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Published: August 11th 2007
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Troy
Fake Trojan Horse
The past one and a half weeks have been spent looking at a lot of ruins...
The ruins: Troy, Assos, Pergamum, Ephesus, Priene, Miletus, Didyma, Hierapolis and Afrodisias.
Troy: in order to escape the ANZAC crowd gathered at Gallipoli I stayed in the village just outside the gates of Troy. This was a total success as the village was nice and peaceful... The next day I visited the site really early so as to be ahead of the inevitable tours, but allas! You can't escape the Asian tourists... Three tour busses had arrived already. Luckily they rushed through the site in whirlwind fashion and seemed to be more interested in the kitschy replica of the Trojan Horse than in the ruins themselves. Although there isn't much to see, I wanted to get my money's worth out of the site and I stayed an incredible two hours looking at every single rock from different angles. There are actually nine different layers on top of each other labelled Troy I to Troy IX... Troy VI is believed to be the legendary Troy of King Priam. There are some walls left from that time and what could be called a gate...
Troy
Walls of Troy VI
Assos: these days Behramkale is located where Assos used to be, it's a small village still surrounded by parts of the old city walls. Old Assos main claim to fame was the city's necropolis (cemetery) where in Roman and Hellenistic times the sarcophagi (stone coffins) were known to be able to 'eat' the flesh of the deceased in forty days because of the caustic nature of the rock used to make the coffins.. Stayed in this lovely little pension owned by a Dutch/Turkish couple... The best part of Assos now is the great views and the city walls.
Pergamum: next went to Bergama where ancient Pergamum used to be, which was known for a library that rivalled Alexandria's and where they invented parchment... It was also known for it's excellent medical centre and personally I would say they had the best Roman theatre of antiquity or at least the best views... How anybody in ancient days could have focused on the play at the theatre is beyond me...
Ephesus: after this I went to Selcuk were Ephesus is located which many people find to be the best preserved Roman city in Turkey and that's quite something in a
Troy
Stone ramp leading to Troy II
country littered with Roman ruins. The hordes of tourist do spoil the whole experience though. Luckily I could chill out at a great hostel just outside town with a swimming pool and garden and a nice bar... It reminded me of Paradiso in New Zealand for those of you who know...
Mavisehir: Not a ruin, but the impressive Temple of Apollo of old Didyma is nearby. Mavesehir was where I met up with Siobhan who bought a house there a couple of years back. She was a great host and I enjoyed many a good Gin and Tonic relaxing on the veranda.
Priene, Miletus & Didyma: used Siobhan’s house as a base to explore the ruins that are scattered around the region... Met two wonderful people along the way and we had a great time wandering among the ruins and hitching to the different sites...
Hierapolis: after a few days of relaxing my feet started itching again and I went on to Pamukkale which is known for it's white calcium terraces and above it the ruins of Hierapolis.. The mineral rich waters are supposed to be very good for you so Hierapolis was known as a kind
Assos
Temple of Athena and view out to Lesvos (Greece)
of spa town during the Roman times and people came to get cured, the huge necropolis outside the ancient city would suggest limited success...
Afrodisias: last but certainly not least, today I went to what I consider to be the best Roman/Greaco ruin I have yet encountered in Turkey... The ancient city of Afrodisias, difficult to get to but well worth a visit... So far not many people have discovered it so it's not as over run as Ephesus although it has much more to offer in my opinion...
Highlights: Diana and Beste at the Old Bridge Pension in Behramkale, especialy Bes who showed me her turtles and all her toys; Attila's Getaway outside Selcuk, what a great place to relax in the garden have a dip in the pool and a few cold beers at night; The kids playing football in the Temple of Appolo in Didyma; Being invited to a picknick among the ruins of Hierapolis by a Turkish band..
Anyway now I am going to take a week or longer off from ruins and see some more of the country side...
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