Day 2 - Adana - Antakya - Iskenderun (B, L, D)

After an early breakfast, we proceed to Antioch-On-The-Orontes, a city believed by many historians to have been founded by Seleucos in 300 BC. Over time Antioch (present day, Antakya) became a melting pot of the Hellenistic and Oriental words. Its prosperity and mild climate turned the Antiochenes into people who welcomed all kinds of new ideas. These characteristics paved the path for the gentiles of Antioch to be open to the acceptance of a new religion, a religion that was brought to them by St. Paul, St. Peter, and St. Barnbas and it was here in Antioch that the followers of Christ first began to be referred to as “Christians.”  The Byzantine Empire, which grew out of the earlier Roman Empire, prized this city, which soon became an active center of the Church of Orient. Our sightseeing tour of the city includes visits to the Museum of Antioch, which houses a superb collection of mosaics that have been excavated in Antioch. We continue on to Daphne, Seleucia Pieria to see the two rock tombs, the Tunnel of Titus and St. Peters Grotto – a cave church known as the meeting place of the early Christians. From there we continue on to Iskenderun, the old Alexandretta, founded by Alexander the Great after his Issos victory. In 1097, Alexandretta was conquered by the First Crusade and the city was included in the principality of Antioch. We will have our dinner and overnight in Iskenderun.