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Published: November 15th 2008
Everyone was eager to explore the ancient city of Ephesus as the Pacific Princess arrived in Kusadasi, Turkey. Surprisingly, this port city is a clean modern seaside resort currently undergoing a boom in tourism, including many Brits and Irish folks who are buying condos in the area.
We docked next the new Cunard Lines Queen Victoria-an impressive large vessel. The dock area is a nice shopping mall offering of all things—a Starbuck’s Coffee store. We didn’t have time to see if they offered the infamous Turkish coffee.
Our guide was right on time and we beat many of the other tour busses as we began our day of exploration. Our first stop was the ruins of St. John’s Basilica, which sits on a hill above a Moslem mosque and the ruins of the Temple of Artemus, one of the wonders of the ancient world. This was a beautiful spot where we could see where the silt had filled in the plain making what had once been a port, now four miles inland. We learned about the differences between Ionic, Doric, Corinthian and combination pillars as we explored the site seeing history as close up and personal as it’s possible to do.
Moving over to the excavation at Ephesus, our guide explained that only about 10% of the area has been fully restored. In fact, they’re still looking for the synagogue where Paul preached according to the book of Acts. This is truly one of the great sites of ancient history anywhere in the world.
Ephesus sat in a valley between two mountains and was surrounded by 12 miles of walls running along the tops of the mountains. It was a prosperous port with a population of 200,000-ten times larger than Pompey. The city is divided into an uptown, mid-town and downtown areas. Starting at the top we saw where the city administrator was housed. We also saw how the Romans has built water systems using clay pipes held together by marble dust and egg whites!
Everywhere you looked where fantastic examples of how the people lived and worked in the ancient place. We saw the reconstruction of the façade of the Library of Ephesus which, at the time, was the third largest in the world. We also walked on the stage of the theatre which housed 25,000 spectators for plays, gladiator events, political commentary and other civic events. All in all, this place is a must-see for any adventurer interested in the roots of western civilization.
Next was a stop at a lovely farm villa where modern Turkish rugs are made in the same manner as has been done for hundreds of years. This entrepreneur is training nomad girls how to do this art so they can make income independent of their family responsibilities.
It was fascinating the see how silk is taken from silkworm cocoons, and how dyes are made from Saffron, black walnuts and other organic ingredients. We even had a rug show with a flying carpet!
Our lunch was outdoors in the courtyard garden of the villa and was a nice treat with traditional Turkish food being served. One of our group thought we were on a movie set because it was so idyllic.
After returning back to the ship everyone went to their balconies to watch the late arriving passengers return—much like we had been in Egypt. Unfortunately a group of four passengers returned and one of them collapsed as they neared the ship. The ship hurried and wheel chair out and she was taken onboard to the doctor. The doctor decided that her conditioned needed more intensive help and a Turkish ambulance was summoned to take her and her three traveling companions off the ship to a hospital. The crew packed all of their belongings and left them on the pier for the port agent to move. Never let there be doubt that buying travel insurance isn’t absolutely necessary!
Tomorrow it’s Patmos as we begin winding down our cruise to the Holy Land.
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Marilyn Biggs
non-member comment
Ephesus
What a great description of your tour in Ephesus! Linda, you must be keeping your laptop busy! If I had gone along, I would probably be that lady heading for the hospital in the wheel chair! I'm glad that I went to Israel 19 years ago, when I had good legs, and a good stomach. Sorry to hear that some of the group were down with the bug.....but it sounds like you all survived! We are anxious for your return to Washington Cathedral. There are a lot of holes without you! Come home, come home, come home............. Pastor Marilyn