Turkey Part 4

The next ancient city we visited was Ephesus. It has only had 20% excavated but this is still more than any other archaeological site in the world. The highlights included a library and a huge amphitheatre, seating at least 30,000 people. More than the remains of the city, the experience of being where St Paul worked and lived for awhile (see Acts 19) – and where he wrote his letter to the Ephesian church – helped bring this part of the Bible alive.

The next day rained!!! Our weather up to this point had been fantastic so our trip to Aphrodisias was cut a bit short. We still saw the site of the temple to Aphrodite (converted to a church but now in ruins) and the amazing stadium. We could see the entrances for the gladiators and the pit cages where wild animals were kept to fight them. There was also a division at the floor level between the gladiatorial area and the larger area where chariot races were held.

We stopped the night in Pammukale. The area is known for its mineral springs and we enjoyed the natural hot pools at our hotel. The next morning we visited the calcium terraces (formed much the same way as the pink and white terraces were in Rotorua or Puente del Inka in Argentina). The water was warm where it first emerged but cooled very quickly as it ran down the slope. The ancient city of Hieropolis was nearby and its main features were the city gates (one obviously Byzantine, with a cross on the keystone) and the Roman baths that were converted to a church at one stage. Maybe it was the warmest place during the winter! You may be interested to know that Hieropolis is mentioned at the end of Paul’s letter to the Colossians (and check out his letter to Philemon as well! Do you see the connection?)

Then we drove over the mountain range to Antalya. A special stop was made where we could see the goat-hair tents of a nomadic family (convinced to stay for the sake of tourists!) The weave was quite coarse so the soot from the fire inside the tent used to create a seal from the weather. Nowadays clear polythene over the top does the trick, though I’m not sure I would want to spend the winter in one of these.