Kuşadası: Exploring Sites in Selçuk

Friday, 15 November
At sea in the Aegean — en route to Bodrum, Turkey

One down; six more to go … in the meantime, Celebrity Constellation is underway again, cruising further south in the Aegean Sea.  It’s warmer now … which means that I can sit on the veranda to write this post.

We’ve begun the busy portion of our cruise — a week-long series of ports of call … the first of which was at Kuşadası [kuş = bird; ada = island].  Contrary to its name, this town on Turkey’s Aegean coast is not an island.  Named “Scalanova” [new pier] in the Middle Ages by the Venetian and Genovese sailors, the town was renamed for nearby Güvercin Ada [Pigeon Island] when the area was conquered by the Ottomans in 1413.

Güvercİn Ada [Pigeon Island] — the namesake of Kuşadasi —                                   
is now connected to the mainland by a causeway.                                             

A popular holiday destination, I remember traveling to Kuşadası a lot with my family.  It was a much smaller resort town then — sleepy by today’s standards.  In the years since, the town has grown in leaps and bounds.  Though I’ve visited nearby Ephesus and Şirince numerous times on my annual trips to Turkey over the past 25 years or so, this was my first time to Kuşadası since 1990.  I still don’t know what I think of the town as we spent very little time here today.

At 8:00a, this normally busy city is still asleep …

… but with the ship cleared, the port is ready to receive us.

We were up at 6:30a, just as the ship’s hawsers were being fixed to the bollards on the pier.  We had a busy day ahead of us, so we quickly got ready, had a quick breakfast at the Oceanview Café, and were off the ship by 8:30a.  Our plan was to hop on a dolmuş [shared taxi/jitney], a popular form of public transportation in Turkey, and head to the nearby town of Selçuk.  We had a vague idea of where to find the dolmuş durağı [durak = stop], so we made our way out of the port facilities, surprising every tour hawker and cab driver who offered us a ride by turning them down with our Turkish reply of “Sağolasın, bugün lazım değil.” Essentially, no thanks, don’t need it today — it’s a handy phrase to know ;-)

There’s a saying in Turkish — sora sora Bağdat bulunur.  It means that if you ask questions you can learn new things, and even reach distant places (like Baghdad).

Well, that’s exactly what we did this morning.  Asking for directions at every turn, we found our way through the downtown area where most of the stores were still shuttered, and arrived at the jitney stop just as a van was getting ready to leave.  (Using the dolmuş system is an easy way for DIY’ers to get around — click the picture for the website; it’s in Turkish, but I think you can figure out the timetable, which is the page I linked to … just bear in mind that the vans don’t leave from the departure point until they are full.)

We could have waited for the direct jitney, but decided that the more circuitous route would give us a chance to see how the area had changed in the past 25 years.  Besides we had plenty of time before … well that’s the surprise I mentioned in the previous post, so be patient for another paragraph or so.  Anyway, the ride took us about 30 minutes and cost us 5TL (~$2.50) each … one way.

From Kuşadası, bottom left, we took a jitney ride to explore sights (red stars)
in and around Selçuk.  The yellow diamonds are other sites of interest —
such as Ephesus and the Temple of Artemis — which we did not visit this time.

Once at our destination, first on our agenda was to find a cell phone vendor and add minutes to the phones we use in Turkey/Europe — check.  Then we found a jewelry shop to get one of my pearl studs repaired — check … with the bonus that the jeweler did the job gratis.  By 10:00a, we were at the tea house where we had arranged to meet up with — SURPRISE … mom, and Aylin and Murat!

With İzmİr only 50 miles (80 km) from Selçuk, arranging to
meet up with the family one last time was a no-brainer.

