• Antioch—Visit the church of St. Paul and the Mosaic Museum in this early Christian city that was visited by Peter, Paul and Barnabas—where the followers were the first to be called “Christians” (Acts 11:26).
• Petra—Explore the magnificent rock-cut ruins of the Nabateans, including the Treasury, made famous by Indiana Jones and his quest for the holy grail.
• Madaba—This ancient Moabite site is home to the Byzantine Church of St. George, which houses the well-known Madaba Map, a sixth-century mosaic of Palestine and its environs.
• Mt. Nebo—Look out over the Holy Land just as Moses did at the end of his life. A church here marks the traditional tomb of Moses.
• Umm Qais—Site of the Greco-Roman city of Gadara. Enjoy views of the Sea of Galilee on this site where the New Testament says Jesus cast out demons from two men and into a herd of pigs.
• Aleppo—Until the mid-20th century, this cultural crossroads was home to a thriving Jewish population, a grand synagogue and the famed Aleppo Codex—an 11th-century copy of the Masoretic Text of the Hebrew Bible.
• Dura-Europos—On the banks of the Euphrates, visit the site of the famed Dura Europos synagogue and its colorful frescoed walls of Biblical scenes.
• Mari and Ugarit—Though separated by hundreds of miles and years, the vast cuneiform archives, impressive palaces and massive temples excavated at both of these ancient sites provided scholars with invaluable insight on the origins of Hebrew and Israelite culture, especially shedding light on the cultural context of the Biblical texts.

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Itinerary

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Pricing Details

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Hotel Information

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Terms and Conditions

THE TOUR COSTS INCLUDE:

TRANSPORTATION: As outlined per itinerary. Journeys of the Mind cannot beheld responsible for air arrangements made in connection with the tour.

HOTELS: Deluxe or as indicated based on two persons sharing twin-bedded room with private bath and/or shower. Journeys of the Mind reserves the rightto substitute hotels in similar categories.

SINGLE ACCOMMODATIONS: Journeys of the Mind will endeavor to arrange for a congenial roommate, this is not always possible or recommended and a single supplement will be charged when required or requested.

MEALS: Breakfast and dinner daily.

TRANSFERS: International arrival and departure transfers are included.

SIGHTSEEING/TRANSPORTATION: All sightseeing tours described provided by best available motor coaches, or other vehicles depending upon circumstances at the time of tour operation. All entrance fees to places visited in the itinerary are included.

LECTURER/GUIDES: Dr. Chahinda Karim will provide lectures and there will be a local guide.

BAGGAGE: Includes the transportation and handling of two pieces of luggage per person throughout within the limits of airline regulations.

GRATUITIES AND TAXES: All local/government taxes on for hotels, meals and services listed. Tips to drivers and guides are not included.

ARRANGEMENTS: The tour price includes planning, handling and operating charges. The tour price is based on a minimum of 20 participants. An administration fee of $200 will be charged for any deviation from the printed itinerary when requested in writing up to 60 days prior to departure and are not accepted after this time. All deviations are subject to the terms and conditions stated herein.

THE TOUR COSTS DO NOT INCLUDE: International air, passport and visa fees, border fees, cost of personal/trip cancellation and baggage insurance, transportation of excess baggage, all items of a personal nature such as laundry, beverages, drinks, gratuities as stated above, optional excursions or deviations from the scheduled tour, individual transfers to join or leave the group once the tour has commenced, meals not shown as included, menu items not on the table d’hote menu, and any item not specifically mentioned as included.

VISAS: Passports must be valid within six months from return date. Our Syrian operator will obtain visas provided we can supply them with an electronic ticket and a copy of your passport, up to 90 days prior to departure. After this date visas will have to be obtained from the Syrian Consulate in Washington, D.C,. To enter Syria or obtain a Syrian visa, you cannot have an Israeli stamp in your passport.

RATES: All rates quoted in U.S. dollars based on tariffs and rate of exchange in effect as of November 2009. These rates are subject to change prior to the operation of the tour. In the event of a marked increase in foreign currency or in tariff rates, the cost is subject to revision.

