Andrew
Collins and Megalithomania Presents
Origins
of Civilization Tour
Monday, May 26th - Thursday, June 5th 2014
Explore Göbekli Tepe and the Mysteries of Turkey with Andrew Collins and Hugh Newman
The
date is September 16th, 2013. The coach pulls up
at Göbekli Tepe around mid morning following a first night in the nearby
city of Sanliurfa and six days solid journeying in which the tour group have visited
key historical sites in Istanbul, as well as the Hittite cities of Hattusa and
Alaca Höyük, with their extraordinary polygonal walls. They have visited
the Neolithic cities of Çatal Höyük and Asikli Höyük,
and spent three days in Cappadocia, intoning inside fairy chimneys, exploring
the underground city of Derinkiyu, and identifying previously unrecorded shamanic
art upon the ancient rock churches of Goreme. They will go on to visit the mountaintop
sanctuary and pyramid mound of Antiochus I at Nemrut Dag, and even the legendary
city of Troy.
Now
they are about to visit the oldest megalithic sanctuaries anywhere in the world.
Göbekli Tepe is arguably archaeology's greatest enigma of the twenty-first
century, built by an incoming elite of incredible sophistication and wisdom.
Later
that day the tour group visit the ruins of ancient Harran, birthplace of Hermetica
and the home of the star-worshipping Sabians, whose ancestors most probably helped
construct nearby Göbekli Tepe. In the morning they return to Göbekli
Tepe, this time to experience the site on a more personal level, away from the
hustle and bustle of other tourists.
It was on that return visit to Göbekli
Tepe that the group would join in Andrew Collins's excitement at discovering of
a previously overlooked stone in Enclosure C, matching the one in neighbouring
Enclosure D.
It is an incredible realization with even greater implications
for understanding Göbekli Tepe's role as a shamanic gateway to the stars.
Join
Andrew Collins and Hugh Newman when they return to Turkey in 2014
Göbekli
Tepe's Enclosure C
Origins
of Civilization Tour
Monday,
May 26th - Thursday, June 5th 2014
11 DAYS: Göbekli Tepe - Harran - Karahan Tepe - Alaca Hoyuk - Hattusa - Ankara Museum - Catal Hoyuk - Nemrut Dag - Sanliurfa - Cappadocia - Derinkiyu & Kaymakli underground cities - Goreme rock churches - Ilhara Valley - Whirling Dervishes at Konya
(start at Ankara)
5 DAY EXTENSION: Troy - Pergamon - Assos - Tomb of Tantalus - Ephesus
Megalithomania
tours are no ordinary tours. They are voyages of discovery, quests for the answers
to the mysteries of life, creating unforgettable moments in people's lives that
are truly unique
Göbekli
Tepe's Enclosure E
FOR
THE COMPLETE DAY-TO-DAY ITINERARY, PRICES AND ALL INFORMATION SEE BELOW
ITINERARY
DAY ONE
/ Monday 26th of May: Guests arrive into Ankara. In the evening Orientation and
“Origins of Turkish Civilization” presentation by Andrew Collins.
DAY
TWO / Tuesday 27th of May: After breakfast visit Anatolian Civilization Museum
of Ankara, and see artefacts and reconstructions from Neolithic sites such as
Catal Hoyuk. Lunch in Ankara. After lunch drive to hotel in Hattusa. Evening presentation
by one of the speakers.
Hittite
warriors at Hattusa
DAY
THREE / Wednesday 28th of May: Visit the Hittite capital of Hattusa, c. 1800-1200
BC. See rock cut inscriptions and reliefs of warriors and Hittite gods in the
rock sanctuary. Visit the massive city walls, Sphinx entrances, polygonal walls
and polished green nephrite naval stone in the Great Temple dating from the age
of the Hittite Empire (ensure time for meditation at last site). Lunch in Hattusa.
