Emm in London: Turkey

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Architectural Wonders of Ephesus, Turkey

As you walk along the streets of the ancient city of Ephesus in Turkey, you get a unique glimpse of the civilisations that once lived here. The site is rich in archaeological finds such as the collection of Roman milestones and the three ancient Greek columns standing side by side representing the Ionic, Corinthian and Doric orders of classical architecture. Yet as you crest the hill and walk down towards the Celsus Library, you realise that the allure of Ephesus lies not just in the artefacts but in the largely intact archaeological wonders to be found here.

The Library of Celsus

It is difficult to explain how impressive the library of Celsus is and it is not until you stand on its steps and look up that you can appreciate its scale. It was commissioned by Gaius Julius Aquila to honour his father, Roman Senator Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus who had been governor of Asia. Construction began in 117 CE and continued to 135 CE.

Temple of Hadrian

The Temple of Hadrian is largely intact and is a beautiful structure dedicated to the Emperor Hadrian who visited the site in 128 CE. It is possible to step over the porch and into the main chamber of the temple but what really caught my eye was the level of detail in the lintels and pediments.

Ephesus Theatre

Standing at the height of the Ephesus Theatre, peering down at the crowds below, I felt unable to comprehend the enormity of this structure. How did they build it without the benefit of cranes and machinery and how did they design a venue with such perfect acoustics that it is used as a concert venue almost 2,000 years later? People have flown in to Turkey from all over the world to watch artists like Elton John and Pavarotti perform here at Ephesus.

The theatre was first built in the third century BCE but expanded to a capacity of 25,000 seats in Roman times.

Trajan Fountain

It was the clean lines and geometric structure of the Trajan Fountain that appealed to me the most. Built between 102 CE and 104 CE, the temple once stood at over twelve meters high but its elegant Corinthian columns succumbed to the demands of time. The fountain was dedicated to the Emperor Trajan.

Temple of Domitian

Before travelling to Turkey, we knew little about ancient Roman culture and propriety. On our trip, we learned about neocorates and the cults and temples dedicated to the Imperial families of Rome. Essentially, communities were granted permission to worship their conquerors and Ephesus was the first city to receive this honour when the Emperor Domitian granted it temple wardenship in around 89 CE. Very little remains of this temple which once extended for 100 metres along the terrace but the foundations show that it was a massive structure.

We visited Ephesus on a hot early summer’s day and the experience has always remained with me. It always amazes me how much we can deduce about ancient culture through archaeology and history yet how much is lost to us forever.

Have you visited any of the ancient wonders of the world? Where should I visit next?

Postcards from the World: My Favourite Travel Photos

Brace yourself! Tonight is a bumper photo post and as always, it comes with a bit of a story. Very often when I go on a trip, I’ll save one of my photos and add it to my photo folder at work. My PC at work is set up to rotate a selection of photos as my screen saver and it is always a matter of some pride when a colleague will say that they love the photos on my screen saver and I can reply that they are all mine. Of course, they always express surprise that I have any creativity whatsoever because accountants aren’t exactly known for being arty!

For the longest time, I’ve wanted to share these photos with you and so it was pretty fortuitous when I received notice of this month’s travel link up: your favourite travel photo(s).

And so here you go… all fifteen photos that are absolutely my favourite travel photos. I’ve left links all over the post if you’d like to visit the original posts on the blog.

Turkey – The Celsus Library at Ephesus

Turkey was the first place I visited when I began this blog in 2008 and this photo was taken of the celsus library at Ephesus.

Italy - Alone in Riomaggiore

I’d wanted to visit Italy since I was 20 and finally got to visit last year – twice! This photo was taken in Riomaggiore, Cinque Terre.

London – Chinese New Year

This was my favourite of the photos I took during this year’s Chinese New Year celebrations in London.

Italy - Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan

The ceiling of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. This is where you can visit the Last Supper.

Serbia – The Name of Mary Church, Novi Sad

Given my love of Serbia, it should be no surprise that I would feature a photo from there. This was taken during my most recent visit to Novi Sad.

Italy – Duomo di Milano

The good news is that next week I’m finally taking you inside the Duomo in Milan. It is as opulent inside as it is on the outside. I loved this photo because of the inclusion of both the lion statue and the Duomo.

Bosnia – Jablanica

I’d heard about the beautiful turquoise lakes and rivers in Bosnia but nothing quite prepares you for a sight like this. I’m sure I’ve said this before but I would move to this country in a heartbeat. I think I left my heart somewhere here on the road between Mostar and Sarajevo.

Italy - Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Milan

People often say that they don’t like Milan but I don’t really understand that. I really enjoyed my time there and spent many long afternoons simply walking around or drinking coffee in sidewalk cafes. This was taken in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II which is one of the most beautiful structures I have ever seen.

London – The Eye

I can confirm that you can never take too many photos of the London Eye. It is simply not possible. This photo was part of a post I wrote about London at dusk.

Italy – Gondolas in Venice

Somehow I’ve always liked this photo of the gondolas in Venice. I like the composition and the contrast of the blue material in the gondolas against the blue sky. I still have so much to tell you about Italy!

France – The Abbey of Mont St Michel

Taken during our most recent visit to Mont St Michel in France. I just loved the detail here of the old Gothic abbey and the blue sky.

