Day 6: Rug shop, Ephesus, Virgin Mary house, St. John monument, Meyhane dinner
The view from our breakfast area at the Signature Blue hotel.
Our first stop today is the rug factory for shopping.
They employ hundreds of women around the country, and do the training in this workshop.
Here is someone starting out with wool-on-wool. It has the least knots-per-inch, and thus the
least cost, but the least resolution. The range on costs is from $600- $60,000.
Unravelling silkworm coccoons to pull multiple natural silk threads into a single usable thread.
They lay out all kinds of rugs so you can see the quality differences between wool/wool, wool/cotton,
and silk.
Our second stop is the ruins of Ephesus. We start with this model to show the city layout. Note that
this is the Ephesus as in Paul's letter to the Ephesians.
Nilufer pointing out various parts of the ruins.
We walk up this street with shops on either side.
A theater structure for making announcements.
Inside that theater.
Making our way through the ruins.
This temple was built somewhere between 27 BC and AD 14.
Many cities have been destroyed over time, usually by earthquake.
Some parts are still standing, or have been put back together, ...
...but there are still a lot of pieces just laying around like a giant jigsaw puzzle.
An angel from when Christianity was the dominant religion in the city.
Some were complaining that it was hot and crowded, but this is May, and it was only a little hot
and a little crowded. It's far worse in summer.
Imelda from our tour group coming through the arches.
Greek writing is also present on some of the stones.
The happy wanderer.
It's all Greek to me.
The site is huge...
...and we wandered around for a long time.
This is the hammam (baths) near the entrance to the city.
Across the grounds to the library, which rivaled Alexandria at the time.
Another temple.
The public toilets. They issue you a sponge soaked in vinegar for cleanup.
Some mosaic work that has survived the centuries.
They have a covered area where they are excavating a set of houses that are all set together in this hill.
The main courtyard of the one of the houses.
A barrel vault (for storage?)
Each house has several rooms, and this walkway allows us to move through them without damaging them.
It's a lot more comfortable in here out of the sun and with some air conditioning.
Some of the fresco work still survives on the walls...
...and this lion still survives in the mosaic on the floor.
A shot back from the uppermost point in the exhibition.
You exit at the top and have to walk down a long ramp back to the city center.
Closer in to the library.
On the main road leading out to the grand theater.
It's a big city, so the theater is correspondingly large.
The "orchestra" of the stage, with the base of the stage building to the left.
We stop for lunch at a local spot where women are making a traditional stuffed pasta.
The next stop is the house where the Virgin Mary supposedly spent her last days.
This is the house, and there really isn't much to see.
You are not allowed to take picture inside, but it's just a one-room bare house.
The next stop is St. John's monument, as in the apostle John.
It is mainly a garden area with some buildings around it.
Here is a map with the layout and an aerial view. Double-click for more detail.
A mosque next door to the monument.
This shows the scale of the site.
Nilufer walking us through the ruins.
Part of the basilica.
The tomb.
More mosaic work...
...and more ruins.
Cats and dogs roam wild throughout the country and the ruins, and the local populations take care of them.
A walk-in baptismal font.
Looking out from a Christian monument across a Muslim mosque to an Ottoman capital on the hill.
That night we had a Meyhane dinner, featuring Turkish mezzes (small plates).
They are known for their national drink, Raki, an anise liqueur.
Here is our band, featuring clarinet, fiddle, and drums.
Of course everyone has to get up and dance.
Our band in action.
