Iran - Persia & The Bible / June 8-20, 2018

IRANJune 8-20, 2018Tour Host: Dr. Mark Wilson

organized by

PERSIA & THE BIBLE

Biblical Archaeology SocietyTutku Tours Travel Programs Endorsed by

Iran - Persia & The Bible / June 8-20, 2018

Tour Itinerary:

Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System

IRANJune 8-20, 2018

Tour Host: Dr. Mark Wilson

PERSIA & THE BIBLE

Istanbul

June 8 Fri Depart from USA - NON-STOP FLIGHTS FROM THE BELOW US CITIES TO ISTANBUL

• LOSANGELES(LAX) TK10departsat9:25pm(arrive Istanbul 8:30 pm next day)•NEWYORK(JFK) TK2 departsat7:15pm(arrive Istanbul 12:10 pm next day)• CHICAGO(ORD) TK6 departsat9:30pm(arrive Istanbul 4:15 pm next day)•HOUSTON(IAH) TK34departsat8:55pm(arrive Istanbul 4:50 pm next day)•WASHINTONDC(IAD) TK8 departsat11:05pm(arrive Istanbul 4:20 pm next day)• BOSTON(BOS) TK82departsat11:30pm(arrive Istanbul 4:10 pm next day)

*Flight times can be changed by the airlines beyond our control. Please double check. June 9 Sat ARRIVE ISTANBULWelcometoTurkey!WearriveinIstanbulbylateafternoonwhereourwaitingbustakesustoourcomfortablehotel.Weendourlongtraveldaywithadeliciousmealandagoodnightofsleep.

June 10 Sun ISTANBUL (Choose one of the two Options)OPTION 1 (Suggested for First timers):OurtourinIstanbulbeginsattheHagiaSophia(the church of “Holy Wisdom”)—thecrowningachievementofthesacredbuildingprogramofEmperorJustinian,the6th–centuryheadoftheChristianByzantineEmpire.NearbyislocatedtheHippodromewhichoncestoodintheheartoftheByzantinecityofConstantinopleandoriginallyheldupto100,000people.Althoughlittleisleftofthisgiganticstadium,thereareanumberof impressivecolumnsandother structures situatedat the site.We thenheadunderground to the Basilica Cistern, a vast water cistern located underneath the city.Afterwards,wewillmakeourwaytoIstanbul’sArchaeologicalMuseum—oneofthemostcelebratedcollectionsintheworld.AmongitstreasuresaretheSiloaminscription,theGezercalendar,andthestunning“Jerusalemmosaic”depictingOrpheus.FinalvisitistotheHagiaIreneChurch,thelocationofthe2ndEcumenicalCouncil.Wereturntoourhotelfordinnerandovernight.(B,D)

OPTION 2 : (This tour is for those who have visited the sites listed at the Option 1 before.) FirstvisitEcumenicalPatriarchateofConstantinoplelocatedinFener,ChurchoftheSaintsSergius and Bacchus, also known as LittleHagia Sophia, theMonastery of Stoudios (from outside – internal visit is not possible),morefullyMonasteryofSaintJohntheForerunner“atStoudios”, often shortened to Stoudios, Studion, or Stoudion, was historically the mostimportantmonasteryofConstantinople, the capitalof theByzantineEmpire.Continue toChoraChurchtoseeitsgoldenmosaics.FinalvisittoPammakaristosChurch,alsoknownastheChurchofTheotokosPammakaristos,in1591convertedintoamosqueandknownasFethiyeMosqueandtodaypartlyamuseum,isoneofthemostfamousGreekOrthodoxByzantinechurchesinIstanbul.Wereturntoourhotelfordinnerandovernight.(B,D)

June 11 Mon FLY TEHRANDrivetotheairportforTK870 09:35 /14:05flighttoTehran.Ourrepresentativewillmeetyouafterthecustomsandbaggageclaim.MeetanddrivetoTehran.FirstvisittheRezaAbbasiMuseum.Thissmallmuseuminthenorthernpartofthecityhasacollection,arranged chronologically, of incredibly beautiful artefacts (in gold, bronze, silver, precious stones, glazed tiles, etc.),aswellasstunningminiatures,illustratedmanuscripts,andexamplesofearlycalligraphy;afterwewilldrivetoArtistForumtovisitexamplesofcontemporaryartofIranianartistsandenjoyitsverymoderncofeshop.Dinnerandovernight.

