Day 12 Topkapi Palace in Istanbul

 

The Topkapı Palace is a palace in Istanbul,Turkey, which was the official and primary residence in the city of the Ottoman Sultans for approximately 400 years (1465-1856) of their 624-year reign. Note: exteriorly, this place was so big, it was hard to get pictures of it.  Inside; they limited picture taking just about everywhere.

Heavy, but friendly, security.

The palace was a setting for state occasions and royal entertainments and is a major tourist attraction today, containing the most holy relics of the Muslim world such as the Prophet Mohammed's cloak and sword, a tooth (?) and bits of his beard. Several other sacred objects are on display, including the Staff of Moses, the turban of Joseph, Moses’ rod he used to divide the Red Sea, and John the Baptist’s (or the Apostle John’s) right arm!----whoa we didn’t learn this in church!!  Hey, we saw it, under heavy guard and no pictures allowed, you will have to take our word for this!

In addition to its holy relics it had an armory that was amazing and its Crown Jewels included, among thousands of other items, an 86 carat diamond and a pair of candle sticks four feet tall, several hundred pounds, of pure gold with over a 1000 diamonds in each

This is my only undercover picture I got.  Taken in the armory, it is of a shield and helmet, put gold, inlayed with precious stones.  I had my camera hidden in my jacket, I still got yelled at.

The palace is full of examples of Ottoman architecture and also contains large collections of porcelain, robes, weapons, shields, armor, Ottoman miniatures, Islamic calligraphic manuscripts and murals, as well as a display of Ottoman treasure and jewelry.

This palace was sorta like a cross between The Forbidden City in Beijing and the Tower of London----sorry----on steroids.  Again, we had never even heard of this in school, or since.  Another uncovered Turkey Treasure.

DAY 11 Troy or Troia

 

Short blog today.  All of us were looking forward to seeing the city of Troy.  Either because of high school English and Homer’s Ilead, or because of the lousy Brad Pitt movie of the same name.  We were all disappointed!

First, and it is nobody’s fault but our ancestors.  Cultures have built 9 cities, one on top of the other, in this location.  From 3000 BC through 100 AD.  Everything is so pancaked one civilization on top of the other that it is, first difficult to determine which layer goes with which century and if you want to study, say the fifth city, you have to destroy the previous four cities.

So the excavation is a real hodge-podge with little to see or wrap your imagination around.  Then to add insult to injury, the initial excavations in the 1800’s were actually done with a bulldozer, not spoons and paint brushes!  Further, much was plundered, ended up in Germany, stolen by Russia during WW II and under negotiation ever since.  What a mess.

Now, to the Trojan Horse.  There are two!  The “initial” one is at the sight of the ancient city.  It, however, looks like a kid’s playground toy on steroids!  However, in front of our hotel in town, is the one used in the aforementioned Brad Pitt movie.  Much cooler, but you can’t climb inside in get your picture taken.  You decide which is your “favorite”.

This is Gloria’s favorite, yep, that is her in the shoulder.

I like the movie version.  BTW, they think they found the “Homeric” front gate at Troy.  It is small narrow, and not with a big courtyard just on the inside, but a narrow passage way to another door!  That puts into question Homer’s Ilead as well as the movie!

Day 10 The Ancient City of Pergamum

 

The next stop in our counter-clockwise journey through Easter Turkey is Pergamum.  It was built at the summit of a very high mountain.  The Turkish government just last year constructed a gondola for tourists to visit the ruins.  Heretofore, up to 60 huge tour busses would be either in the parking lot or on the one way road all day long; a logistical nightmare.

The omnipresent amphitheater.  This one is unique in that it is the steepest yet discovered in Asia Minor.  Although not large (!), archeologists think they may have discovered another, triple this size, on another hillside surrounding Pergamum.

It is most famous for what is missing.  First, like Ephesus it was a port city.  Now it is miles away from the Agean Sea.  A typical silting in of the adjacent river of the 2 millennia of its existence. Like most cities in Asia Minor, Pergamum has been populated for almost 2500 years.  In this case it was the Attalids that founded the city, rather then the Greeks.  Although they gave numerous and continuous gifts to Greek city states to keep them at bay. When the last king of Pergamum was without an heir, rather then to have his city go through a civil war, he bequeathed the city to Rome!

We have seen this all over Turkey.  Two walls abutting each other.  Quite different.  Age difference?  One thousand years!  Which one?  See end of blog.

After Rome, Byzantines; then the Ottomans; now, modern Turkey.  Oh, what else is missing?  The Great Altar of Pergamum.  It was stolen by the Germans in the 1800’s, restored and rebuilt and now in a showcase in the Berlin Museum. 

 

We saw this altar in Berlin, it is breathtaking!  Note to you New Testament scholars:  St. John in Revelation called this altar “Satan’s Throne”.  Curious, this was constructed around 150 BC, 200 years before John and it was built to commemorate battles and victories, not gods.  Fiery guy.

Interesting side note.  The city was advancing at such a rapid rate that it’s library began to eclipse Alexandria’s in Egypt.  Since Egypt was the only source for papyrus used in the western world’s scroll libraries, they simply stopped exporting papyrus to Pergamum!  The Pergamese did them one better:  they invented parchment.  Made from sheep skin, it eventually replaced papyrus as “document of choice”.

