ACCOMMODATION

The accommodation throughout the land portion of the tour will be 4 star. The yacht will be one of our classic gulets.

TOUR COST

£1980 sharing including return airfare from London, twin or double bedded room/cabin, with en suite bathroom, UK departure tax, transfers, full board throughout, all visits and en-trance fees, expert leaders. Single supplement £350.

Not included:UK passenger service

charge, security tax and foreign de-

parture tax (these 3 currently total

£120), insurance, fuel surcharges,

group visa, drinks, & tips to drivers &

local guides.

NOTE

Due to the nature of travel by sea, there may be minor changes owing to local conditions.

TO MAKE A BOOKING

Complete the booking form and send it to IMA with a deposit of £300 per person. A confirmation invoice will be sent to you by return. IMA is a trading name of Temple World.

CLASSICAL, BYZANTINE & OTTOMAN TURKEY Istanbul, Troy, Ephesus and Aegean cruise

24 May-5 June 2010

A L U M N I T R A V E L P R O G R A M M E 2 0 1 0

IMA Travel 13 The Avenue, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK

Tel: (+44) 020 8940 4114 Fax: (+44) 020 8332 2456 Email: ima@templeworld.com Web site: www.imatravel.com

Accompanied by

Dr Dionysios Stathakopoulos Lecturer in Byzantine Studies

ACCOMPANING SCHOLAR

Dr Stathakopoulos read Byzantine and Medieval History in Muenster after which he took his doctorate at the University of Vienna. He has taught at the University of Vienna and the Central European University in Budapest. He is Lecturer in Byzantine Studies at King’s.

ITINERARY

24 MAY Morning check in at Heathrow for flight to Istanbul. Transfer for a three night stay to the Sultanahmet Palace Hotel in the heart of the old city.

25 MAY Walking visit to the “Old City” of Constantinople - the Byzantine Hippodrome and the Agia Sofia, built during the reign of Justinian in the 6th Century AD. Also visit the Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace where the treasures of the Ottoman Empire are on display, and the Archaeological Museum with important Greek objects and an overview of Byzantine Constantinople.

26 MAY In a feast of Byzantine Constantin-ople, we hope to visit the Pammakaristos (Fethiye Camii) with important mosaics, the Pantokrator (Zeyrek Camii), an imperial mausoleum, and the basilica of Studios mon-astery (Imrahor Camii), a fifth-century ru-ined church with beautiful architectural fea-tures. Also we shall visit the excavations of the Byzantine ships found at Yenikapı.

27 MAY Start at Suleymaniye Mosque, then visit the environs of Constantinople - the

Land Walls of Theodosius, the Church of the Chora and the Aqueduct. Afternoon drive along the Sea of Marmara to the famous Hellespont of the Classical world. Cross the

Dardanelles and overnight in Çanakkale.

28 MAY Morning visit to ancient Troy, scene of the conflicts depicted in the epics of Homer. The site was excavated by Schlie-mann over one hundred years ago. The re-cent excavations by the University of Tübin-gen are adding to our knowledge of the site. Afternoon visit to Assos, a Hellenistic site overlooking the island of Lesbos. Continue south to Ayvalık where we shall overnight.

29 MAY Visit the city of Pergamum. The monumental foundations of the alter of Zeus remain as well as the Temple of Athena and the spectacular theatre. There are also the remains of the Asklepion of Pergamum. Con-tinue to Kuşadası to embark our yacht.

30 MAY Visit Ephesus with its vast theatre, Celsus library, commercial and State agora, bath houses, temples and colonnaded streets. With the help of Dr Stathakopoulos we hope to get into parts of the site not normally open to the general public. Afternoon cruise through the Samos Straits to a quiet inlet for dinner ON BOARD.

31 MAY Morning visit to Miletus. The Roman theatre is well preserved, as are the Baths of Faustina. On a headland beyond the city is the sacred site of Didyma with an oracular temple of Apollo, one of the largest temples ever constructed and still substantially intact. Continue cruising south to a quiet inlet.

I JUNE Cruise to the ancient city of Iasos and moor in the classical harbour. Visit the Acropolis with well-sited theatre and the at-tractive late Roman agora, set in an olive grove, and bouleterion in excellent condition. Overnight Iasos.

2 JUNE Full day visit to Euromos, with an almost complete temple of Zeus. Continue into the dramatic mountain scenery to Labranda, an ancient Hellenistic city high among the granite cliffs and pine forests, preserving Hellenistic houses and streets.

Return via Milas, Mausolus's original capital. Overnight at Iasos ON BOARD.

3 JUNE Sail to Gümüşlük for lunch. Continue on around the Bodrum Peninsula and in the late afternoon reach a quiet inlet near Bod-rum. Overnight ON BOARD.

4 JUNE Morning cruise into the harbour of Bodrum. Visit to the Tomb of Mausolus (Mausoleum) which was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Also visit Bodrum Museum, housed in the 14th Century Crusader castle of St Peter, famous for its underwater collections excavated around the coast of Asia Minor, including the Byzantine wreck. Overnight ON BOARD.

5 JUNE Morning transfer to Bodrum Airport for flight to Istanbul & London.

Istanbul is one of THE great cities of the world. It began as the Greek colony of

Byzantium, then Constantinople, capital of the fabulously wealthy Byzantine Empire.

For a further 400 years, Istanbul was capital of the Ottoman Empire, the Sublime

Porte. In the time of Suleyman the Magnificent it outshone its predecessors.

New excavations at Troy have revealed so much more of the city and its vast

defences. We shall visit the site, along with the other major classical cities of the

Aegean, so many of which, like Miletus, trace their own foundation to heroes

returning from the Trojan Wars.

We shall use our own classic yachts built in Halicarnassus to a Byzantine design, but

fitted with the most modern conveniences – private bathrooms with every double/

twin cabin; our own chefs to prepare the excellent Turkish cuisine; our own stewards

to wait on your every need. It’s a perfect way to relax, to learn and to absorb the

ambience of the epic past.

CLASSICAL, BYZANTINE & OTTOMAN TURKEY