A Journey to the Crossroads in the Clash of Civilizations

Michael Rubin is a ResidentScholar at the AmericanEnterprise Institute. His majorresearch area is the MiddleEast, with special focus onIran, Iraq, Turkey, andKurdish society. He also

writes frequently on transformative diploma-cy and In addition to his work at AEI, sever-al times each month, Mr. Rubin travels tomilitary bases across the United States andEurope to instruct senior U.S. Army andMarine officers deploying to Iraq andAfghanistan on issues relating to regional statehistory and politics, Shiism, the theologicalbasis of extremism, and strategy.

Robert Spencer is the directorof Jihad Watch, a program ofthe David Horowitz FreedomCenter, and the author of tenbooks, including the New YorkTimes bestsellers The TruthAbout Muhammad and The

Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and theCrusades) (both Regnery). Spencer is a weeklycolumnist for Human Events and FrontPageMagazine, and has led seminars on Islam andjihad for the United States Central Command,United States Army Command and General StaffCollege, the U.S. Army's Asymmetric WarfareGroup, the FBI, the Joint Terrorism Task Force,and the U.S. intelligence community.

Claire Berlinksi was bornin 1968 in California, andgrew up in New York, Seattleand California. She receivedher undergraduate degree inModern History and her

doctorate in International Relations fromBalliol College at Oxford University. She hassince lived and worked in Britain, Thailand,Laos, France, and currently lives in IstanbulTurkey. Her work has been published in theNew York Times, the Washington Post, CityJournal, the Weekly Standard, and theNational Review.

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D A V I D H O R O W I T Z F R E E D O M C E N T E R

Saturday, September 8Full day tour of Classic IstanbulLunch IncludedThis morning meet your guide andcoach for a full day tour of ClassicIstanbul. Your first stop will be at theHippodrome Square. Built by theRoman Emperor Septimus in 203 AD,the square was the scene of Chariotraces and the center of Byzantinecivic life. From there, you will visit theBlue Mosque, which was built in theearly 17th century and well-knownfor its magnificent interior decora-tion with its blue Iznik tiles.

In September of 2012, the Freedom Center withMichael Rubin and Robert Spencer will be leadinga delegation to the nation of Turkey for 10 days tostudy and observe firsthand a nation in the throesof a political and societal struggle that vividly illus-trates the nature and urgency of today’s Clash ofCivilizations. Michael Finch of the Freedom Centerwill represent the Center on the trip.

Where Turkey goes in the next decade may welldetermine the future of the Middle East and thefuture of Europe. Constantinople (Istanbul) forover 1500 years stood at the barricades betweenthe Eastern and Western Civilizations. Today, in2011, it stands athwart history once again, asTurkey decides whether or not to throw off thesecularism that has been its hallmark since the1920’s and return to the rule of Islamic law. Thistrip will blend an unparalleled on-the-ground his-torical and political analysis with tourism of one ofthe most beautiful and extraordinary nations inthe world. It will be a trip not to be missed.

We will be staying for four nights in Istanbul at theSwissotel The Bosphorus and four nights at theSwissotel Grand Efes in Izmir, near Ephesus on theAegean Sea. We will tour all the incredible sightsof Istanbul: the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, theTopakpi Palace, the Hippodrome. We will cruisethe Bosporus, visit the 1000 year old Jewish area ofGalata and stroll through the Spice Market andGrand Bazaar. Then we will travel down the coastto see Troy and the Gallipoli battlefields, the ruinsof Ancient Greece in Ephesus and the ancientchurches dating back to the early days ofChristianity.

Chuck Caramelli of Lakeside Travel will arrange allthe travel details of the trip and will also accompa-ny the delegation to Turkey.

We are only taking a small delegation on this trip,so space is very limited. To ensure your space on this trip, please make a $1,000 per person deposit. Please reserve your space today.

A Journey to theCrossroads in the Clash

of Civilizationst u r k e y i t i n e r a r y

a mimber, minarets etc. After havingserved this time as a mosque for 481years, the building become a muse-um in 1934 by the order of Ataturk,the founder of the Republic ofTurkey.