June 12 Tue TEHRAN - FLY KERMANSHAHWebeginourdayattheTehranGrandBazaar,thenwewalktowardtheUNESCOWorldHeritage Site ofGolestan Palace, part of a complex of royal buildings thatwere onceenclosedwithinthemud-thatchedwallsofTehran’shistoricarg,orcitadel.TheoldestofthehistoricalmonumentsinTehran,thisopulentpalacedatesbacktotheQajarDynasty.Followinglunch,wecontinueourtourtovisit:NationalMuseum,displayingthecountry’sarchaeologicalfindings.WethenviewthecollectionattheAbginehGlassandCeramicsMuseum, impressive not only for its exhibits but for the building itself, constructed intheearly1920sasaprivateresidenceforaprominentlocalfamilyandlaterhousingtheEgyptianEmbassy.WenextvisittheCarpetMuseum,exhibitinglushcarpetsfromalloverthecountrydatingfromthe17thcenturytopresentday.DinnerwillbeattheairportandthentakeEP622 21:20 /22:25flighttoKermanshahforourovernight.

June 13 Wed KERMANSHAH - HAMADANDrive to the sensational site atTagh-éBostan,where a sacred spring emerges fromamountaincliff andempties intoa large reflectingpool.Here, inwhatwasoncea royalhunting park, the Sassanian kings carved some spectacular rock reliefs, including anoversizeequestrianstatueofKingKhosrowIImountedonhisfavoritecharger,Shabdiz.Bothhorseandriderarearrayedinfullbattlearmor.Twocosmicbeings,AhuraMazdaandMithra,alsoareportrayedatthissite.MithraishaloedwiththeraysofthesunasheisalsodepictedatNemrutDaginsoutheasternTurkey.HeoffersabundleofsacredtwigstoKingShapurIIaspartoftheritesofroyalinvestiture.ThenvisittheSassaniansiteatKangavar,wheretheremainsofatemplededicatedtoAnahita,thebeneficentdivinityofwater,aretobefound.WethenviewtheincredibleAchaemenidbas-reliefsatBisotun,oneofthemostfamousNear Eastern archaeological sites and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Trilingualinscriptions,carved521-519BCinOldPersian,Elamite,andAkkadian,servedasthekeyto thedeciphermentof cuneiformscript in themid-19thcentury.Therelief above theinscriptionshowsDariustheGreatfacingninerebelkings—therulerscrushedbyDariuswhenhecametopower.ThewingedgeniusfloatingabovethesceneindicatesthatDariuswassupportedbythe“greatgod”AhuraMazda.DinnerandovernightinHamadan.

June 14 Thu HAMADANHamadan, amajor stopon the ancient royal road toBaghdad.Here, view theAlavyanTombTower, a 12th-century structure regarded as the finest exampleof Seljuk art inIran.SeethelatestexcavationsofancientEcbatana.CreatedbyKingDeiocesashiscapitalwhereheruled from728-675B.C.Visit theTombofEstherandMordechaiofBiblicalfameaswellastheTombofAvicenna,aworld-renownedastronomerandphysicianofthe10thcentury.WewillalsovisitGanjnameh,wherethearea’soldestAchaemenidrockcarvingislocated.Engravedontwostonepanels,theinscriptionsrecordtheachievementsofDariusIandhissonXerxesandtheextentoftheirempires.DinnerandovernightinHamadan.

June 15 Fri HAMADAN - SHUSHTARTodaywewilldrivetoShushtar,en-routetoShushtaryouwillhaveavisitofPol-e-Dokhtar,abridgeconstructedbytheSassanians1800yearsago.Itishuge–900feetlongandrising90feetabovewaterlevelandwitheightarchesneededtospantheKashkanRiver.YouhaveastopinDezful,thesecondbiggestcityofKhozestanProvinceafterAhvaz.Dezfulisknownascityofbridges,thereareseveralbridges inDezfulandShadorvanBridge istheoldestactivebridgeofIranthatisusedtillnow.İtisareminderofRomanengineersinIranbelongtoabout1600yearsago.YouwillhaveyourlunchinDezfulandasfteryouwilldrivetoShush.Shush,orSusa,thesettingoftheBiblicalBookofEstheristhelargestUNESCOWORLDHERITAGESITEOF IRAN.Datingback to around6000BC, Susawasoneof thegreatancientcitiesof Iranandan importantElamitecenteruntil itwasdestroyedbytheAssyriansinthe7thcenturyBC.DariusImadeitintotheAchaemenidwintercapital.Acrosstheriver,visittheTombofDaniel,saidtoholdtheremainsoftheJewishprophet,andstillaplaceofpilgrimage.Thenyouwillgotovisit:AchamanianPalace(Apadana),FrenchArcheologyCastlebelongtoMarcel-AugusteDieulafoy,thefirstfrencharchologistwhoexcavatedShushsite.OvernightShushtar.

