Day four...Ephesus

On Thursday, June 13,  I flew from Sabiha Gökçen International airport (on the Asian side of Istanbul) to Izmir airport where I was picked up by a driver to meet up with a tour group about an hour away in Ephesus.

It is hard to comprehend how old these artifacts are.  My understanding is that the whole area was unearthed due to an earthquake, and that they have been excavating for a couple hundred years. Our guide said it will take a thousand years to carefully uncover the whole city.  Much of what they are uncovering is inscribed, such as archways dedicated to a certain emperor complete with dates.

We started at the remains of the Temple of Artemis.  Actually, all that remains is a reconstructed column.  And it is the nesting place of storks. :)

This is the goddess of victory, Victoria, or Nike.  Yes, really.  And you can see the origins of the Nike swoosh.

There were artifacts laying about in every direction.  They are slowly reconstructing what they can, and the pieces of the puzzle lie all around.  Some of you may know I love rocks... well, this was over the top...

This was the public toilet... with a sewage pipe below and flowing water.  Evidently in the winter slaves were given the job of keeping the seats warm...at least that is what our guide Feyzullah told us.  By the way, I was often wandering off shooting photos, and Feyzullah called me "our lady."  As in, "where has our lady gone?"  There were only eight of us in his tour group.

This is the Library of Celsus,  circa 110 AD.

I love a good library.  :)

This is half of the grand theatre, which held 25,000 people and was built into the hillside.  Feyzullah said Paul spoke here in the mid 50's AD.  The idol sellers did not want to hear Paul speak against idols, especially Artemis, and so he was thrown in jail.  Feyzullah pointed to this fortress on the hill and said it was where Paul was imprisoned.

The protestant Bible does refer to Paul being in Ephesus and suffering there, and I think the prison account is from the Apocrypha.  The theatre was amazing to see.

There is so much more.  I will try to post additional photos soon.  - g