Continue to St. Sophia Museum,which was built by EmperorConstantius in 360 AD and used to bethe world’s largest church. Today it’sthe fourth largest one after St. Paul’sin London, St. Peter’s in Rome and theDruomo in Milan. Throughout itsByzantine history, St. Sophia servedas the cathedral of the city whereemperors were crowned and victo-ries celebrated. After his conquest ofthe city in 1453, Sultan Mehmet IIordered for the building to be con-verted into a mosque by the additionof Islamic elements such as a mihrab,

This afternoon, you will visit TopkapiPalace, which was built by SultanMehmet II after the conquest ofIstanbul in 15th century. The palacehoused the sultans and their exoticentourage until mid 19th century.The complex is a group of structureswhich incorporates works from suc-cessive periods of Ottoman reign.Today the museum displays pricelesscollections of the imperial treasury,numerous pieces of Chinese porce-lain, traditional costumes of the sul-tans and their families and specialsection for the preservation of therelics of Prophet Mohammed.

Your last stop for today will be thefamous historical Grand Bazaar, thelargest “souk” covered oriental shop-ping mall in the world, where you willfind 4,400 shops under one roofwhere each trade has its own street.There is a wide selection of leather,jewelry, antiques, copperware, sou-venirs, and famous hand-madeTurkish carpets displayed in this his-torical shopping center. Travel backto your hotel at the end of the tour.The rest of the day will be at leisure.

Friday, September 7Arrive in Istanbul

Upon arrival in Istanbul, you will bemet and transferred to your hotel. Theremainder of the day will be at leisure.

Overnight: Swissotel The Bosphorus,IstanbulWelcome dinner at the hotel

For additional event information, please callMichael Finch at the

David Horowitz Freedom Center, (818) 849-3470 ext. 212 or

e-mail at mfinch@horowitzfreedomcenter.org

Sunday, September 9Full day Jewish & ChristianHeritage Tour in Istanbul Lunch IncludedYour full day Jewish and ChristianHertiage Tour begins at the the down-town Beyoglu & Pera. You will take astroll down Istiklal Avenue to theGalata quarter, a Jewish communityneighborhood for centuries with manysynagogues and bustling street life.Visit the Ashkenazi Synagogue (orNeve Shalom Synagogue – accord-ing to their availability), which servesthe community of European Jews. Enroute, see the cosmopolitan nature ofthe city passing historic diplomaticposts, handsome old houses, fashion-able boutiques and cafes. Afterwards,you will arrive at Galata Tower, oncethe high-point of the Genovese forti-fied town, from which there are spec-tacular views over the city. Visit theJewish Musuem before arriving at thewestern shore of the Golden Horn totake a stroll through the atmosphericold streets in the Jewish quarter ofBalat, where many Jewish immigrantssettled to help repopulate the cityunder Sultan Beyazit II. Today the Starof David can be seen on the facades ofsome buildings.

After lunch continue to visit theEcumenical Patriarchate at Fener;which was built by Golden Horn and isthe heart of Orthodox Christianity.

After Constantine the Great’s declara-tion of Christianity as the religion ofRoman Empire, the capital was movedfrom Rome to Byzantium. With the con-quest (1453) of Ottoman Empire, theseat of Patriarchate remained inIstanbul. The Church commands a loy-alty about 250 million faithful. Next,you will visit the Church of Panagia ofBlachernae, the best known and mostcelebrated shrine of the Holy Virginlocated near Golden Horn. Travel backto your hotel at the end of the tour.

Monday, September 10Day at Leisure3 hour Dinner Cruise YachtLatilla on the Bosphrus

Tuesday, September 11Fly Istanbul to Izmir

Today you will be transferred to theairport for the flight to Izmir. Onarrival, you will be met and trans-ferred to your hotel. The remainderof the day will be at leisure.

Overnight: Swissotel Grand Efes,Izmir

Wednesday, September 12Full day In Ephesus Lunch IncludedDepart your hotel for a full day excur-sion to the ancient city of Ephesus,which was the Roman capital of Asiaminor and remains today to be thebest preserved ancient city in theworld and one of the SevenChurches of apocalypse. During thegolden age of the Roman Empire(2nd century AD), Ephesus was animportant commercial and culturalcenter.

