Dogu Beyzait with view of Mt. Ararat)
Aug. 13Drive to Kars — free afternoon (o/n Kars)
Aug. 14Visit Ani (capital of ancient Armenia), visit Gregorian Church on the way to Artvin (o/n Artvin)
Aug. 15Drive to Ayder on the Black Sea coast, visit churches on the way (o/n Ayder)
Aug. 16Drive along coast to Trabzon (Sumela Monastery on the way), in Trabzon visit St. Sophia Church (o/n Trabzon)
Aug. 17Fly from Trabzon to Istanbul, fly from Istanbul to Chicago (extra days in Istanbul can be arranged)

Reserve your place

To reserve your place, send a deposit check for $1750.00 per person (made out to Carthage College) to:

Professor Dan Schowalter
Carthage College
2001 Alford Park Drive
Kenosha, WI 53140

Deadline for deposit is April 10, 2011.
Balance of payment due on May 1, 2011.

[Please be aware that the trip will involve regular walking, some hiking, and moderate climbing. People with significant mobility issues should not consider this trip.]

Trip Cost

Land
Price for the 13-day land portion of the tour includes:

  • Airport transfers in Turkey
  • Bus transportation with professional driver
  • Professional guide
  • Hotel accommodations for 12 nights
  • Breakfast and dinner each day
  • Admissions to sites and museums

Total price per person: $1,995.00
Single supplement: $300

Airfare
Based on Feb. 18 prices
O'Hare to Istanbul Aug. 4
Istanbul to O'Hare Aug. 18
Istanbul to Gaziantep Aug. 5
Trabzon to Istanbul Aug. 17

International airfare: $1,450.00
Airfare in Turkey: $175.00
Total airfare: $1,625.00