Antioch was founded by Seleucus, one of Alexander the Great’s generals, naming it after his father Antiochus. It was a prominent city in the region. By Roman times, it was the third largest city in the empire (after Rome and Alexandria). However, Antioch is best known today for being the first place where believers were called Christians (Acts 11:26). We began our day (Sunday) by gathering in a side room of the hotel for some time of worship. We walked from our hotel a little ways down the street to the Hatay Archaeological Museum. They’re best known for their collection […]
Tag Archives: Syrian Antioch
Full of Hot Air
We woke up before 5:00 am for something special: a balloon ride over Cappadocia. We had tried the morning before, but the wind was too strong. I’ve never ridden in a hot air balloon, making this an extra unique experience. Any sleepiness from the early start was quickly quenched as we lifted off and drifted over the landscape we had explored the day before. How incredible! We drifted for an hour, covering about six miles over the alien landscape. We stopped back at our hotel for breakfast and checking out before beginning our long journey south. Much of the area […]