Turning Points of History: Alexander the Great to the Rise of Rome

Day 1 Cairo, Eygpt

Arrive in Cairo and transfer to the Four Seasons Cairo First Residence.

Day 2 Cairo

Cairo, the largest city in Africa, is today meeting the challenges of providing for its enormous population and preserving its magnificent array of historical and cultural sites. This morning, travel to Giza to see the famed Sphinx and Pyramids, still among the wonders of the world. In the afternoon, visit the renowned Egyptian Museum, a repository of the finest antiquities, including finds from the tomb of Tutankhamun. Alternatively, take a full-day excursion to Memphis and Saqqara.

Day 3 Cairo / Alexandria / Embark

In the morning, drive to Alexandria, founded by Alexander the Great in 332-331 B.C. Alexandria was the paramount city of the Hellenistic period and a great center of learning, culture and science. On the death of Alexander in 323 B.C., Egypt was entrusted to Ptolemy, one of his generals, who founded a dynasty that lasted until 30 B.C. The last Ptolemaic monarch was Cleopatra, whose life, beauty, prowess, and relationship with Mark Antony have fascinated writers and the public from ancient times to the present. After lunch at a local restaurant, tour the ancient city, and then board Corinthian II. Sail in the evening.

Day 4 At Sea

Day 5 Tartus, Syria / Palmyra

Known as Tortosa by the Crusaders, Tartus was an important port town for the Knights Templar. Travel to fabled Palmyra at the edge of the Anti-Lebanon Mountains. This desert oasis was a vital link on the historic Silk Route from China to Europe and a buffer between the Persian and Roman Empires. The excavations of the 2nd century A.D. city are vast and fascinating. See the great Temple of Baal, the 300-column colonnade flanking the main street, the beautiful theater-façade, and the museum.

Day 6 Latakia / Qala'at Saladin

Call at Latakia, originally a Phoenician trading port, for an excursion to Qala’at Saladin (Saladin’s Castle), a Crusader castle built on a spectacular gorge-surrounded site originally occupied by the Phoenicians. Continue to Ugarit, now known as Ras Shamra (“Headland of Fennel” in Arabic), and once the most important and prosperous city in the Mediterranean, to see Bronze Age relics, including the ruins of a 14th century B.C. palace and the Temple of Baal, as well as an elaborate system of Bronze Age waterworks. Alternatively, take a full-day excursion to Aleppo, a city whose settlement history reaches back to the 4th century B.C. See its 3rd century B.C. Citadel, towering over the city center. See its Great Mosque and Halwiye Madrasa, founded in 1124 on the site of the Cathedral of St. Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine who made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 326 A.D.

Day 7 Iskenderun, Turkey / Antioch

Drive from Iskenderun to modern Antakya, or ancient Antioch. Founded in the 4th century B.C. by Seleucus I—a general under Alexander the Great and one of his successors—Antioch was destined to rival Alexandria during the Hellenistic period, and later, as a powerful seat of Christianity. St. Paul climbed a 3,000-foot plateau here to preach in the city where art and culture flourished. Your visit to the ancient site includes the magnificent collection of Roman mosaics in the Archaeological Museum and the Grotto of St. Peter, which is cut out of a hillside.

Day 8 Antalya / Perge / Aspendos

From Antalya, visit two of Turkey’s most famous ancient sites. Perge’s Hellenistic ruins include its great stadium; colonnaded, marble main street; and theater. At Aspendos, tour the 20,000-seat theater commissioned by Marcus Aurelius in the 2nd century A.D.

Day 9 Kusadasi, Turkey / Ephesus / Priene

Drive to the ancient city of Ephesus, renowned for its great mother goddess, Cybele, later identified as Artemis, or Diana of the Ephesians. Ephesus was for a time the most important commercial city in Asia Minor. The immense Hellenistic and Roman excavation site includes the ancient theater, the imposing Library of Celsus, the hill houses with their fantastic mosaics and frescoes, and early Byzantine remains. Spend the afternoon at leisure in Kusadasi or alternatively, tour Priene, a 4th century B.C. city in a spectacular setting.

Day 10 Delos, Greece

Pursued by the vengeful Hera, Zeus’s mistress Leto fled to Delos, the “wandering island” which drifted across the Aegean. Poseidon struck the island with his trident, and anchored it to the ocean floor. Here, Leto gave birth to Apollo and Artemis, in the shade of a date palm, and the island flowered with gold. Today, visit the extraordinary ruins of this sacred island, including the Sanctuary and Temple of Apollo, the Lions of the Sacred Lake, and the Sanctuary of Dionysus. Admire beautiful mosaics in the House of the Trident and other structures dating back as far as the 7th century B.C.

Day 11 Thessaloniki, Greece / Vergina

Spend the day in Thessaloniki, justly famous for its late Classical and Medieval remains as well as early Christian churches. Upon arrival in the afternoon, take an excursion to Vergina to visit the royal tombs and museum. Then enjoy a tour of the city, exploring several of Thessaloniki’s monuments, including visits to several Byzantine churches as well as the Byzantine Museum (or the Archaeological Museum). The afternoon is yours to spend at leisure.

Day 12 Kavalla / Philippi

Call at Kavalla, the port of Philippi that marked the eastern boundary of ancient Rome’s European empire and where, in A.D. 49, St. Paul addressed his Epistle to the Philippian Christians. Today it is a fascinating port city with a Turkish aqueduct and the Imaret, said to be Europe’s largest Islamic building. Then travel to Philippi to visit the town’s extensive, largely Roman or early Christian ruins. Also visit the acropolis, theater, and two Byzantine basilicas.

Day 13 Istanbul, Turkey / Disembark

Disembark in Istanbul and transfer to the airport for your independent return flights home.