Day 16 Tuesday: Marmaris, Seljuk, Kusadasi, Ephesus
The street which had been noisy the night before was now quiet. Breakfast consisted of tea, olives, feta cheese, bread and jam. There doesn't seem to be much Turkish coffee in Turkey. We had ordered a taxi to pick us up at 8:00 a.m., but at 8:15, it still hadn't shown up. We walked over to a shuttle service which took us to the bus depot.
When we arrived, we found out there was a time zone change. We were an hour early. At the bus depot, I had my first experience with an Asian toilet. It is just a hole in the ground with a flat porcelain cover showing where to put your feet while standing. There is no toilet paper or flushing mechanism.
While we sat waiting for the bus, we decided to eat. Again, there was only tea to drink, but all the Turks were eating a type of floured tortilla covered with butter and jam. Over the bus loudspeaker we could hear black American rap music with its heavy emphasis on beat. All the Turkish men had on the same uniform of blue jeans and a tee shirt. They all had two or three days beard growth.
Eventually we got on the bus. It looked just like the ones in the movie Yol. They weren't air conditioned, and the seats were framed in steel instead of plastic. It looked a lot like buses in Chicago in the 1950's. There is an attendant who sits at the back of the bus providing bottled water and towels at no extra charge.
A 10 year old boy came up to me and started speaking English. His father was a teacher. He was trying to practise his English on Pam and myself. His brother also joined in. They knew Pam's name from the television series Dallas. The knew the characters better than I did. There was also a woman on the bus who also was a teacher and spoke English. They were all very friendly.
Pam did most of the talking because, I was too engrossed in the scenery. The bus was riding north with the coast line on the left and a river below mountains as high as the Tayetos to the right. Several times we passed ancient viaducts bridging the river. The land extending from the Aegean sea is flat and ideal for farming. It also seems more fertile than Greece. The Turks plant more corn and tobacco. Women wearing full long skirts, embroidered blouses and head scarfs covering the entire head were busy gathering up the harvest in the fields using donkeys and horses just like in Greece. Houses were white washed and appeared to be in better condition. There weren't as many half-built buildings falling apart as in Greece.
When the bus stopped for gas and food breaks, I wanted to take some pictures. There are statues of Ataturk in every town square, but I did not find them particularly photogenic. Turks do not like to have their picture taken. They seem more aware and embarrassed by their poverty than mainland Greeks. The father of the two children Pam spoke with helped convince one elderly couple to allow me to take their picture. It wasn't easy. He had to talk to them for several minutes. I wanted the picture because the woman was wearing bloomers which are very popular in Turkey. The photo came out fine, but it is more interesting to see the wary and suspicious expression in the couple's faces.
When we arrived in Seljuk, we said good-bye to our friends and explored our new surroundings. Seljuk is named for the first Turkish tribe which entered Asia Minor around 1100 A.D. following the battle of Manzikert (located at the opposite end of modern Turkey) in 1071 A.D. which opened the heart of the Byzantine empire to the Turks and began the slow downward spiral of the Eastern Roman/Byzantine civilization to final oblivion in 1453 when the Ottomans (an offshoot of the Seljuks) conquered Constantinople.
Seljuk is located in the suburbs of the ancient city of Ephesus, which the Turks call Efes. Here we saw how real Turks lived. A voice was calling the faithful to prayer over a loudspeaker attached to a medieval minaret. Seljuk was more primitive than other villages that the bus went through. In fact, the bus didn't actually stop in Seljuk. It stopped just outside of town. Another bus came to take tourists to the city of Kusadasi which was created within the last 20 years specifically for tourists. The embarrassment Turks feel about having their picture taken apparently also to extends to their homes.
Our newly acquired knowledge of Roman/Byzantine construction, which Michael Roussis had taught us in Sellasia, Greece, helped us discern the age of various buildings in Seljuk and determine which mosques were converted churches. On a distant hilltop, we saw the red brick fortress of medieval Ephesus where the Byzantines moved when the port filled up with silt and became a breeding ground for malaria carrying flies. Also nearby, was the site of one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the temple of Artemis. It was used as a model for the Parthenon and is even mentioned in the new testament. All that is left, however, are a few stones in a muddy water pond.
After wandering around Seljuk for a few minutes we got on the bus to Kusadasi. After checking into our hotel room, we went off to the ancient city of Ephesus. First we came upon the ruins of an ancient stadium upon a hill, Mount Panayir (Panayia). There was a huge 30 foot arch at the top of the hill and small rooms where I suppose contestants waited their turn to enter. The entire area was unmarked, consequently, there was no one else there. Pam felt uneasy with the lack of restraint and refused to explore the area with me. She remained at the bottom of the hill waiting for me to come down from the arena. I was all alone. There were no guards, no ropes, nothing at all to prevent one from taking out a shovel digging for artifacts. I felt obliged to take advantage of this unexpected freedom, but unfortunately I had no shovel. I wandered around in the bright sun for awhile, but without anyone to share the adventure, it wasn't much fun.
We walked on to the main city. The Turks don't like to give the Greeks credit for anything, so the signs call Ephesus a "Roman" town. The Artemision, however, predates the Roman empire, having been erected in the mid 6th century B.C. More reliable sources place the founding of the city somewhere around 800 B.C. It is remarkably intact, having been abruptly abandoned when the malaria got out of control and the Turks became too dangerous. The most interesting building was the public library. Its facade was put back together by the Germans who have shown a great interest in Turkey's classical ruins. I could clearly read the Greek name of my aunt, Arete (meaning excellence/virtue), below a statue of a classically dressed woman. Directly across the street from the library was a still visible sign in the pavement in classical Greek marking the way to the local brothel.
In Ephesus, Artemis was more of a love goddess with a position similar to Aphrodite in classical Corinth, so a well advertised brothel in the heart of the city may not have seemed so out of place. Individual storefront stalls were still intact and various items which have been excavated are on display (but not for sale). The entire walkway through the city was paved in marble which is still there. While I was buying postcards and waiting for Pam, the teenage girls behind the counter started a lively conversation. When Pam came by one of them pointed to her friend and said in English, "she likes you". I said "Don't tell me, tell my wife." I wanted Pam to know what a prize she'd gotten.
At one end of the city lay the amphitheater which was similar to the one in Epidavros, only much bigger and but more ruined. Apparently stones from this amphitheater were the prime building material for the medieval fortress. Here, Saint Paul preached to the Ephesians with enough success to concern the ancient stone carvers who sold little statues of Artemis as souvenirs from the temple. The bible says they put on a demonstration yelling in unison, "Great is the power of Artemis".
Just past the amphitheater behind a low ridge was the remains of the church of Saint John. The church of St. John was built upon his grave during the reign of Justinian. The foundation is still visible, and an arch at one end is still in place. At the position of the altar is a hole which led to the tomb below. There is only one partial wall with an arch left, but no other ornamentation. I did not venture into the hole.
At Jesus' crucifixion, the bible states that Christ placed his mother, Mary, into the care of Saint John who brought her to live in Ephesus. Elsewhere in the area is the reputed home of Mary which is visited as a shrine by various Christian sects and represents the location of her physical assent into heaven. Pope Paul came here in 1967 to give his blessing to the place. Ephesus' early association with the mother of God (Theotokis in Greek) continued its traditional association with a prominent female religious figure.
It was getting late and it was time to go back to the hotel. We were almost stuck there overnight when all the taxis left. One more finally arrived and we were relieved. That night at the seaport of Kusadasi, we dined on fresh fish and a bottle of wine for the price of two quarter pounders at Burger King.
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