After lunch journey on to the magnificent ruins of Alaca Hoyuk, a Hittite city
with origins dating back to the Chalcolithic or Copper Age. Visit the museum,
and see the extraordinary polygonal walls, like those in Peru, Easter Island and
ancient Egypt. Drive on to Cappadocia, arriving at your hotel in Göreme,
for a late dinner.
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DAY FOUR / Thursday 29th of May: After breakfast walk through Red Valley. Next visit Kaymakli Underground City. Lunch. Visit Uchisar natural castle and finally Goreme open air museum. Book balloon flights for first thing the following morning if required.
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DAY FIVE / Friday 30th of May: Optional early morning balloon flights (will cost 140 € payable locally). After breakfast drive to Ihlara Valley & Derinkuyu Underground City. Return to hotel for overnight.
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DAY SIX / Saturday 31st of May: Early morning leave Goreme for Konya. Lunch on the way to Konya or in Konya depending on time. Afterwards travel on to the Neolithic city of Catal Hoyuk, which thrived between 7500-6000 BC. Back to hotel in Konya. Dinner. In the evening see the Whirling Dervishes.
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DAY
SEVEN / Sunday 1st of June: After breakfast travel directly to Sanliurfa. Arrive
in Urfa in the evening. Dinner in local rest.
DAY EIGHT / Monday 2nd of
June: Visit the 12,000 year old stone temple of Göbekli
Tepe in the morning. Free time for lunch in Sanliurfa. In the afternoon visit
the ancient city of Harran, with its Astronomical Tower, Paradise Mosque, and
ancient beehive hut village. Visit the local shop and café in the village.
Presentation by one of the speakers.
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DAY NINE / Tuesday 3rd of June: After breakfast visit Göbekli Tepe for a second time, this time without guidance in order to better experience the site on a personal level. Lunch. In the afternoon visit Urfa Museum to see display of artefacts from Gobekli Tepe, Nimrod’s Castle, the Pools of Abraham, and the birthplace of the great prophet. Evening presentation by one of the speakers.
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Left,
Nimrod's Castle, Sanliurfa. Right, the pools of Abraham, Sanliurfa.
DAY
TEN / Wednesday 4th of June: After breakfast travel on to the holy mountain of
Nemrut Dag, but on the way stop at Karakus Tumulus and Cendere Bridge. Check into
the hotel for a short rest before climbing up to site of the mausoleum of Antiochus
I with its fabulous sculptures and heads, for sunset. Overnight in Hotel Euphrat
in Nemrut Dag. Dinner in the Hotel.
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DAY ELEVEN / Thursday 5th of June: Optional trip to Mount Nemrut for sunrise with additional cost for people who want to join. After breakfast travel to Adiyaman airport. Fly back to Istanbul or Ankara for completion of tour.
 Harran's Astronomical Tower | Prices are as follows: Origins
of Civilization Tour (Our
travel agents will help you with booking flights to and from your point of origin) PRICE
FOR FIVE-DAY EXTENSION £875 ($1510) |
ORIGINS
OF CIVILIZATION TOUR
OPTIONAL 5-DAY EXTENSION
Thursday,
June 5th - Monday, June 9th
DAY
ELEVEN / Thursday 5th of June (CONTINUED) Upon arrival to Istanbul Attaturk Airport
transfer to Canakkale (5 hours drive) Arrive to Iris Hotel and have dinner and
an evening presentation if required. Overnight in Iris Hotel, Canakkale
DAY TWELVE / Friday 6th of June: After breakfast depart for the ancient city of Troy. the site of the great city featured in Homer's Iliad, which tells of the battle between the Greeks and Trojans following Paris's abduction of Helen of Troy. See the multi-leveled stone walls, incredible entranceways, and theatre, and also visit the tranquil oracle site with its twin wells, perhaps the site of Cassandra's Oracle. After lunch break in Assos visit the ruins of Temple of Athena , the Ancient Theatre of Assos as well as seeing the polygonal wall at Assos. Then the group will continue Pergamon which takes another 3 hour’s drive. Arrive to hotel in time for dinner. Overnight in Pergamon.