Iran - Persia & The Bible / June 8-20, 2018

$6,990 Per Person in Double

$980 Single Supplement

•RoundtripAirTicketsbetweenUSA–Tehran(via Istanbul)*Flighttimesattheitinerarycanbechanged.

•3DomesticflightsinIran:*Flighttimesattheitinerarycanbechanged.-TehrantoKermanshah -AhvaztoIsfahan-ShiraztoTehran

•2NightsatBoutiqueArcadia Blue HotelinOldCityIstanbulorsimilar•1Nightat5StarParsian HotelinKermanshahorsimilar•2Nightsat5StarParsian HotelinHamadanorsimilar•1Nightat3StarTourist Inn HotelinShushtarorsimilar•1Nightat5StarAbbasi HotelinIsfahanorsimilar•1Nightat4StarDad HotelinYazdorsimilar•1Nightat5StarZandieh HotelinShirazorsimilar•2Nightsat5StarAzadi HotelinTehranorsimilar•Dailybreakfastand10dinnersatthehotels•1DinnerattheTehranAirport•RefreshmentsinIran(Mineral water-tea-coffee during the day tour)•Sightseeingaspertheitinerary•Alltransfersandtransportationbyprivate,air-conditionedcoach•Entrancefees•English-speaking,governmentlicensedtourguidesduringalltours•Alltipsatrestaurantsandhotels•AlltipsforguidesanddriversinIranandIstanbul•AllServicechargesandlocaltaxes•VisaprocessingsupportfortheIranianVisa(granting visas is at the discretion, and

subject to approval, by the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)•MeetingwithalocalarchaeologistinIrantodiscussaboutarchaeologyofIran

•Travel andHealth Insurance (Insurance may be given as a separate package at an extra cost. Travel Insurance agreement is contract between the traveler and the Insurance Company (American Express, Travel Guard, 360, Travelex, or other. We strongly suggest that you purchase Trip Insurance).

• Iranvisaembassyfeeobtainedfromtheclientsatthetimeofcollectingvisaintheembassy

•TurkishVisatobeobtainedonlinebeforearrivalwww.evisa.gov.tr($20 for US citizens)

•Lunchesanddrinks•Allkindofpersonalexpensessuchasphonecalls,laundry,drinks,etc.

LAND & AIR:

TOUR MAP

INCLUDING

EXCLUDING

TEHRAN

ISFAHAN NAIN

YAZD

ABARKUH

SHIRAZ

PERSAPOLIS

KANGAVARHAMADAN

SHUSHTARSHUSH

AHVAZ

C A S P I A N S E A

U M M A N G U L F

PE

RS I A

N G

UL

F

IRAN

Persepolis

June 16 Sat SHUSHTAR - AHVAZ - ISFAHANFollowing breakfasdt, you have a visit of Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System which isUNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE, then we drive to visit Chogha Zanbil ziggurat,UNESCOWorldHeritageSites.Thewell-preservedElamitezigguratatChoghaZanbilisthelargestman-madestructure in Iranandoneof the fewremainingexamplesofziggurats intheMiddleEast.Distinctiveconstructiontechniquesandelaborateglass-basedmaterialswereusedforthisgreatstructure.İtisworthtosaythatallthissitesareverycloseanditispossibletovisitallofthemduringahalfdaycitytour,aftervisitationofChoghaZanbilZiggurat,wewillgotovisitHafttapeharcheologymuseumwhereissmallbutveryimportantmuseum,thenwewilldrivetoAhvaz,afterlunchyouwillhavedrivetotheAhvazAirportforNV2641 15:40 /16:30 flighttoIsfahan.ArriveIsfahanandwewillgotovisitVankCathedrelbeforecheckinthehotel.ifgroupisinterestedandifthetimepermits,itispossibletohavewalkingtourofIsfahantovisitNaqsh-e-JahanSquareComplexanditswonderful4monuments:ShikhLotfollahMosque,AliQapuPalace, ImamMosqueandQasariehBazaar,andthen Isfahan’sfamousebridges:Si-o-sePolandKhajuBridgesduringnightlight,OvernightIsfahan.