The protector of the city was Artemis,the Goddess whose temple was oneof the “Seven Wonders of the AncientWorld”. Today, the majority of theruins are beautifully restored andone can visit the majority of the sitesof the city, including the ArcadianWay, the Great Theater (for 125,000people), the Marble Road, the CelsiusLibrary, the Temple of Hadrian, theTrojan Fountain, and theGymnasium.

The Ephesians were still worshippingArtemis when St. Paul came to thecity to win converts. St. John broughtVirgin Mary to Ephesus after thedeath of Jesus Christ and she liveduntil the age of 101 in a small housebuilt for her on Mt. Koressos. Now,popular place of pilgrimage forCatholics and Muslims, the house hasreceived the official sanction of theVatican and a commemoration cere-mony is held every year on August15th.

The third church council in 431 washeld in the Basilica of Virgin Mary inEphesus.

The foundations of the house are old;they may date back to the 1st centu-ry; the rest of the building is from the6th century. The setting is beautifullypeaceful, encouraging reverence andcontemplation.

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You will then visit the Village of Sirince,which was referred in ancient sourcesas the Ephesus on the Mountain, sug-gesting long established settlement.

The oldest building in Sirince is fromthe Hellenistic period, which was ini-tially built as a tower and most proba-bly left from the Lysimakhos era corre-sponding to the time when the city ofEphesus was established. The buildinghas had some alterations during theByzantine period and is locally thoughtto have been a monastery.

Continue your visit to Sultankoy,which is the “Art of Weaving” cen-tre, spreading on a vast area withbeautiful gardens. You will have achance to see the oldest way ofobtaining silk from the cocoons, seethe spinning process of the silk yarnsas it was done three thousand yearsago. Enjoy the demonstration of aninteresting imaginary tour aboutAnatolia (the Asian side of Turkey)during which the experts will givetheir lectures on Turkish handmadecarpets. You will see a display of vari-ous magnificent handmade rugs andcarpets all with different charactersbefore traveling back to Izmir andyour hotel.

Friday, September 14Day of Leisure Farewell Dinner

Enjoy the day at leisure. Tonight, youwill be transferred to the historicalAsansor Restaurant for your farewelldinner. Located in Guzelyali, the restau-rant is one of the most popular ones inIzmir. This historical building was builtin 1907 by a business man and recent-ly renovated to create more qualityand comfort for the guests. AsansorRestaurant offers an amazing view aswell as one of best Turkish meals intown. The restaurant consists of 4 dif-ferent sections; Ceneviz Restaurant,Cafe Moreno, and the main restaurant.

Thursday, September 13Full day tour in Pergamum Lunch Included

Enjoy the morning drive to Pergamum,the capital of the largest and the mostpowerful pre-Roman Kingdom andone of the Seven Churches ofRevelation. You will Visit the Acropolisof Pergamum, which was built by theGreeks and later expended by theRomans boasted one of the largestlibraries in the ancient world.Afterwards, you will visit the Theater,the Altar of Zeus, and the temples ofTragion & Athena. You will then contin-ue to the south to the Ascelpion, whichwas known as the world’s first healthcenter, a sanctuary to the God ofMedicine, Asclepios! Pergamum’s placein the religious history is also veryimportant because of the paragraphaddressed to its readers by St. John inthe Book of Revelation (Rev. 2:12-17).Traveling back to Izmir and your hotelfor overnight.

Saturday, September 15Depart Izmir

You will be transferred to the airportfor your flight home.

Tour Features• Four Nights Swissotel The Bosphorus, Istanbul

• Four Nights Swisshotel Grand Efes Izmir

• Hotel Porterage

• Daily Breakfast

• Sightseeing as outlined in the itinerary

• Welcome Dinner at the Swissotel The Bosphorus, Istanbul

• Four Lunches

• Farewell Dinner Istanbul aboard a private yacht on the Bosphorus

• Farewell Dinner Izmir at the historical Asansor Restaurant

COST: $4650.00 land only Per personbased on double occupancy. Air to bedetermined in September 2011. Single supplement – $1,150

For additional event information, please callMichael Finch at the

David Horowitz Freedom Center, (818) 849-3470 ext. 212 or

e-mail at mfinch@horowitzfreedomcenter.org

14148 Magnolia Blvd., Suite 103Sherman Oaks, CA 91423

(818) 849-3470 • Fax: (818) 849-3481