Ephesus was a major Greco-Roman city in ancient times
The town of Selcuk was our base for exploring nearby Ephesus. Storks arrive yearly from Africa to mate.
There are perches all over town, with many on top of ruins
The Basilica of St. John (the apostle, not John the Baptist)
The Citadel in the background
The tomb of St. John
Isabey Mosque, from 1375. The Aegean Sea is just visible on the horizon.
The entrance to the courtyard of Isabey
Courtyard
Non-muslims were asked not to step inside of this particular mosque
The stairs up the minaret
Shops outside the mosque
An inviting street in Selcuk
Old men talk politics over tea and backgammon
Dinner near the acqueducts
A fountain
Our hotel was nicely decorated with tapestries and ceramics from the store next door
A hand-made ceramic with bump-out glaze
The hotel terrace, with a couple nargiles on the mantle, soccer on the TV, and tea everywhere
Stuffed red peppers, grilled tomatoes, skewered lamb, and Efes beer
Breakfast! Eggs, cantelope, watermelon, tomato, cucumber, simit (bread ring), homemade jam, and bread. Oh, and tea.
An amphitheatre near the entrance of the ancient city of Ephesus
The Greek and Roman city once had 300,000 residents and was one of the major endpoints on the Silk Road
Clever use of water and stone provided heating and cooling to many buildings year round
Only one quarter of the city has been uncovered so far. It will another 100 years to finish excavating.
Plague and a receding shoreline helped wipe out the city
The city lay lost in the countryside for about 600 years until it was rediscovered in the 1900s
Nike, the goddess of victory
An old backgammon board
The main drag
Don't sneeze
These used to be fancy apartments for the rich
Temple of Hadrian
Roman toilets
The Celsus Library
Gate of Augustus, the first Roman emporer
Entering the big amphitheatre
Under the amphitheatre
Another main road that has yet to be fully excavated
Tomb of the Seven Sleepers
Women cooking our lunch
Kim is looking for the empty cavity in this colossus' head. Its sculptors knew that the emperor it represented did not have a brain.
Kilicaslan Mosque
The Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. A single pillar is all that remains after an arsonist burnt it down. The goddess Artemis would have saved it, but she was rather preoccupied that night -- by the birth of Alexander the Great.
An old (really old) bath
Back alley
The last home of the Virgin Mary, who is important in Islam as well
Shrine of the Virgin Mary. Considered the most righteous woman in Islam, she is the only woman mentioned by name in the Quran -- mentioned more times than in the New Testament, in fact.
Christian pilgrims are also frequent visitors
Our eccentric waiter helps us pick out our meze (appetizers)
Dinner on the hotel terrace
Tea by candlelight
The weekly market in Selcuk
