Thursday was our day in Ephesus, Turkey. Our excursion, "Tour of Biblical Ephesus", contained many sites and we had a wonderful, knowledgeable tour guide with us for the day. We were surprised to learn that we were in Asia and the kids are now ecstatic to be able to say that they've been to a third continent. (Turkey has territory in both Europe and Asia, but most of it is in Anatolia.)
Our ship docked in the port of Kusadasi, where we boarded a bus for a drive through the Turkish countryside, which was quite beautiful:
Our first stop was the House of the Virgin Mary. This is the place that Mary is reputed to been taken by the Apostle John after the crucifixion of Jesus, and where she spent the last years of her life. It is now a shrine for Christians and Muslims (the Quran also contains the story of the virgin Mary's birth of Jesus, and she is venerated by Muslims):
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| Baptismal pool. |
The House of the Virgin Mary is a pilgrimage site for many, and there is a small chapel inside where Popes have placed relics. We walked through the house, but no photos were allowed of the interior:
We attended an ecumenical mass led by a Roman Catholic priest who had been displaced by the horrible earthquakes in eastern Turkey earlier this year. It was a beautiful service of reflection and prayer and we found it to be very powerful to worship with Christians from all over the world.
There is a also spring at the site where Holy Water can be collected from taps. We were given small clay vessels to collect water:
Next we visited ancient Ephesus, which are considered to be the most important ancient ruins in Turkey. Ephesus was originally built in 11th century, BC and Ephesians believed that Ephesia, the beautiful Amazonian queen, founded their city. Ephesus was the capital of the Roman province of Asia in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD and played an integral role in the introduction of Christianity in the 3rd century under Roman Rule.
We entered the administrative section of ancient Ephesus through the Magnesia Gate, and saw the Odeon, which was a semi-circular theater used for political meetings, social events, and concerts:
The State/Political Agora was the gathering place for all administrative gatherings in ancient Ephesus. The ruins that remain tell much about life during the time:
The Scholastica Baths were built in the 1st century AD and could house 1,000 customers. They contained public bathing areas, an entertainment room, and gathering places. A salon on the second level offered massage therapy, and therapeutic scrubs, and water and steam arrived by pipes built into the walls, which poured into cold, warm, and hot pools:
During the Roman period, Ephesians dedicated many buildings in the city to emperors to secure good relations and the support of Rome. The below structure is the Temple of Domitian: built in 1st century AD and dedicated to the Roman Emperor, Domitian.
The roads of ancient Ephesus have deep lines etched into many of the marble slabs. Marble was a sign of opulence and distinguished Ephesus from less prosperous cities, but is very slippery and this allowed horses, wheels, and people to have some traction when traveling while still boasting of grandeur:
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| Stone plaque depicting Nike, the goddess of victory. |
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| Inscription circa 1st century AD |
Curetes Street (Marble Road) is one of the main streets of Ephesus and runs from the Hercules Gate down to the Celsus Library. It was an archaic Processional Way, and an important sacred route leading to the Temple of Artemis. It takes its name from the class of priests (Curetes) who would walk the street during religious ceremonies, and the street was home to many fountains, monuments, and statues:
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| Tourist-packed Curetes Street. |
Homes of the wealthiest Ephesians also lined Curetes Street and under these houses were colonnaded galleries and shops with mosaic tiled floors:
The Temple of Hadrian was built to honor the Roman Emperor Hadrian, who brought peace and prosperity to Rome during his 21-year reign. It is considered to be one of the best preserved and most beautiful structures on Curetes Street:
The Trajan Fountain was erected in 2nd century AD in honor of the Emperor Trajan. At the time of construction, this was one of the 3 most magnificent fountains in Ephesus with two ornamental pools and surrounded by columns. Water flower from a pillar on which rested a colossal statue of Trajan.
The Library of Celsus is the most famous structure in ancient Ephesus. It was the third largest library in the ancient world, and was said to have held 12,000 scrolls. It was constructed in the first century AD and is an architectural marvel, with its well preserved Corinthian columns and elegant detail:
We walked from the Library to the Commercial Agora, which was the shopping and trade center of ancient Ephesus. Goods were brought and traded here from cities all over the world. This was also where the slave market operated:
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| Commercial Agora. |
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| Stalls and shops lined the Agora courtyard. |
Next was the Grand Theater, which seats 25,000 and is the site where Paul preached to the Ephesians and condemned pagan worship. The theater is referenced in the Acts of the Apostles, where Paul describes the rioting of silversmiths (who made silver figures of the goddess Artemis). Paul spent over 3 years in Ephesus preaching the Gospel in the first century AD. He wrote his letter to Ephesians here and was opposed by them in the theater as he spread Christianity:
From the Grand Theater, we walked down the Arcadian Way, which leads to the Harbour. The was the first street sailors and merchants would encounter in Ancient Ephesus when arriving at the port, and was the primary way kings, emperors, and other officials would enter the city. Queen Cleopatra and Mark Antony once processed down Arcadian Way, and it was one of only 3 lighted streets in the Roman Empire (along with Rome and Antioch). Water and sewer channels ran beneath its marble flagstones, and it was lined with impressive columns, colonnades, and sculptures:
After our walking tour of ancient Ephesus, we enjoyed lunch with a traditional Apostolic meal at a local restaurant. The setting was lovely and overlooked a garden, and our feast was magnificent. We were served shepherd's salad, Jacob's green beans soaked in olive oil, a garbanzo bean paste with tahini, Jacob's pottage of lentil, leeks in olive oil, King David's lamb delight, and The Apostles' Favorite: an Aegean grilled fish with pomegranate sauce. There were also traditional desserts, snacks, and local wine, and it was such a special treat to taste all of these delicacies:
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| Fig Cake. |
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| Goat cheese, figs, and nuts. |
After lunch, we visited St. Jean Kilsesi (the Basilica of St. John). This is where St. John was buried, and it is believed that he wrote the Gospel of St. John and the Book of Revelation during his time in Ephesus. Among the 12 apostles, John is the only one who was not martyred, and he died of natural causes around 100 AD. His grave was simply marked initially, but in the 6th century AD, the emperor Justinian ordered the construction of a massive basilica on the site, and the remains of St. John were located under the central dome. The basilica was an important pilgrimage site for people all over the world, as it was believed that the dust from St. John's tomb contained healing properties. The basilica was destroyed in the 15th century by invading Mongols, but the outline of the church can still be viewed in its ruins:
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| Persecution Gate leading to the Basilica of St. John |
Ephesus is also famous for being the site of the Temple of Artemis: one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. This temple was constructed in 550 BC, destroyed centuries later (262 AD), and never rebuilt. The lone pillar in the center of this photo is what remains of the once grand site:
We hopped back into the bus for a drive to our last stop of the afternoon, and on the way, our guide referenced that the climate and topography of this region is much like Southern California. The similarities were noticeable as we drove through the more modern parts of the city, with its hillsides, palm trees, and landscape:
Our final stop was a place where we learned about Turkish rugs and viewed a native carpet weaving demonstration.
A weaver showed us how the silk is extracted and spun from the pods of silkworms:
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| Each small cocoon yields one mile of thread! |
The threads are then dyed with natural items (flowers, roots, vegetables, and insects) and are hung on the weaving loom, where weavers create intricately patterned rugs. The rugs are weaved by hand and take an average of a year to complete:
We viewed various rugs in the showroom and were offered Turkish libations. Mark sampled Raki (otherwise known as Lion's Milk), which is the Turkish national drink, while the kids and I stuck to apple tea:
Our time Ephesus was filled with Biblical sites, culture, food, and learning, and we were so grateful to visit this special place!
