How far is Lydia from Jerusalem?

Answer 1

As the crow flies, the Lydian capital of Sardis is 617 miles or 993 kilometers from Jerusalem.

However, if a person were to drive from one to the other (assuming that driving between Lebanon and Israel posed no issue), it would be closer to 1000 miles or 1600 kilometers. The reason for this vast increase in distance is two-fold. Firstly, the "as the crow flies" distance is mostly over water whereas the the driving route is entirely over land. Secondly, much of the land in Anatolia and the north Levantine coast (Hatay Province, Alawite Syria, and Lebanon) are very mountainous making the roads go any direction but straight.