June 17 Sun ISFAHAN - NAIN -YAZDDrivetoNainfortheNarenjCastle.Thearchitecturalaffectsofthiscastlerevealthatitwasafiretempleinthepre-Islamicperiod.Thesamehasbeenconstructedofbakedbricks,anddatesbacktotheParthianandSassanideeras.ContinuetoYazdwhichhasbeenaZoroastriancentersinceSassaniantimes.Zoroastriansstillmakeupasignificantminorityofthepopulation,andtheAtashkadehinYazdisthemostimportantZoroastrianfiretempleinIran.Thesacredflamevisiblebehinda glass in the interiorof the fire temple is said tohavebeenburningforover1500years.Wevisitthetempleanditsgrounds,andthenaTowerofSilence,ordakhma,whereinZoroastrianfunerarytraditionthebodiesofthedeceasedwereplaced,toavoidcontaminatingtheearth.DinnerandovernightinYazd.

June 18 Mon YAZD - ABARKUH - Passargad, Naqsh-e-Rostam - SHIRAZLeaveforShiraz.PhotostopatAbarkuhancienticehouse.APersianicehouse,oryakhchal,isanancientpassiverefrigeratorallowingthestorageof ice inthedesertsof Iran. Icewascollected inwinterandstored inthe icehousewhere itwaskeptcool insummerbythedomedshapeandthickwallsmadefromaspecialmudcalledsrooj,composedofsand,clay,eggwhites,lime,goathair,andash,whichwasresistanttoheattransfer.Ourexplorations takeus to theUNESCOWorldHeritageSiteofPasargadae tosee theimpressive,elevatedTombofCyrusTheGreatwhich isknownas “Madar-e-Soleiman’sTomb”andtowalkthroughthedifferentsectionsoftheancientcity:theResidentialPalace,theAudienceHall,theGatehouse.AfterlunchwewillhaveastopatNaqsh-eRostam,gazeuponthe immensememorialcarved fortheSassanianArdashir IafterhisconquestoftheParthians.Theoversize friezeremainsapowerfultestimonytohisvictoryandsubsequentcoronationaskingofIran.WearriveinShriazandaftercheckoutthehotel,wehaveenoughtimetovisitHafezTomb,Iran’sgreatestlyricpoet.DinnerandovernightinShiraz.

June 19 Tue SHIRAZ - TEHRANFollowingbreakfastwehaveahalfdayexcurtiontovisitPersepolis(Takht-é Jamshid),theheartofthePersianEmpireandaUNESCOWorldHeritageSite.Here,walkthroughacomplexofpalacesandtemplesthatissaidtobeoneofthearchitecturalwondersoftheworld.Massivewingedbulls,derivedfromAssyriabutgivenacharacteristicPersianstateliness,greetusattheheadofagrandstairwaywideenoughforfivehorsestorideabreast.WespendthewholemorninginPerspolisandafterlunchwedrivetoshirazwherewehaveahalfdaycitytourtoExploreShiraz,theCityofRosesandNightingales.BegininEramGarden,withitsbeautifulcypress-linedavenuesleadingtoanelegantsummerpalace.Continuetothepink-tiled19th-century Nasir-ol-Molk Mosque and the Narenjestan Gardens, with the richly decoratedpavilion featuringamirroredporchsetamonggraceful trees.Drive toAirport for IR427 20:50 /22:20flighttoTehran.OvernightTehran.

June 20 Wed DEPARTURETransfer to airport for TK879 07:30 /09:25 flight to Istanbul and connect to yourinternationalflightbacktoUS.Endofourservices.(B)

• LOSANGELES(LAX) TK9 departsIstanbulat2:25pm(arrive LAX 6:20 pm same day)•NEWYORK(JFK) TK1 departsIstanbulat1:40pm(arrive JFK 5:35 pm same day)• CHICAGO(ORD) TK5 departsIstanbulat2:20pm(arrive ORD 6:00 pm same day)•HOUSTON(IAH) TK33departsIstanbulat1:55pm(arrive IAH 7:05 pm same day)•WASHINTONDC(IAD) TK7 departsIstanbulat2:45pm(arrive IAD 7:15 pm same day)• BOSTON(BOS) TK81departsIstanbulat2:35pm(arrive BOS 6:15 pm same day)

*Flight times can be changed by the airlines beyond our control. Please double check.

Iran - Persia & The Bible / June 8-20, 2018

PAYMENT PROCEDURE:First Deposit $200 per person : March 1, 2017 (refundable up to November 1, 2017)

Second Deposit $500 per person : November 1, 2017 (refundable up to February 20, 2017)

Full (Balance) Payment : March 1, 2018

Cancellation Penalty: - 89-60 days prior to departure: 10% - 59-45 days prior to departure: 25% - 44-30 days prior to departure: 50% - 29-15 days prior to departure: 75% - 14 days & After No refund

Itinerary and site visits are subject to change and/or substitution depending on availability of site access.

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202–364–3300 ext 216Email: travelstudy@bib–arch.org

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