 

Easy answer.  The one on the LEFT.  Reason:  the one on the right would not stand up to the numerous earthquakes over the millennia, the one on the left can and did!

 

 

 

Day 9 Mother Mary’s Retirement Condo

 

Another little gem uncovered.  We toured the little retirement villa of Jesus’ mom, Mary!  You are saying, Really!?  Here is the story.  For you Bible scholars, you remember that Jesus told his mom that John would take care of her after He was gone.  Well, what is John going to do with her? 

He was a very busy apostle, preacher, writer and founder of Christianity.  And the Bible indicates he lived to a ripe old age of 80+ years and retired and died in Ephesus.  Now a little tradition and investigative journalism takes over. Consider the following:

1.  John was buried in Ephesus

2.  In 431 AD the church dedicated a Basilica to Mary

3. There is a strong oral tradition originating with the first Ephesian Christians that Mary, mother of Christ was a resident here.

4. But…..I save the best for last.  in 1891 a German nun, Catherina Emmerich, an invalid who had never left Germany, had a unique vision.  In her vision, she described the hills of Ephesus, the village and the house which Mary lived in.  Through investigation, all details were confirmed  to the smallest detail.  So……a great story.  Is it important, not really, but it does put a nice layer of flesh on dry bones.

This is Gloria holding Mary’s hand.  (Gloria is on the right)

This is her place.  A nice two room studio charmer.  Comfortable but with outdoor plumbing, however, it is insulated well.  Foundation built in the 1st century, but has been remodeled three times in the last 2000 years, the latest in 1951 AD. 

Day 9 The City of Ephesus

 

Our next ancient city is Ephesus.  Famous in the Bible but also because of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.  It was destroyed several times either due to conquering or earthquake, but it was continually rebuilt due to its strategic location.

These are the clay pipes collected from the extensive irrigation systems under Ephesus

In the Roman period, Ephesus had a population of more than 250,000 in the 1st century BC, which also made it one of the largest cities in the Mediterranean world.  As large as the area of restoration; estimates range from 1-5% of the original city.

Yep, just as you think, these is the public latrine.  Men only, not sure where the women do their thing.  The trough in front has running water too, you scoop up a hand full of water for you know what, (no TP).

The city's importance as a commercial center declined as the harbor was slowly silted up by the Cayster River. Indeed, malaria was a factor to finally abandon the city in the 15th century.

Quite a story here:  This is the first “public billboard”, translation—house of ill repute on your left.  Interpretation—left foot, means turn left, heart in front of foot and below means pleasure.

Ephesus was an important center for Early Christianity. From AD 52–54, Paul lived in Ephesus, working with the congregation and apparently organizing missionary activity into the hinterlands. He became embroiled in a dispute with artisans, whose livelihood depended on selling the statuettes of Artemis in the Temple of Artemis. He wrote between 53 and 57 AD the letter 1 Corinthians from Ephesus. Later Paul wrote the Epistle to Ephesians while he was in prison in Rome (around 62 AD).

The Library; the third most extensive behind Alexandria and Pergamum.  Marc Antony cleaned out the 250,000 volumes to give to Cleopatra as a gift.

Roman Asia was associated with John, one of the chief apostles, and the Gospel of John might have been written in Ephesus, c 90–100. Ephesus was one of the seven cities addressed in Revelation, indicating that the church at Ephesus was strong.

On Ephesus’s main street going down to the library.

Day 8 Hierapolis-Pamukkale UNESCO World Heritage Site

 

Another stunner. Again, we were unfamiliar with this site until we arrived.  Although we had heard of Hierapolis from Paul’s travels in the New Testament, we had no idea what the city was like until we came upon the ruins today.  Built and rebuilt over the centuries, it was quite the attraction due to the hot springs that it was built upon. 

This blog will be primarily of photos we took.  If you want to read a more in-depth background on this site check out the linked wikipedia sites, or others for Pamukkale or Hierapolis.

They have been seriously rebuilding Hierapolis since the 1950’s  Most everything is covered with 8-16 feet of hardpan calcium carbonate;  plus two major earthquakes in the first millennium; quite a job.

The amphitheater held around 25,000 spectators.  Notice in the middle, on the fourth row where the king or emperor sat.

This is the back of the stage; very ornate, beautiful.  As this was remodeled and upgraded over the centuries by the Romans, at one time they would flood this and have mock sea battles for the spectator’s enjoyment.

 

The entrance boulevard was stunning. Tradition maintains that Philip the disciple and his daughters moved here, and was eventually martyred here.

Pamukkale is also known as the “Cotton Palace”  for good reason, see the photos below.  These thermal springs have a heavy concentration of calcium carbonate.  Over the centuries vast white frozen waterfalls of travertine terraces have resulted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 7 Perga Archaeological Site

 

Yesterday was exhausting because of the long drive, and little to see.  About half the group elected to hang around the hotel and chill, while the rest of us went on the optional tour of the local ruins.  Actually, today was a highlight of our time in Turkey.  Since this area figures so prominently in the New Testament, it really allowed us to see the world as St. Paul and St. John did almost 2000 years ago.

