Monday, October 17, 2011

Ephesus

Our gamble on the weather paid off and our visit to Ephesus was not marred by a single drop of rain.  It was chilly, with a high in the 50’s, which is about twenty degrees cooler than it usually is this time of year and probably not a bad thing as we made the uphill climb through the spread-out ancient city.

Ephesus, with a population of 250,000, was the capital of the Roman Empire in Asia, with antecedents in a Hellenistic city.  The massive theater, wide marble streets, remains of dramatic entrance gates, agoras, legislative chamber, baths, and fountains are all impressive, but they are outshone by the Library of Celsus. 

This two-story, highly decorated façade is the trademark structure of this remarkable city; the crowds of tourists photographing it from every angle or simply gazing up at it attest to its status. 

The other standout experience for us was a visit to the Terraced Houses, where the lifestyle of the rich and famous of Ephesus is on glorious display. 

These houses were built, one above another, climbing a hillside near the library.  They are now under a roof to protect them from the elements and visitors pass through them on glass walkways and staircases, climbing the hill to view successive residences. The work of archeologists and restoration workers is ongoing and the worktables where the work of re-assembling thousands of pieces of fragmented marble slabs that will eventually be returned to walls and floors are a testament to their massive undertaking.  Think million-piece jigsaw puzzles thrown together without any pictures and you’ve got some idea of the task.  The end result of their work can be seen on the homes’ intricately patterned marble-clad walls and floors, which use different varieties and colors of stone to stunning effect.  Intricate mosaics were also used extensively to cover many floors, and they ranged from geometric patterns to representational scenes.  Walls were beautifully frescoed and their restoration is a gorgeous display of brilliant color and intricate design.  The terraced houses weren’t just beautiful, they had hot and cold running water too; we suspect that ordinary Ephesians had good reason for “house envy!”

Ephesus is among the best-preserved classical cities in the world, and easily makes our favorites list.

Less than two miles from Ephesus is the site of the Temple of Artemis, which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.  There is very little of this massive structure left, some building stones and column segments on the ground, and most of one column remaining – with a stork’s nest on top!  Especially when compared with the visible remains/reconstruction at the Temple of Athena at Pirene and the Temple of Apollo at Didyma, appreciating it was a challenge for us.  It was even difficult to locate in the town of Selcuk and, when we were there, the visitors were outnumbered by the postcard hawkers.

We drove through the pretty village of Sirence, whose congestion testifies to the fact that its quaintness has been discovered; we escaped quickly and spent the last part of the afternoon walking out to the castle on Pigeon Island in the bay at Kusadasi.