I’ve mentioned Selçuk several times already.  It is a small town that is part of the İzmir Province.  It’s best known as the jumping off point for visits to the ruins of ancient Ephesus.  My memories of the town also have to do with it being a place where we went for çöp şiş … think shish kebab, but with the chunks of meat cut much, much smaller.  The literal translation of çöp is “trash.”  Before you go saying yuck … it’s not trash as you know it, but a reference to chaff, the wheat stalk that is blown away in winnowing.  I assure you, çöp şiş is very tasty, and it goes down nicely with a glass of ayran, a cold yogurt beverage.  But I digress … this wasn’t part of today’s plans.

After having a glass of tea and a mid-morning snack at the tea house, we headed off to explore some of the nearby sites of interest.  I had hoped to visit the Museum of Ephesus, where some of the artifacts excavated from the world-famous ruins are on display.  However, we had already confirmed that the museum was closed for restoration, so we moved on to other places instead.

İsa Bey Camii is a mosque that was built in 1375 when Selçuk — then Ayasuluk — was the capital of the Aydınoğulları, an Anatolian beylik that held this part of the country between 1306-1426.  Named for İsa Bey, the patron who ordered its construction, the mosque was used as a caravanserai during the 19th century.  Renovated in 1975, it is now open to the public, though it is still missing the two minarets that were originally part of the mosque.  There was no decent angle from which to photograph the mosque, which is surrounded by tall walls, but I found an image of its miniature on a sign at our next stop that does the trick.

Miniature of İsa Bey Camİİ — from signage at the Basilica of Saint John.
The design was inspired by the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus,
and the harran and Dİyarbakir mosques in Eastern Turkey.

Exterior entrance to the courtyard (left) and the façade of the main entrance to the mosque.

Left: The mİhrap is the niche in the wall that indicates the Qibla, the direction
of the Kaaba in Mecca … and the direction that Muslims face when praying.

Right: The Mİmber is the pulpit from which the İmam delivers sermons.

Scenes from around the courtyard.

Earthquakes that occurred in 1653 and 1668 led to the collapse of one minaret,
and damaged the other one (column in the background of the center photo).
The colonnade in the courtyard also collapsed during these earthquakes.

From the mosque, we drove to the ruins of St Jean Kilisesi [Basilica of Saint John], which stands on Ayasuluk Hill.  Saint John, as Christians well know, was the youngest of the 12 apostles of Jesus.  When the followers of Christ were subjected to persecution following the death of Jesus, John left Jerusalem and came to Turkey — then Asia Minor — where he lived out most of the rest of his life in and around Ephesus.

Artist’s rendering of a model of the Basilica of Saint John, built by Emperor Justinian.

Aerial view of the ruins of the Basilica of St John (6th Century AD).

According to written records, the six-domed church — at one time known as the Justinian Basilica — was built in the 6th century AD to replace the 4th century wooden chapel that was initially constructed over the burial site of St John.  Archaeologists have determined that fully restored, the structure would be the seventh largest of its kind in the world.

Ruins of the basilica, and the tomb of St John (four columns on the right),
set against the backdrop of the Selçuk Citadel.

Since we had not yet renewed our Müzekart, and they weren’t selling the cards at this site, we paid the 6TL (~$3/person) admission and started wandering around the ruins.  Our timing was just right as we were ahead of an influx of tour groups that followed on our heels — from Celebrity Constellation, and the Rotterdam, the Holland America ship sharing the port with us.

Left: the Tomb of Saint John stood under the basilica’s main dome.

Right: Score!  I wanted to duplicate a similar photo I took in 1990 …
didn’t think I’d be able to find the same place; the same angle … but I did.

From a description of the Basilica … written by Procopius (c. 500-565 AD):

”There chanced to be a certain place before the city of Ephesus, lying
on a steep slope hilly and bare of soil and incapable of producing crops,
even should one attempt to cultivate them, but altogether hard and rough. …

… On that site the natives had set up a church in early times to the Apostle John;
this Apostle has been named “the Theologian,” because the nature of God was
described by him in a manner beyond the unaided power of man.  …

… This church, which was small and in a ruined condition because of its great age,
the Emperor Justinian tore down to the ground and replaced by a church so large
and beautiful that, to speak briefly, it resembles very closely in all respects, and
is a rival to, the shrine which is dedicated to all the Apostles in the imperial city …“

On the way out, I convince the rest of my party to stop for a photo op …

… and also manage to find a vantage point to photograph the İsa Bey Mosque.