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Left, the theatre at Troy (Pic courtesy: Wiki Commons Agreement). Right, Temple of Athena, Assos (Pic courtesy: Wiki Commons).
| DAY THIRTEEN / Saturday 7th of June – Visit Pergamon Ancient Site. Pergamum's acropolis and Asclepion are both listed among the top 100 historical sites on the Mediterranean. Most of the buildings and monuments in Pergamum date to the time of Eumenes II (197-159 BC), including the famed library, the terrace of the spectacularly sited hillside theater, the main palace, the Altar of Zeus, and the propylaeum of the Temple of Athena. In the early Christian era, Pergamum's church was a major center of Christianity and was one of the Seven Churches of Revelation. Asclepion, Galen born & Aducated in Pergamum, was the authority of European medicine from the 2nd century until renaissance. He was the founder of the health principles of diet, relaxation, exercise. Visit the ancient hospital & health center where he worked. After lunch break continue to Manisa to see the Tomb of Tantulus and overnight in Izmir. |
NOTES Guests must be able to walk approximately 2.5 miles over uneven and cobblestone surfaces, inclines and 10 - 30 steps. Comfortable shoes, a hat and plenty of sunscreen are recommended as shade is limited. The order of the tour itinerary may vary in order to avoid congestion. Guests should watch their step at all times in order to avoid injuries.
DAY FOURTEEN / Sunday 8th of June – After breakfast visit Ephesus. Full Day Ephesus Tour. Temple of Hadrian, Trajan Fountain, Great Theatre, Shrine of Mother Mary, Temple of Diana and Terrace Houses will be visited. The group will take the late evening flight back to Istanbul. Overnight in Istanbul B-L Ephesus Tour: An Ancient Greek city, later a major Roman city, on the west coast of Asia Minor which called Ephesus, stroll past the Celsus library, the Temple Of Hadrian and the Trajan Fountain in the Ancient Ephesus. After walking on the historical marble street the Great Theatre where St. Paul preached will meet at the end. Lunch in a local Turkish restaurant. In the afternoon will visit the shrine of Mother Mary, it is believed where she spent recent years of her life. Temple Of Artemis (Diana), on the side of one of the seven wonders of ancient World.
DAY
FIFTEEN / Monday 9th of June – Transfer to Istanbul airport for onward travel.
The
Great Theatre at Ephesus (Pic courtesy: Wiki Commons Agreement)
PRICE
FOR FIVE-DAY EXTENSION £875 ($1510)
DEPOSIT £300 ($515)
If
you have any questions regarding any aspect of the tour, then contact either Andrew
Collins or Hugh Newman at Megalithomania
Tours, and we'll try our very best to help you.
Early
indications suggest that interest in the tour will be high, so please don’t
delay.
To ensure your place, get on the case now.
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Left, Andrew taking a break beneath the fig-mulberry tree that caps the summit of Göbekli Tepe. Right, leaping fox on a pillar in Göbekli Tepe's Enclosure B.
The
Origins of Civilization Tour will coincide
with the release of Andrew Collins's
book
Göbekli
Tepe: Genesis of the Gods
Published by Bear and Company, Rochester,
VM. May 1st, 2014
PRE-ORDER
YOUR COPY NOW AND CELEBRATE WITH ANDREW AS HE REVISITS GOBEKLI TEPE, HARRAN, CATAL
HOYUK AND ALL THE GREAT SITES ON THE ORIGINS OF CIVILIZATION TOUR |  |
For more information on Göbekli Tepe:
Göbekli Tepe's Cosmic Blueprint by Andrew Collins
Andrew defines Göbekli Tepe's cosmic blueprint, showing that it is aligned to the Milky Way's Dark Rift and the bright star Deneb in Cygnus.
One Week in Kurdistan by Andrew Collins
Andrew's
epic journey in eastern Turkey in May-June 2004, visiting some of the sites that
will feature in the Origins of Civilization tour in September, including Harran,
Sanliurfa and Göbekli
Tepe.
