Our early morning brought us to the hippodrome where prep work has started for Ramadan, one of the five pillars of Islam where Muslims fast from sun up to sun down for a month. These lighted booths will be crowded in a couple of days...
Or first stop was the House of the Virgin Mary, atop a hill near Ephesus. According to legend, this location marks where Mary lived for awhile. Although it lacks authenticity from archaeological sources, it is a pilgrimage site for many Catholics and has even had visits from a few popes.
An old cistern with terra cotta pipes providing water (you can see the small holes in the walls of the circular portion)
House of Mary. Photography was prohibited inside.
People left notes of prayer and gratitude on the wall near the house.
Next stop: Ephesus, a major port city and center for trade in the Roman Empire. The ruins indicate many aspects of a bustling town...very easy to picture the people of Ephesus going about their lives.
Terra Cotta pipes now stock piled as artifacts
The main street of Ephesus connecting the theater, library, residences and businesses. Can you see the structure off in the trees on the righthand side? That marks the harbor--where the sea would have met the city during ancient times.
All along the street were platforms for statues, honoring their ancient leaders.
The men's public bathroom
The theatre at Ephesus. Up until recently, there were concerts held here. Now only the occasional classical music production...an incredible venue!
After climbing ancient ruins in the hot sun we were more than ready for some lunch. A nearby carpet manufacturer arranged a tour showing the process and craft behind Turkish carpets and kilims. An amazing process that reveals the labor and time involved in carpet weaving.
This woman's family operates a silk cocoon business. All the white balls in the water are cocoons. She uses the brush, swirling it in the water, to pick up the silk fibers, then runs them into the mechanism that spins them onto spools (not pictured, but you can see the thin, white fibers in the middle of the picture).
An impressive lesson on the differences among woolen, cotton, and silk carpets...and the cost.
Tired, but determined to fit it all in, we arrived at the Basilica of St John, constructed by Justinian in the 6th Century. It is hard to imagine the ruins today as something that rivaled the Hagia Sophia, however the layout and hilltop setting suggest its magnificence. And the view included a reconstructed column marking the location of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Can you see the column marking the Temple of Artemis?
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