RESERVATION AND DEPOSIT: Early reservations are essential. A deposit of $500 is required to ensure your membership. Balance of payment is due no later than 90 days prior to departure.

CANCELLATION AND REFUND: Cancellations must be made in writing and subject to the following charges: $250 per person at any time; 90-60 days prior to departure, $500; from 60 days prior to departure forward, no refund unless your space can be sold. For these and other reasons mentioned herein, you are strongly encouraged to obtain trip cancellation insurance. A cancellation by a share could result in the need to accommodate a roommate in single accommodations, this cost will also be deducted from refunds due, if any, to the person canceling. Journeys of the Mind does not assume responsibility for cancellation fees imposed by air carriers, due to itinerary departure changes, and cancellations made after ticketing, nor are we responsible for any individual air arrangements made in connection with group flights.

UNUSED: Prices quoted based on group participation; no refund for unused services, airline tickets or portions of the tour not taken. Refunds cannot be made to tour members who do not complete the tour for any reason.

INSURANCE: Journeys of the Mind is not responsible or liable for loss, damage, or theft of personal baggage and belongings. Journeys of the Mind is not liable for personal injury, accident, or illness. We strongly suggest that you check with your insurance agent for adequate coverage for any eventualities. Upon booking, our specially designed insurance covering baggage, accident, health and trip-cancellation will be made available.We strongly recommend trip cancellation insurance.

OPTIONAL EXTENSIONS: Terms apply to all optional extensions and excursions.

HEALTH: We strongly suggest that tour members contact their personal physician. By forwarding a deposit the passenger certifies that he/she does not have a physical condition that would create a hazard for him/herself or other passengers.

SMOKING: This is a non-smoking tour. Smoking is not permitted where the group is gathered.

NOTICE: Although Journeys of the Mind makes every effort to adhere to the printed itinerary, on rare occasion it may be necessary to adjust arrangements due to circumstances beyond our control. Private functions are subject to the availability of the respective sponsors at the time of travel and, occasionally, substitutions may be required. Should any activity be unavailable, substitution will be made to the best of our ability and no refund will be made. Any additional costs necessitated by such changes are the responsibility of the tour member. Journeys of the Mind reserves the right to cancel the tour prior to departure, to decline, to accept or retain any person’s membership in its entirety or for any part of the tour before departure of the tour or during the tour, should such person’s health, mental or physical condition, or general deportment impede or may tend to impede the normal operation of the tour and/or may or does impose on the rights and comfort of the other tour members. A refund of recoverable unused services is the limit of liability for cancellation by Journeys of the Mind. Please note: Journeys of the Mind cannot be held responsible for any hotel or airline arrangements that we have not made.

RESPONSIBILITY: Journeys of the Mind, Chicago, Illinois, the Biblical Archaeology Society, Washington, D.C., its affiliates, assignees and cooperative agents act only as agents for the passenger with respect to transportation, hotels and automobile contractors. They exercise every care possible, but cannot be held responsible for personal injury in connection with the service of any airplane, train, automobile, carriage or other conveyance which is used in carrying out these tours, nor are they responsible for delay, accident, sickness, loss of personal property, strikes, armed conflict, additional expenses due to weather, disruption of advertised schedules, refusal of visas, or any other causes beyond their control. They are not responsible war, terror or acts of God. Further, the operation of the vehicles used in their tours is the full responsibility of the companies and individuals engaged in the conveying of passengers; said companies or individuals are governed by laws of the country of operations and recourse for any mishap must be filed locally. Unforeseen conditions may necessitate tour changes and the right is reserved to make such changes or withdraw the tour as deemed advisable. The right is also reserved to refuse to accept or retain any passenger on any tour at any time for any reason. All cooperating airlines and steamship companies are not to be held responsible for any act, omission or event during the time passengers are on board; the limit of the liability is that of a common carrier and the passage contract in use by such carriers, when issued, shall constitute the sole contract between companies and the purchaser of this tour and/or passenger. Acceptance of the services of Journeys of the Mind by all agents and/or travelers constitutes acceptance by them of all the above noted terms and conditions.

RELEASE: All members must sign a release and waiver of claims acknowledging their assumption of risk by participating in the tour.

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Contact

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