Ephesus for Emphasis

The amphitheater in Ephesus
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I took a shorter bus ride  from Pamukkale and was immediately happier upon reaching Selcuk.  I took a room from the tout at the bus station named Suleyman who owned with his Russian wife a pension called Artemis.  It was no great charmer of a place but very reasonable and the couple were very accomodating in directing me around.

I got into town about 2pm and wanted to make a quick tour of Ephesus.  Suleyman called up a carpet selling buddy who gave me a free ride to the entrance.  I was able to be there and lunching in a half hour after getting off the bus.

An impromtu singing performance by a Turkish student in the amphitheatre
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Ephesus is one of the must see places in Turkey.  A well preserved ruin which is second only to Pompeii.  It is also one of more crowded tourist attractions of the country.  Again in Turkey you have the freedom to wander around these ruins and climb around to get a photo.  The city includes a really impressive amphitheatre.  When I arrived there a young Turkish woman was singing an impromtu song giving us a taste of the acoustics.  From the top the view looks west toward what was the sea when the town was first founded here.  Now the harbor not only silted up but the whole sea has receded from the town about 2 km.

The facade of the library
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The city has a rich history and was moved more than once due to silting up of the harbor, malaria and politics.  It was the largest Greek city on the Asia Minor side then the major Roman town of Anatolia.  It declined during the time of the Christian transition in the Roman Empire and served its last major role in the debate over the role of the Virgin Mary as the site of an ecumenical council.

It is excepted by the Orthodoxy and Rome as the home of Mary and St John her companion and protector for their last two decades of life.  The area is rife with the ruins of churches dedicated to both.

Columns from the Agora
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Ali the carpet guy came and picked me up.  I did not even stop in his shop but headed right around the corner to the Ephesus museum.  The museum holds many treasures from the ruins and had a special display dealing with the lives of gladiators.  There have been some grave finds of gladiators which have been analyzed for death trauma and other factors.  Gladiators like small businesses often died in their first year.  If they survived and gained skill as well as a following their chances of making it through  5 years till they could retire improved exponentially.  The museum also holds a famous statue of Priapus.   This is a statue of a small guy with a really big shlong.  The statue is hidden behind darkened glass and a viewer must press a button for the light to come on showing Priapus in all his glory dangling from a string.

The crowds at Ephesus
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I made my way across a pretty little park through the main downtown  in about 4 minutes.  I found a travel agent who booked me a flight from the nearby main town of Izmir to Istanbul the next day.  Determined the bus schedule to Izmir and then made it back to my accomodations.  The owner's wife then pointed me to the very nearby ruins of the Basilica of St John.  John of the apostles is reported to have written his book of the Bible here in Ephesus.  The Basilica holds a prominent location with a view down to the one remaining column of what was a wonder of the ancient world; the temple of Aphrodite.  This temple was last rebuilt during the time of Alexander the Great.  The story goes he was impressed with the efforts of the townspeople in their work of rebuilding this massive multi columned temple that he wanted to fund it but have it dedicated to himself.  The townsfolk diplomatically told him that they did not want to offend one God by giving her temple to another God.

Looking down from the smaller theatre into a next door temple
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The Basilica which was massive looks down upon a famous mosque and up to the top of the hill where a very large Ottoman citadel stands teasing us with its beautiful ramparts and its inaccessible signs to the public.  The gate sign to the Basilica said closed at 19:00 and it was 19:30 yet the man at the gate allowed me in and I was able to take my time until after sunset looking about the place.

After fully enjoying the site I came down and saw a sign for a hostel that I had read about in the lonely planet.  The place  according to the book is owned by a man with a flair for using second decorations.  His mom and sister cook excellent meals.  The name of the place is Homeros.   Must be gay.

self portrait from the small amphitheatre
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I was greeted by the sister and ushered to the terrace where I ordered a glass of wine.  Dinner was being served and I had a nice chat with the sister who had a great sense of humor and two guests from Cyprus who worked in South Asia for an education NGO.  The sister not only insisted on filling my wine glass again but served me a small plate of food.  When I wanted to pay she waved me off took me downstairs and across the street to their home made me tea and then in pops her brother singing "Don't cry for me Argentina."

The famous statue of Artemis
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Like his sister, Dervis was a ball of energy and opinions.  He invited me next door to his place and we sat there in his garden with two of his good friends snacking on white mulberries from his tree and other little treats that he would jump up and prepare as we were conversing.  I was sad to have to leave the next day and not hang some more with these very inviting people.