Troy and Bergama

After a whirlwind tour of Istanbul we will board a bus for Bergama.  The trip will include a ferry ride to  Canakkale. We can expect to spend much of the day traveling so this will be a perfect time to update your travel journal, read about the ancient cities of Turkey or just relax and enjoy the scenery. On previous tours the Tour Director and bus driver have been very strict about no food and drink on the bus, only allowing bottled water when we are travelling. However,  the bus drivers are usually  required to stop every couple hours so there will be opportunities for washroom breaks and places to buy water and other snacks.  

We will be stopping at the ruins of Troy for a guided tour. Hisarlik is the modern name for the ancient site of Troy. The city of Troy was founded by Ilus, the son of Tros, in 3000 BC.  The long history of Troy describes the development of a wealthy trade city with tragic episodes, natural disasters, fires, massacres and wars...only to be resurrected each time. 

Archeological  excavations in Hisarlik have revealed nine separate periods of settlement.  A German Archeologist, Heinrich Schliemann, began excavations in 1868 and discovered several cities built on the same site.  

Troy was also known as Ilios or Ilion, a name which can be found in the Iliad, Homer`s epic poem.  For centuries this story in the Iliad, was regarded as just a myth, until the ruins of the city were found in western Turkey at Hisarlik in the mid-19th century.  Archeological teams are attempting to rebuild the Troy of the Bronze Age. Another team is trying to retrieve the Trojan treasures, which are at the Pushkin Museum.  Our guided tour may include  ancient Troy's acropolis with city walls and gates, the parliament, Athena Tempel Site, Animal sacrifying spot, remainings of king palaces and houses and the water pipes system. In Greek mythology the Trojan War was  waged against the  city of Troy by the Greeks after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menalaus, King of Sparta.  If you are interested in Greek mythology I would recommend checking out the school library or Wheatland Library as there are many books available and would be worth reading before our tour.  The movie Troy (2004) staring Brad Pitt will also give you some background information that will make our visit to Troy more interesting.  The Trojan horse used on the movie set is now in Canakkale and we may see it when we are there.

We will then continue on to Bergama, a city area in Izmir Province in Turkey,  where we will spend the night. Bergama has a population of about 55,000. The ruins of the ancient city of Pergamon lie to the north and west of the modern city.  I am sure our Tour Director will have some great activities planned for the evening.

After breakfast we will tour Pergamon.  Pergamon is an ancient city dating as far back as the 5th century BC. Credited with the invention of parchment, this once great seat of learning and culture had a library with over 20,000 volumes and a medical center  - the remains of which can still be seen today.  Listed in the Bible as one of the Seven Churches of Asia, Pergamon flourished until the 14th century when, under Ottoman rule, it was abandoned and left to decay. Today, much of the remains of this once magnificent city lie underneath the modern-day city of Bergama but, thanks to Pergamon’s hilltop position, the remains of its most important buildings are still visible.

We will be visiting the Acropolis of Pergamon which is clearly visible from anywhere in Bergama. We will see two partially reconstructed temples (Temple of Trajan and the Temple of Athena), ancient aqueducts and the incredible hillside theater, which is said to contain the steepest theater seating in the world.  Asclepion (the ancient medical center) was centuries ahead of its time in its use of therapies to cure ills. Other important sites at Pergamon include Asclepion (the ancient medical center)  that was centuries ahead of its time in its use of therapies to cure ills,  the Red Basilica and the Zeus Altar.  

After touring Pergamon we will continue on to the city of Kusadasi where we will be spending two nights.