(Part 2) Traversing Turkey: Virgin Mary's House and Ephesus

- Dec. 23, 2019, Monday.

- My first day in Turkey (see here) did not fail to amaze after beholding the majestic (replica of the) Trojan Horse in Troy. After a night in Troy, my tour bus drove a couple of hours south to the province of Izmir. Izmir, especially the town of Selcuk (pronounced "sel-juk"), is known for its archaeological sites. The place itself was named after the Seljuk Turks that led invasions in the area. Speaking of which, the name "Turkey" was not named after the large bird normally served during Thanksgiving, but was instead named after the Gokturks from Central Asia,  whose descendants found their way to the Anatolian Plateau.

- After lunch we headed to Virgin Mary's House, which was where Virgin Mary stayed in the final years of her life. The brick house appears small, and has been converted into a small chapel in the recent years. (Photography not allowed inside.) The vicinity also shows a wishing wall, and water fountains that have holy/healing water.

Virgin Mary's House.

It was a rainy day.

- The highlight of the day was a visit to the ancient town of Ephesus. Just like the city of Troy, Ephesus was a Greek city that was ultimately abandoned in the 1500s (some millennia later than Troy) after the harbors did not serve the city well anymore, and thereby cutting off trade. Since it was abandoned more recently in history, its buildings have been better preserved. Ephesus reminded me of my visit to Pompeii in 2017 (click here); I think Italy's Pompeii was better preserved because the whole city was buried under volcanic ashes before being excavated, as compared to Ephesus which was more vulnerable to the forces of nature ever since.

To ruins of Ephesus!!

Ionic columns.

Making my way downtown, walking fast, faces pass and I'm home bound TENENENENENENE NENENE TENENENENENE. ♪♫♪♫

Peekaboo!!

See the medicine symbol? (And the cat?)

The Temple of Hadrian, 2nd century CE.

See the Starbucks logo?

An ancient public loo. Yes, using the toilet was a social activity I kid you not.

This car probably hates me. By the way, there was a ton of cats in Ephesus, so much so that a book was even written about them!!

- Among the ruins, the Library of Celsus appears most distinct. Apart from its almost intact facade, its size gains the "oohs" and "aahs" of tourists. It was the third largest library in the Roman world, and was named after a prominent consul and commander named Celsus.

See the library at the left side of the photo?

It reminds me of Jordan's Petra (I must go there one day!!)

Of course, must have a photo with the library's facade!!

- After a quick and detailed walk-through of Ephesus, our tour bus was once again set on a journey to our next hotel. Tour packages of Turkey normally go city to city each day, which means changing hotels almost everyday. It is a pain in the butt (literally, because you're in your bus seat around 5 hours or so each day), but at least it does give a practical way to go around the major must-see cities of Turkey. Despite my sore butt, I was more than excited to see more of Turkey's treasures!!

- Don't forget to read about my other adventures in Turkey:

Part 1, Troy and the Trojan Horse: here

Part 3, Laodicea on the Lycus and the Alien Travertines: here

Part 4, Konya: here

Part 5, Cappadocia: here

Part 6, Istanbul's Royal Old Town: here

Part 7, Istanbul Between Continents: here

Part 8, Istanbul's Secrets: here

Part 9, Istanbul on New Year's Eve: here