The ancient signs were in Greek and Latin (bi-lingual) .  This               sign speaks of a prominent Roman lady, her last name is Magna.

Perga was an ancient Greek city in Anatolia and the capital of Pamphylia, now in Antalya province on the southwestern Mediterranean coast of Turkey. Today it is a large site of ancient ruins on the coastal plain.

Look closely in the middle of the picture on the right.  These are    chariot grooves on the highway entrance into Perga.  These took a couple hundred years to develop and are over fifteen hundred          years old.

Located there is an acropolis dating back to the Bronze Age. During the Hellenistic period, Perga was one of the richest and most beautiful cities in the ancient world, famous for its temple of Artemis. It also is notable for being the home of the renowned ancient Greek mathematician Apollonius of Perga.  This was the New York or Paris of the ancient world!

This is one of the two entrance gates to Perge.  One was built                by the Greeks in 200 BC another was built by the Romans in 200 AD.

Perga was founded around 1000 BC.  It grew to prominence until it’s peak in the 3rd century AD, then with the decline of the Roman Empire, slowly declined until it was abandoned around 700 AD.  What we see today was built from around 200 BC to 200 AD by the Greeks, initially, and then the Romans.

Paul, the Apostle, and his companion Barnabas, twice visited Perga as recorded in Acts of the Apostles.  They would sail into and out of Antalaya, where our hotel is, to Antioch. 

This the the same harbor Paul sailed in and out of.  It has changed very little in 3000 years.  The tide in this part of the Mediterranean varies less then eight inches.

The entrance into Perga was a four-lane, divided highway.  In the median were water works flowing into town, through the Roman Baths and back out to the river.  We visited all the different rooms for the baths, all heated from below the floors with thermal chambers circulating hot air or water.

Here is a “cross-section” of one of the steam rooms.  The floor has been removed so you can see the brick-stacks below where the hot water circulates to warm the floor room.  The rich would progress through four rooms prior to their exercise and massage.  It would take most of the day, and they would do this daily!

Also, very prominent was the Agora, or market place.  Separate stalls for the vendors; all very organized.  Throughout the entire town was mosaic flooring.  In the last few years, local officials have covered all the mosaics with a foot of gravel to that people aren’t tempted to try and remove the 2000 year old mosaic tiles.

Since commoners where illiterate, this sign in the Agora indicated a butcher; a meat hook and knife is on display.

This is a section of the floor mosaics found throughout Perga.  This had been “rescued” and placed in a museum, most have been left in place and covered with gravel for safekeeping.

Day 6 Traveling the Silk Road

 

Our all day bus ride from Cappadocia to Antalya intercepted the Silk Road.  The Silk Road is a network of interlinking trade routes across the Afro-Eurasian landmass that connected East,South, and Western Asia with the Mediterranean and the European world, as well as parts of North and East Africa.

The land routes were supplemented by sea routes which extended from the Red Sea to East Africa, India, China, and Southeast Asia. China traded silk, spices, teas, and porcelain; while India traded ivory, textiles, precious stones, and pepper; and the Roman Empire exported gold, silver, fine glassware, wine, carpets, and jewels.

A caravanserai was a roadside inn where travelers could rest and recover from the day's journey. They were typically located every 30 kilometers on the Silk Road. Caravanserais supported the flow of commerce, information, and people across the network of trade routes covering Asia, North Africa, and South-Eastern Europe, especially along the Silk Road.  The one we visited, the Sultanhani Caravanserai, was built in 1229 AD.  The open part was used in the summer and the closed part in the winter.

Most typically a caravanserai was a building with a square or rectangular walled exterior, with a single portal wide enough to permit large or heavily laden beasts such as camels to enter. The courtyard was almost always open to the sky, and the inside walls of the enclosure were outfitted with a number of identical stalls, bays, niches, or chambers to accommodate merchants and their servants, animals, and merchandise.

Caravanserais provided water for human and animal consumption, washing, and ritual ablutions. Sometimes they even had elaborate baths. They also kept fodder for animals and had shops for travelers where they could acquire new supplies. In addition, there could be shops where merchants could dispose of some of their goods.

Day 5 Cappadocia–Fairy Chimneys and Goreme Churches

 

Today we toured around the countryside to visit all of the rock formations formed in the Tufa.  Inhabitants have used these unique formations for either worship or security for over 2000 years taking advantage of the unique nature of the rock.

The rock formations, known as "fairy chimneys", have been formed as the result of the erosion of this tufa layer, sculpted by wind and flood water, running down on the slopes of the valleys. Water has found its way through the valleys creating cracks and ruptures in the hard rock.

The softer, easily erodable material underneath has been gradually swept away receding the slopes and in this way, conical formations protected with basalt caps have been created. 

Various types of fairy chimneys are found in Cappadocia. Among these are those with caps, cones, mushroom like forms, columns and pointed rocks.

Some of the fairy chimneys have been inhabited for many years, with rooms, windows and staircases being laboriously curved inside creating up to 5-story structures inside. Today some of these are also providing services to tourism as hotels and restaurants.