One of the things we had talked about doing today was a hike up to Selçuk Kalesi [kale = fortress/citadel], also known as Ayasuluk Fortress for the hill it crowns.  It’s included in the admission to the basilica, and accessed via a path at the far end of the ruins.  As luck would have it, however, the citadel was closed for restoration work.

Artist’s rendering of the fortress and surrounding area.

Turns out that one of the guards at the basilica ruins, attracted to our party when he heard us speaking Turkish, was willing to sneak us up there.  Unfortunately, the steady stream of visitors to the ruins near the access gate never stopped.  Unwilling to get the guy in trouble, we thanked him, gave him a small tip anyway, and continued on our way.

The partially restored fortress walls seen today date back to the Byzantine and Ottoman times.

By this time, it was well past the noon hour and we were all anxious to get some food.  Don’t ask me why we didn’t go to one of the local restaurants to get some of that çöp şiş I mentioned earlier.  We must have all had a senior moment ;-)  Instead, we drove up to Şirince for lunch.  What a difference we found today when compared to our visit just three weeks before [post here].

Even with groups of people from the ship’s excursions wandering the streets, the village was nearly deserted; many of the eateries and shops shuttered, with signs indicating they would be open on weekends only through the winter months.

Taskebabı, cheese stuffed green peppers, and stuffed zucchini blossoms.

We ended up going to a new-to-all-of-us restaurant for our meal — Ocakbaşı [literally, fireside].  The setting overlooking the landscape of the village and the surrounding area was lovely — even though the light by now was really bad for photography.  The food was good, too — in addition to what I put in the collage above, we also had stuffed grape leaves, and gözleme filled with spinach and cheese.  But the late-in-the-season ambiance left a lot to be desired.  Would we give it another chance; probably.

With time on our hands, we headed to Meryemana [House of the Virgin Mary], about 4 miles (7 km) outside Selçuk.  According to Christian beliefs, when the Apostle John came to Asia Minor — now Turkey — he brought the Virgin Mary with him.  She is said to have spent her last days in a house on Bülbüldağı [Mount Nightingale — aka Mount Koressos], working alongside John to spread Christianity.

Meryem, as the Virgin Mary is known in the Koran, is said to have lived out
her life in this small house, which has been converted into a chapel.

Due to lack of scientifically acceptable evidence, the authenticity of the house where the Virgin is said to have lived out the rest of her years has not been established.  Even though the Roman Catholic Church has not formally recognized the house as such, the structure has been blessed by many Papal pilgrimages, the first of which was by Pope Leo XIII in 1896.

What used to be the prayer room now contains an altar to the Virgin.
[photography not allowed; image of the altar from nearby signage]

Wandering around the grounds, we came across …

…  a small area where believers can light prayer candles; …

…  a spring from which one can fill a bottle with holy water; and …

…  a Wall of Wishes where Christians and Muslims alike can leave pledges.

I should point out that there is an admission fee for visiting the Meryemana shrine, which is overseen by a private organization.  For Turks, the price is 3.50TL (~$1.75/person); for foreigners it is 12.50TL (~$6.25/person).  I don’t condone the practice of charging different rates based on nationality, but this is not something unique to Turkey.  I’ve experienced it in other countries as well.  Not wishing to start a debate on the right or wrong of this practice; just informing future visitors so that there are no unpleasant surprises.

It was now time for Mui and me to return to Kuşadası to re-embark the Constellation.  The family wouldn’t hear of us hopping on a jitney, so we all piled into the car for the return trip.  Since the drive wasn’t nearly as long as it would have been with public transportation, we had time to spare to have one last cup of tea together before they dropped us off at the entrance to the port for a 5:00p boarding.  We missed the Turkish folklore group that performed poolside on the ship, but it was worth it to spend more time with the family.

