Mother Mary and Cleopatra

Turkish Culture

Kusadasi, Turkey was the only port where we where welcomed into the country by a group of cultural dancers. It was a nice moment. Kusadasi itself is a tourist town that will now basically shut down for the next five months. Full of carpet and jewellery shops, most will put their goods in storage and go on their own vacations. Business starts up again in April when the first cruise ship is back.

What a total surprise when I found out that after the Jews were excelled from Israel, John, who Jesus had asked to care for his mother, had brought Mary to the area of Ephesus. Ephesus is one of the best preserved classical cities in the Mediterranean and of the Roman Empire.

The house where Mary lived is just outside Ephesus, as well as the Shrine of Virgin Mary. 

Statue of Mary at the Shrine

The entrance to Mary's house

Thousands of people, both Christian and Muslim, make a pilgrimage here as Mary is holy in in both religions. As part of the shrine, is the well that provided water for Mary while she lived. Believed to be sacred many people go to the well to make wishes and take small containers of the water home.

 

Capturing some Sacred Water

Ephesus has been inhabited since 6000 BC, but came into it's glory under the Greek and Roman Empires. The site contains the largest collection of Roman ruins in the eastern Mediterranean with an estimated 15% excavated. It had the largest library, the Celsuis Library, in the Empire, built in the 2nd century AD, holding 12,000 scrolls and a large auditorium. A two story structure with four female statues at the front representing Wisdom, Virtue, Fate and Knowledge.

 

The Celsuis Library

There is too much at this site to put into a single blog so have shortened to my favorite sites. I found the public latrines of interest, especially as they were heated by slaves during the colder months, not sure how the heat system worked, maybe they sat on them prior to their masters!

 

Complete with underground drainage system

The Great Theater used for concerts, plays, political speeches and at one time by St Paul was also built in the second century AD. The theater held up to 25,000.

 

The Great Theater

The streets and avenues in Ephesus are much the same today as they were at its greatest time. Being a bit of a history buff, or at least liking to see these old cities, it was a thrill for me to walk these avenues where Alexander the Great, Mark Anthony and Cleopatra had once walked. At one point we were entertained by a group of actors portraying the Emperor watching a Gladiator  fight!

 

All Hail the Emperor!

But even these old cities must adapt to modern methods.

 

This old cobble road is smoother than the field!

Eventually destroyed by the Goths after the fall of the Roman Empire, to me Ephesus is one place in the world that portrays how these ancient conquerors lived at the height of their time.



Permanent Residents

We spent the last part of our day wandering around the shops in Kusadasi. Most of the shop keepers were offering "almost free" deals on their goods as the tourist season was drawing to an end. We spent time in jewellery shops (where we were also offered flats for rent), as well as watches, rings and bangles. The highlight though was going to a carpet shop, where the hand weaving of carpets was explained and demonstrated. The skill demonstrated by the lady was enormous.

Hand weaving a carpet.

During the demonstration the shop owner had his helpers flip carpets out on the floor, each with an explanation of the village it was made in, the quality of the fabric, (cotton, wool or silk) and the quality of the carpet itself, determined by the knots per square inch. More knots, higher price - cotton is the least costly while silk is the most expensive.  Once the show was over, Loreen the negotiator, decided she wanted a living room size wool carpet, high knot content, for the price of a living room size, cotton carpet, low knot content. Now this was entertainment! The poor guys probably laid down another twenty carpets during the negotiations. Loreen had to give a little bit, but she did get a carpet that satisfied her.