Ephesus

Sunday, April 19, 2015

We were not particularly interested in driving three hours to Bergama to see the ruins of Pergamum, and then three hours back again, so we decided that we would see Ephesus today and Izmir tomorrow, skipping the long drive to Bergama/Pergamum. Evren, our guide and Murat, our driver, met us at the hotel at 9:00 a.m. for the short drive to Ephesus.

First, however, we drove uphill to the house of the Virgin Mary or, as she is called in Turkish, Mother Mary. From the cross, Jesus had asked John to take care of his mother. According to legend, John and Mary moved to a house near Ephesus. It was to that house that we travelled today. In the 19^th century, a German nun had a vision of the house in exact detail. A French writer recorded her vision and published it. The house was later found near Ephesus, much as the visionary nun had described it. It remains a place of pilgrimage today. Abby and I each lit a candle and said a prayer, and then rejoined Sarah, Mark and Evren. We drove back down the mountainside toward Ephesus.

Ephesus was the fourth-largest city of the Rome Empire, after Rome, Alexandria and Antioch. About 10% of the ancient city has been excavated. According to Fodor’s, Ephesus is the best-preserved Greco-Roman city in the eastern Mediterranean. We saw the Odeon Theater, where an audience of about 1500 could enjoy plays and other recitals. Next was the Rhodian Peristyle and the Prytaneion, where priests kept vigil to ensure that the sacred flame of Hestia, goddess of hearth and home, was never extinguished. Next to the bath we saw rows of toilet seats that had been preserved for two thousand years. Evren pointed out an early representation of the caduceus, the symbol of medicine and health. Mark pointed out a Medusa head on the porch of the temple of Artemis, meant to protect the city from its enemies. A relief of a winged Nike offers the laurel wreath of victory. The terrace houses, luxurious homes of wealthy Ephesians, adorn the slopes of Mount Koressos, beneath a modern ceiling meant to protect them and their visitors from sunlight.

We paused in front of the Library of Celsus, while Evren pointed out that the second story is shorter than the first, although you don’t notice that on first impression. Julius Celsus, Roman governor of Asia Minor, built the library, which was home to more than 12,000 scrolls. It also served has his mausoleum. In the grand theater we watched as a group of a dozen singers, including a director, took the stage. Evrem opined that they were a Korean tour group, dressed uniformly in white shirts and blue jeans. They sang, in perfect harmony, the Battle Hymn of the Republic and When the Saints Go Marching In. As we left the theater, we could hear them progressing through their repertoire of American choral music.

Evren and Murat then took us to Susguzar, a restaurant in Selcuk known for its cop sis, or shish kebab with small cubes of beef and one cube of beef fat. Abby had the cop sis, while I had the “meatball,” which has become a favorite of mine. Evren ordered a pumpkin dessert that consisted of candied pumpkin and walnuts. Delicious!

Murat then drove us to the Ephesus Museum in Selcuk, next to an old Turkish bath that used glass globes as skylights. The museum contains some interesting and beautiful works, including a bust of Marcus Arelius, a bronze snake, a statue of Zeus, a couple of amazing Artemis statues, Priapus statues, and a giant head and forearm of Emperor Domitian. Much of the art of Ephesus was taken to London or Vienna, but some nice pieces remain in the Ephesus museum.

Our last stop of the day was the basilica of St. John the Divine, whose revelation is the last book in the bible. John is believed to have been buried under the church, although when his tomb was opened, it contained nothing but dust. The adjoining Ottoman fort dominates the city of Selcuk. Not much of the basilica remains, but it is interesting to think of John living out his last years here, and perhaps Mary, too.