Country has many ancient reminders of the faith
Istanbul-based Karavan Travel is inviting Christians who are curious about their religion to explore Türkiye, a country it says played a huge role in shaping their faith.
The company has tours focusing on the country’s long Christian heritage, with guide Can Ates highlighting that Karavan Travel’s clients can find reminders of early Christianity “everywhere they travel, everywhere they walk.”
Visiting Türkiye “can make the Bible come true,” he said of a country whose Biblical history is sometimes overshadowed by some of its more easterly neighbours, during a recent webinar.
The Apostle Paul – who many theologians consider the second most important figure in Christianity – is believed to have been born in what is now Turkiye and travelled throughout it, preaching his faith. Among the locales he visited was Ephesus, shaped by different civilizations, including the Romans and the Greeks, and now hugely popular with tourists eager to see the UNESCO World Heritage Site’s ancient structures. The Ephesus area’s ruins of the Basilica of St. John are believed to stand on the final resting place of John the Apostle, and Ephesus is near the House of the Virgin Mary, with there being widespread belief that the Virgin Mary spent her final years in that dwelling. Three Popes have visited the home.
Another site with strong Christian ties is Antioch, believed to be where Christians first began identifying themselves with that term. Karavan Travel also sends clients to Cappadocia, home to ancient caves carved into rock, with those caves having served as home and churches. Ates said the caves served as a refuge for Christians hiding from Roman persecution and today “beautiful churches” can be seen there.
“Being a Christian was not that easy,” Ates said of Roman hostility when Christianity first surfaced.
Ancient underground Cappadocia cities literally served as homes for thousands of people, Ates reported. Hot-air balloon rides are one way of viewing the Cappadocia landscape, he continued. “This makes you feel like you’re on planet Mars,” Ates added of the rocky terrain.
Ates noted that a large number of cities in his homeland are mentioned in the Bible. Meanwhile, Ates said Troy — found in Turkiye and famed because of the Wooden Horse – is “really popular these days,” with the movie The Odyssey generating widespread interest in it.
Karavan Travel, which began operation in 1969 and has several offices in Turkiye and others abroad, has tours that focus on Christianity. The company also has cruise and MICE divisions.