Celebrity Constellation in Kuşadası.

Knowing that I’d be seeing them again today, saying goodbye to mom, Aylin, and Murat at the airport in İzmir had been easy.  It was more difficult to say farewell at the cruise ship passenger terminal … made slightly easier only by reminding myself that we’ll be returning to Turkey next June.  It also helped that we weren’t leaving the country yet — two more ports of call before that happens.

By the time the ship sailed at 6:00p, Holland America’s Rotterdam — the only other ship in port with us — was long gone.  Night had fallen to veil all but the twinkling lights of Kuşadası.  Güvercin Ada, with its spot-lit fortress walls shining gold, made for a scenic departure.  Captain Tasos played along with the two tug boats that were trying to outdo each other, taking turns to sound their horns in farewell.

Güvercİn Ada

We debated going to the Oceanview Café for dinner, but decided to return to the San Marco Restaurant where Alston and Ramburn took good care of us again.  I love the soups served aboard the Celebrity ships, so I started out with an Asian consommé.  I also ordered the always-available Caesar salad, and chose roasted trout as my main course.  Mui’s dinner consisted of sesame crusted tuna carpaccio, Waldorf salad, and Mediterranean seafood orzo.  For dessert, I couldn’t resist the chocolate lava cake, whereas Mui fell victim to Alston’s recommendation and ordered the cherries jubilee.

Almost a full moon!

After dinner, we started to head back to our cabin, but found ourselves detouring to the Celebrity Theater when the music of Nicola Loud reached our ears.  Of course, it was the end of her show that we caught.  We so enjoyed the performance that we killed an hour walking around the ship in order to catch the first part of her second show at 9:00p.

Tomorrow we’re in another Turkish port … one that neither of us has visited in a long while.  Looking forward to exploring it … in the meantime, I need to get my beauty rest.

Step Back into Antiquity

Sunday — April 18

One great sunshine-filled day with a light breeze to keep the summer-like temperatures at bay; two great locations — Şirince and Efes, the latter known the world over as “Ephesus.” And let’s not forget the bonus of the day — Meryemana (aka Meryem Ana Evi — House of the Virgin Mary).

The sites we explored today are south of İzmir.
(for perspective, I’ve also marked the locations of Selçuk and Kuşadası)

Our day started out in the village of Şirince (shee-REEN-jeh), approximately 73 miles (~117 km) from İzmir. Historians claim that the first settlers here were a small group of people who moved into the mountains after the fall of nearby Ephesus. In fact, ancient documents refer to the area as “Ephesus on the Mountain.” That the oldest building in the village dates back to the Hellenistic Period gives credence to this claim.

Later, during the time of the Aydınoğulları (around the 15th century), the area was re-settled by an Orthodox Greek population and the village was named “Kırkınca.” The story goes that the villagers wanted to keep others away from the area, so they described it as “Çirkince” (sort of ugly) and the name stuck. In 1924, Turkish families that emigrated from Salonica and other Greek cities settled the village that was vacated by the Greek population at the time of İzmir's liberation. Not long after, impressed by the quaint beauty of the village, the visiting Governor of İzmir renamed it “Şirince” (sort of cute or charming).

I’d have to agree with the governor’s assessment. White-washed, two story houses dot the hillsides, their same-size multi-windowed architecture, hanging balconies, and decorated eaves adding to the charm of the village, which has seen a tourist boom in recent years. We didn’t wander around the village this time, but you can click here to see photographs I took in 2007.

Glimpse of the houses of Şirince.

