Sahara Winds in Turkey

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Travels through Turkey continue as I am currently making my way east from the coast of the Aegean and Mediterranean area. Since I left Istanbul, the first stop was the ancient city of Pergamon which once boasted one of the largest libraries next to Alexandria until it was moved to Ephesus. I have seen more Roman era ruins since entering Turkey than Hellenistic sites. At least one exception however would be the Homeric city of Troy. There are actually nine different cities built upon the ruins of the one before it.

I have seen the church of St. John the Evangelist, the house of the Virgin Mary where she lived after the death of Christ, the city of Miletus, the temple of Artemis (one of the seven wonders of the ancient world) the green marble columns that it once had were taken and used in the building of the Hagia Sophia, the unfinished temple of Apollo where an oracle once prophesied, and much more that runs together at the moment.

Of course I saw the ancient city of Ephesus, who could come to this area and not see it? It is hard to describe the majestic feel of the city as you walk down the streets that were walked down by heroes centuries ago. Following the street, one walks by bath houses, temples, numerous statues, the slant houses of the upper middle class, the magnificent library that rivaled Alexandria, and the theater the held 25,000 people.

The Turkish experience has a different feel from that of Greece. This could be however the hectic schedule of eight hours of site seeing a day and more activities after dinner. The landscape in the upper Asian side near the sea reminded me of land and vegetation back home. The weather here is also fluctuating. Spring is definitely here. It rains one day and is hot the next. It is more humid here than Greece, which makes it once more feel like summers back home. I was just informed by our guide, Ahmet, that today the temperature would rise at least 10 degrees C during the day and perhaps reach close to 80 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The winds come from the Sahara and bring hot air to the land.

Turkey thus far has been extremely interesting and enjoyable, now moving a little out of the touristy area, into the middle section of the country. There are now eight days left of the actual semester and then it’s on to Italy for more of a vacation.

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