Walk Where the Apostles Walked in Turkey

In December 2025, I spent 23 days driving through Turkey with a rental car, visiting 21 cities and sleeping in a different hotel nearly every night. The mission was to walk through every site where the Seven Churches of Revelation stood — Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea — and to see firsthand the places where Paul preached, where John wrote, and where the earliest Christians gathered.

This was not a typical vacation. It was a pilgrimage that changed how I understand the Bible, archaeology, and what it means to be an American who appreciates the world.

Stand in the Ruins of the Seven Churches of Revelation

Revelation 1:11 records Jesus telling John to write to seven churches in Asia Minor — all located in what is now western Turkey. When you read Revelation in a study or a pew, the cities feel abstract. When you stand in the ruins of the Library of Celsus at Ephesus, surrounded by marble columns that have stood for nearly two thousand years, the words become concrete.

Ephesus is the best-preserved of the seven sites. You can walk the same marble streets where Paul spent two years teaching in the school of Tyrannus (Acts 19:9-10). The theater where the silversmiths rioted against Paul seats 25,000 people, and the acoustics still work.

Standing on that stage, looking up at the carved stone seats, you feel the weight of what Paul was up against — an entire economy built on idol worship, and he walked right into the middle of it.

Smyrna, now the modern city of İzmir, is Turkey’s third-largest city. Little of the ancient church remains above ground, but the agora and the ancient market give you a sense of the Roman commercial hub where early Christians faced persecution. Jesus told the church at Smyrna, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer” (Revelation 2:10). Walking those streets, you understand why courage was the message they needed.

Pergamum sits on a dramatic hilltop acropolis in modern Bergama. Revelation 2:13 calls it the place “where Satan’s throne is.” Archaeologists debate whether this refers to the massive Altar of Zeus — which the Pergamon Museum in Berlin now houses — or the temple complex dedicated to Roman emperor worship. Standing on that acropolis overlooking the valley below, you can see why John chose such strong language.

Thyatira (modern Akhisar), Sardis, Philadelphia (Alaşehir), and Laodicea each carry their own story. Sardis has striking temple ruins and a synagogue that shows Jewish and Christian communities coexisted in complex ways. Archaeologists have excavated Laodicea extensively near modern Denizli in recent years, uncovering new mosaics, new water systems, and new evidence of the “lukewarm” city Jesus rebuked in Revelation 3:16.

Discover Göbekli Tepe and the Oldest Structures on Earth

Beyond the Seven Churches, Turkey holds sites that push the boundaries of what we know about human civilization itself. Göbekli Tepe, a UNESCO World Heritage Site near Şanlıurfa in southeastern Turkey, dates to approximately 9500 BCE — roughly 11,500 years old and predating Stonehenge by six thousand years.

Hunter-gatherers built Göbekli Tepe, not an agricultural society. They carved massive stone pillars weighing up to 20 tons and arranged them in circles, decorating the surfaces with reliefs of animals — lions, foxes, scorpions, vultures. The conventional archaeological narrative said agriculture came first, then permanent settlements, then monumental architecture. Göbekli Tepe reverses that sequence entirely.

For me as a Christian, Göbekli Tepe raises fascinating questions. Here is a site where ancient people clearly had sophisticated spiritual practices, artistic expression, and the organizational capacity to move 20-ton stones — all without the wheel, metal tools, or domesticated animals. The Bible’s early chapters describe a world where humans were intelligent and capable from the start, not slowly evolving toward civilization. Göbekli Tepe fits that narrative more comfortably than many secular archaeologists expected.

See Mount Ararat and Mount Nemrut Up Close

Mount Ararat, at 5,137 meters, dominates the eastern Turkish landscape. Genesis 8:4 says Noah’s ark came to rest “on the mountains of Ararat.” Whether or not the ark itself will ever be found on those slopes, standing at the base of Ararat and looking up at the snow-capped peak connects you to one of the oldest narratives in human history — a story found not just in the Bible but across Mesopotamian, Greek, and Hindu traditions.

Mount Nemrut, another UNESCO World Heritage Site in southeastern Turkey, offers a different kind of wonder. In 62 BCE, King Antiochus I of Commagene built a tomb-sanctuary at the summit, flanking it with colossal statues of himself alongside Greek and Persian gods — Zeus, Apollo, Heracles — all blended in a fusion of Eastern and Western religious traditions. The massive stone heads, toppled by earthquakes and time, now sit scattered on the ground, staring upward at the sky.

Nemrut illustrates something the Bible warns about repeatedly: the human desire to be worshipped. Antiochus placed his own statue among the gods. It did not end well for him or his kingdom. The Commagene dynasty is a footnote in history, but the God of the Bible — the one the Seven Churches worshipped — is still worshipped today by over two billion people worldwide.

Experience Cappadocia Where Early Christians Hid Underground

Cappadocia, in central Turkey, is famous for its fairy chimney rock formations and hot air balloon rides. But beneath the tourist experience lies a deeply Christian history. Early Christians carved entire underground cities — Derinkuyu goes eight levels deep and could shelter up to 20,000 people — to hide from Roman persecution. Churches carved directly into the rock at Göreme still display Byzantine frescoes that ancient artists painted a thousand years ago.

Walking through those underground tunnels, you realize the early church was not a comfortable institution. These were people who literally went underground to survive. Their faith cost them everything, and they built entire civilizations in the dark rather than deny Christ. That context makes the letters to the Seven Churches in Revelation hit differently. When Jesus tells the church at Smyrna to “be faithful unto death,” He was not speaking metaphorically.

Recognize What Travel Teaches About Being American

This Turkey trip was part of a broader pattern. My wife and I have traveled to Rome, where we walked the Colosseum and the catacombs. We have been to Iceland, London, and Tokyo. In a couple of weeks, we head to China. Each trip deepens my appreciation for both the world and for America.

When you see how other cultures have lived — under empires, under persecution, under systems where individual rights did not exist — you come home with a sharper gratitude for what we have. I am not traveling to show off passport stamps on Instagram. I am traveling to understand the arc of human history, to see with my own eyes the places where civilizations rose and fell, and to ask the question that matters most: what endures?

What endures is faith. The Roman Empire fell. The Commagene kingdom vanished. The Ottoman Empire collapsed. But the churches Paul planted in Turkey — though the physical buildings are ruins — the faith they carried is alive and growing. That is not a coincidence. That is archaeology confirming what Scripture promises.

Connect with Fellow Travelers Who Share This Journey

I was fortunate to share parts of this journey with Danny Leibrandt, a fellow Christian who understands that business success and faith run on the same road. Danny and I both use the Content Factory approach to document real experiences and share them with our communities — turning moments like this Turkey trip into content that serves others.

If you are a young man building a business — especially in home services like HVAC, pest control, plumbing, or roofing — I encourage you to travel. Not just for the content or the LinkedIn posts, but because seeing the world with your own eyes will make you better at your craft. You will understand your customers differently when you understand where humanity has been. You will lead your team better when you have stood in places where leadership was tested by fire.

The Bible is not just a story. It is a history book, and more of it is being uncovered and confirmed by archaeology every single year. If you have the chance to walk where Paul walked, to stand where John wrote the Revelation, to touch the stones of Göbekli Tepe — take it. It will change how you read Scripture, how you run your business, and how you see your place in the world.

I am proud to be an American, proud to be a Christian, and proud to share this journey with my community. If this resonates with you, reach out. The best conversations I have are with people who are building something meaningful and want to understand the bigger picture.