It was a bit too early in the morning to partake of the wines for which the village is known. Instead, we had breakfast at Le Jardin (The Garden). We enjoyed every bite of the food that covered every inch of the table — fresh breads and baked goods; plates of “gözleme” (hand-rolled flat bread filled with cheese and spinach); sweet homemade jams; variety of cheeses; garden-fresh tomatoes and cucumbers; locally grown black, brown, and green olives; a small bowl of dipping olive oil, and “bal kaymak” (honey with Turkish clotted cream). We washed it all down with the ubiquitous “çay” (tea) served in traditional tulip-shaped glasses.

A tasty breakfast makes a good start to our day.

From Şirince, we drove the few miles to Efes (Ephesus). There are two ways of visiting the ruins. You can park near the upper ruins, walk down, and take a “Fayton” (horse carriage) back to the parking lot (if you have a driver, he can pick you up from the lower parking lot). You can do this in reverse as well. Or you can walk the ruins round-trip from either parking lot. We opted for the latter, a stroll of approximately 2.5 miles (~4 km). Parking in the lower lot, we made our way past busloads of tourists re-joining their tours and vendors hawking everything imaginable, purchased our entry tickets, and headed inside to explore one of the most renowned ruins of antiquity.

If you can’t tell the difference from the real thing, they must be genuinely fake!

Legend has it that in the 10th Century BC, Androclos, the son of Kodros, the King of Athens, was looking for a place to establish a new settlement. The Oracle of Delphi had foretold that the site would be shown to him by a fish and a boar. And so it was — someone was frying fish; one of them fell out of the pan, startling a boar hiding in the bushes; the boar fled; Androclos followed, killed the boar, and established the new city where he had slain the animal.

The city was built and re-built many times over; the ruins that have been unearthed are from the third city. There’s a great deal to be said about Efes, and not nearly enough time or blog space to do it, so I’ll just refer those who are interested in learning more to this Wikipedia post.

Leaving mom to people-watch from a shaded step just outside the Great Theater, A&M and I went off to explore the ruins.

Map of the ruins of Efes.
(courtesy of the Sacred Destinations website)

It was hot; it was crowded. The mid-day light was harsh on the eyes. None of that deterred us as we made our way up Marble Street to the Celsus Library, stopping along the way to check out what is considered to be the first advertisement in the world — for a brothel, no less. We peeked into the public bathrooms of yesteryear; studied the intricate carvings at the Temple of Hadrian; admired the mosaic sidewalks of Curetes Street that have survived millennia; climbed to the top of the Odeon; and eventually strolled back down to the Great Theater. Though the upper reaches of the theater were off-limits due to ongoing restorations, we clambered over row after row of seats to go as high as we could and eavesdropped on conversations that were taking place far below us (excellent acoustics).

Ambling up Marble Street, we glimpse the Lower Agora and the Celsus Library.

The first advertisement in the world directs people to the brothel.
(the left foot means the brothel is on the left side; the woman's head symbolizes the women
waiting in the brothel; and the heart shows that the women are eager for love)

The Celsus Library was built in 117 AD to honor Celsus Polemaenus,
who served as the Governor over the Asian provinces of the Roman Empire.

The Celsus Library, with an inventory of over 12,000 scrolls, was the third richest
library of antiquity (after Alexandria and Pergamum). There were double walls behind
the bookcases to protect the scrolls from the extremes of temperature and humidity.

The fee-based public toilets, built in the 1st Century AD, were part of the Scholastica Baths.
There was an uncovered pool in the center and a drainage system under the toilets aligned along the walls.
The columns surrounding the pool supported a wooden ceiling.

It’s said that the rich Ephesians would send their slaves to warm the stone seats at the
public toilet. Today, tourists fulfill that role!

Blast from the Past — September 1988
“Two to Travel” at the public toilets with Aylin & Murat.
(how young we were!)

Photographer caught in action!

Mosaic sidewalks on Curetes Street have survived millennia.

Built during the first half of the 2nd Century AD, the Temple of Hadrian
is the second oldest temple at Efes.

