1 May 2025 Overland to Kusadasi and Ephesus

 

Yesterday (30 April) was a rainy day so we stayed on the boat. A few brave explorers to a hike up the mountain, but Bill and I declined that adventure.

 This morning we said goodbye to our fabulous crew on the gullet and headed north to Kusadasi and Ephesus to explore one of the largest and best-preserved ancient sites – the Greco-Roman ancient port city of Ephesus, once the most important Greek city and an important trading center in the Ionian Asia Minor.  It was also important in the early years of Christian evangelism.  While we had previously visited Ephesus, it was many years ago.  So in a way, this was almost like visiting it for the first time. 

 Not much about Ephesus’ early history is known.  But in the 7^th century BCE, the city came under the control of the Lydian Kings and became a thriving city.  Sometime between 560 BCE and 547 BCE, the Lydian King Croesus, rebuilt the Temple of Artemis, dedicated to the goddess of the hunt, chastity, childbirth, wild animals, and the wilderness.  Originally built in 356 BCE, it was burned down by a crazed man.  When rebuilt it was four times larger than the Parthenon and became one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.  It was torn down by a Christian mob in 401 CE and never rebuilt.

 In 334 BCE, Alexander the Great conquered the region and upon his death Ephesus came under the control of the Hellenistic Kingdom of Pergamon.  Then in the end century BCE, Ephesus became part of the Roman Empire.  It was the ancient capital of the Roman province of Asia during the time of Augustus Caesar (from 27 BC to AD 14. )  In 17 AD, the city was destroyed by an earthquake, but was rebuilt during the reigns of Tiberius and Hadrian.  During this time Ephesus retained its political and trading supremacy, and also began to have religious significance during the Christian era, as it was said to have been the place of residence chosen by Mary, mother of Jesus, after his crucifixion.  John the Apostle is also believed to have settled in Ephesus where he may have written the Gospel of John and the Book of Revelation.  However, the harbor began to silt up, and Ephesus gradually declined as a trading center.   By the reign of Emperor Justinian (527-564 AD), the harbor was completely blocked, the inhabitants deserted the city and moved to the nearby Ayasoluk Hill.  And in 1090, this area fell to the Turks.  . 

 It is amazing how well preserved the city is.  Its mile-long marble paved street, grooved by chariot wheels, is the same road that Mark Anthony and Cleopatra walked on their honeymoon when they brought books from the Alexandra Library.  This road leads past partially reconstructed buildings, such as the Great Theater,  the temples of Domitian and Hadrian, the Trajan Fountain, and the Roman baths.  Perhaps the most well known structure in Ephesus is the Celsus Library (one of the largest and most graceful surviving buildings of antiquity).  Built in 135 AD, it contained over 12,000 scrolls stored in cupboards in the niches on the double walls that were built to keep the manuscripts free from humidity.  On the façade of the entrance were four female statues that symbolized wisdom (Sophia), knowledge (Episteme), ad intelligence (Ennoia), and virtue and character (Arete).   Perhaps the most unique site was the latrine – 40 marble holes around a rectangular pool where residents socialized.  This apparently was the social highlight of the resident’s day.  While much of the main part of the town of Ephesus has been excavated, there is a lot of excavation ongoing in the hills surrounding the town.  The hills are believed to be the homes of the people who lived and worked in Ephesus.  

Below are some of the pictures of the ruins of Ephesus with a short description of them.

Roman Baths that could house 100 people

Bouleuterion - Meeting place of the Council as well 
a place to hold musical performances and concerts

Sacred Way made of marble that lead 
to the old Harbor of Ephesus

Temple of Domitian- first structure in
Ephesus known to be dedicated to
an emperor

The Relief of Nike once a decorative item
on the second level of Hercules Gate

Hercules Gate which separate what
was once uptown and downtown 
Ephesus

Trajan Fountain - one of the finest
 monuments in Ephesus built to honor
Emperor Trajan.  His statue once stood
in the center niche of the fountain.  

Terrace House -- one of six houses in this
area.  There is more excavations ongoing
of other houses built on the hillside

Mosaics from the Terrace House

Public Bathroom built over a channel with
an uninterrupted flow of water- a social gathering
place of the men in Ephesus

Celeus Library- considered the
most beautiful building in
Ephesus.  Beneath the first floor is
the grave of Galius Julius Aquila, the
governor of the province of  Asia.

Temple of Hadrian built to
honor the Emperor and one of 
the best preserved in Ephesus

Statue of Arete, (Goddess of  Virtue
and Character) at entrance to
the Celeus Library

Entrance to the Agora-built for commercial
purposes as it was close to the 
old Harbor

Agora or Market Square

Marble Harbor Road that led from
Agora to the Old Harbor

The Theater- located on the slope of Panayir Hill
opposite the Harbor Road - it has a capacity
of 25,000 seats

Cat sitting on open window
in ladies bathroom - I thought
it was going to fall on me
as I washed my hands

 

Map of Ephesus - pictures above follow our walk from our entrance  at #28
and and our exit at #3

 Our last stop of the day was to the Ephesus Archaeological Museum. It houses finds from the excavations of Ephesus.  Its best-know exhibit is the ancient statue of the Greek Goddess Artemis that was recovered from the Temple of Artemis, one of the original seven wonders of the ancient world. 

 After leaving the Ephesus Museum we traveled to our hotel in Kusadasi, a popular seaside resort along the Aegean Sea.

Stork's Nest on top of a
building in Kusadasi

Statue of Artemis from the
Temple of Artemis

Head and And of Domitian

Freize from the Temple of Domitian

 

This ended our tour of Turkey.  The next day there were no activities planned, so we just relaxed and packed our suitcases for our early morning flight on 3 May to Malta.  Turkey is a fascinating country to visit.  The locales we visited were all so different – Istanbul, a vibrant highly populated city with a lot of Arab and Byzantine influences; Cappadocia, a landscape that is out of this world and origins of the Whiling Dervish; Antalya, a beautiful coastline of both the Mediterranean Sea and the Aegean Sea; and lastly Ephesus, perhaps the best preserved of all the ancient Roman cities.  The people are welcoming and very helpful.  Their history is very complex, but as you visit from site to site, you see the remnants of all the cultures that help create the current country of Turkey.  This adventure was one we highly recommend – you will not be disappointed.