The bust on the arch of the Temple of Hadrian is Tyke, the goddess of victory.
The figure on the architrave behind was thought to be Medusa, but has since been determined to be Fortune.

Built around 104 AD, the Fountain of Trajan honors the 13th Emperor of Rome.

The Gate of Hercules, located towards the end of Curetes Street, was brought to Ephesus
in the 4th Century AD, but the reliefs on the columns date back to the 2nd Century AD.

Curetes Street — looking from the Gate of Hercules towards the Celsus Library.

Left: Detail from the Gate of Hercules.
Right: Murat takes a load off at the Monument of Memmius.

The Monument of Memmius, built in the 1st Century AD, honors the grandson of Dictator Sulla.

Built in the 2nd Century AD, the Odeon served two purposes — first, as the Bouleuterion
(meeting place for the Boulea [Senate]) and second, as the Odeum (concert hall).

The Odeon had a capacity of 1500 spectators.

Efes is not just about ruins of antiquity.

Built on the slope of Panayır Hill (Mount Pion), the Great Theater was first constructed
during the Hellenistic Period (3rd Century BC). It was enlarged to what we see today during the
Roman Period. It had a seating capacity of 25,000 spectators.

Blast from the Past — September 1988
The upper reaches of the Great Theater are currently closed off for renovation, hence this “ancient” photograph.
The acoustics are such that you can hear whispered conversations taking place on the stage far below.

Glimpse of Arcadian Street (aka Harbor Street) from the Great Theater.
As the main entrance from the port into the city, the marble-slabbed, colonnaded street
was designed to impress visitors.

As time was short this time, I left exploring the Terrace Houses to another time (I can hear the groans and “how could you’s” being directed at me even as I write this).

After leaving Efes, we headed to our next stop. But first we made a quick detour to the Grotto of the Seven Sleepers. According to both Christian and Muslim scriptures, seven young men (and their dog) were walled in here during the reign of Decius (250 AD) and yet were seen alive on the streets of Ephesus during the reign of Theodosius II some years after the Council of Ephesus (431 AD). Have to say that this one falls into the “been there; won't be going back” category.

Grotto of the Seven Sleepers

According to Christian beliefs, the Virgin Mary was brought to Asia Minor (now Turkey) by the Apostle John after the Resurrection of Christ. Here, she spent her last days in a house on “Bülbüldağı” (Mount Nightingale — aka Mount Koressos), working alongside John to spread Christianity. Our last stop of the day was to the site of her house, commonly referred to as Meryemana (Meryem Ana Evi — House of the Virgin Mary). Though the Roman Catholic Church has not formally recognized the authenticity of the house (lack of scientifically acceptable evidence), it has been blessed by many Papal pilgrimages, the first of which was by Pope Leo XIII in 1896.

The original house is believed to have had an anteroom (where today candles are lit), a bedroom, a prayer room (today’s church), and a room with a fireplace (today’s Muslim chapel).

The House of the Virgin Mary has been converted to a small chapel.

In what used to be the prayer room is an altar at which believers pray to the Virgin.
(photography not allowed inside; scanned from a postcard)

The “Adak Duvarı” (Pledge Wall) is popular with visitors to Meryemana.

Left: Asking Allah for “peace, health, and happiness, as well as sharpness of mind and a high station in life.”
Right: Statue of the Virgin

On the way out, Mom and A&M pose for me at the baptismal pool.

The hour had grown late by the time we were finished at Meryemana. It was all the inducement we needed to grab a bite to eat before getting back on the road to İzmir. One of the cafés outside the sanctuary provided the perfect setting for an al fresco meal to recharge the energy the summer-like temperatures had drained from our bodies. My “peynirli börek” was so-so; should have ordered the “köfte” plate instead. (Peynirli Börek = baked, flaky pastry filled with cheese; Köfte = Turkish meatballs.)

It was a long, but fulfilling day — tomorrow, I plan to take it easy.

Next Up: A Preview of “23 Nisan”