Bosnia – Stari Most, Mostar

The most beautiful bridge in the world. This photo was taken from Koski Mehmet Pasha Mosque where they promise you the best views of the bridge in all of Mostar. The view from our hotel Villa Anri was pretty special too.

Italy - Museo D'arte Antica, Milan

I love this photo because it was hard to decide which was more impressive in the Museo D'arte Antica in Milan – the exhibits or the frescoes.

London – St Paul’s Cathedral

I love this photo simply because it was taken on the first day of spring this year. London is beautiful when the sun shines!

Bosnia – Stari Most at Dusk

And finally, my favourite photo of all time. I took this on my first night in Bosnia on the eve of my 40th birthday. There was nowhere else on earth I wanted to be more than there in Mostar. I’ve printed two enlargements of this photo – one is hanging in our bedroom and the other is in my brother’s lounge.

Do you have a favourite travel photo? Feel welcome to link to it in the comments below!

A Little Turkish Sunshine

I began blogging at Emm in London in July 2008 and our trip to Turkey was the very first trip I blogged about. We had only arrived in London a year before but by July, we certainly needed a beach holiday. So it was that we headed off to the Grand Newport Hotel in Gümbet, near Bodrum, for an all-inclusive holiday.

This was the view that greeted us when we arrived at the hotel at about 7am in the morning. The hotel overlooked a bay which lead to the Aegean Sea.

For seven long days, the temperature soared into the early 40°c (which is very hot in Fahrenheit) and it was still hovering around 30°c at midnight each evening. Suffice to say, I was in heaven.

I am pleased to say that we didn’t spend every day by the pool and we managed to take an excursion to the ancient city of Ephesus. Ephesus is a photographer’s dream and it really helps to have a knowledgable guide like we did because I found it just fascinating.

The photo above shows some columns from the temple of Hadrian and the next photo shows the breath-taking, exquisite Celsus Library.

We like to maintain a good mix of culture and relaxation on holidays like this, so in addition to our day trip to Ephesus, we went on an excursion to a Turkish village, sampling their food and seeing how they make their famous Turkish carpets, and we also went on a Turkish night, complete with belly dancers and traditional food.

The last day of our holiday was perhaps the best as we left the hotel and spent the day in a beachside bar at Bitez Beach. Well, not inside the bar, exactly, but beside the sea.

I definitely want to return to Turkey but I think we’d head out for Istanbul next time and try to see something new. I’m really keen to see the Bosphorus Strait and bridge.

As far as beach holidays go, I am planning a trip to Croatia in around September next year and I have promised that it will include at least 2 or 3 days lying on the beach at Split or Hvar. I cannot wait.

This past week was so successful in terms of getting things done! I have worked for four days, studied for 3 nights and a day, gone out twice to meet up with London bloggers and I even squeezed in breakfast with my family today and three taxation mock exams. I didn’t pass them all so I guess I’ll be even busier in the next 36 hours as I take a day of study leave and write the exam on Tuesday. Fingers crossed!

Turkey: Bitez Beach

Saturday was our last proper day of holiday as the next day would involve checking out and travelling home. We decided to take a walk down to Bitez beach and we accessed the beach via Halilim Cd. At the bottom of the road was the most amazing sports bar and restaurant offering free beach loungers, a relaxation area between the beach and the restaurant and nice, inexpensive Western food and drinks. The Yorkshire couple we had met on Thursday night had recommended it as they basically leave you alone the entire day and let you run a tab as you alternate between swimming in the sea, lounging by the beach or in the shade or eating in the restaurant and watching a bit of sport. We even fell asleep for almost an hour in the relaxation area!

And all too soon our holiday rushed to an end. After an amazing day relaxing on Saturday, it was back to business on Sunday as we packed, checked out, had one last Turkish breakfast and lunch and took the coach to the airport. Our plane was delayed by two hours (which is the bane of package tours) but the airport was comfortable enough and we just read and played Sudoku. The flight home was appalling and Stephen promised that he would never, ever fly cattle class again. It's a pity our next trip is a long-haul flight to South Africa then! The cost will be astronomical!

End of Turkish part of holiday updates - Manchester still to come.

Turkey: A Village Experience

On Friday night we went on a "Village Experience" to a village called Sazköy near Bodrum. We found this experience far more valuable than the night before. Firstly, we had our awesome guide Orhan from Peninsula Tours (that took us to Ephesus) and I have to say that I have never met a more knowledgeable tour guide before. He also has great empathy with local Turkish life and told us a lot about how every day Turks might struggle to make ends meet and so on.

The tour started inside a mosque. It was a tiny village mosque and Orhan explained a lot of the traditions and rituals of the local Muslim people. Then we went to the local coffee shop had awesome apple tea. I became popular amongst some Irish children as I encouraged them to use my water to cool down their tea! They were also serving the bitter black tea that Turkish people like to drink but the apple tea was definitely a good choice. I had two glasses. The temperatures were in the late 30°c's (over 100°f) but strangely enough the tea cooled us down.

Our host was on the far right. Women don't customarily enter coffee shops as it is a place for men to play games and drink coffee. Some men do work or have their own businesses but many of the men are retired or unemployed.

We then took a long leisurely walk through the village. It is hard to explain the Turkish countryside. In many sense, it reminded us of a very dry South Africa. A lot of the plants and scenery were similar to what you would find in Sabie for example. But whereas we experience a lot of rain in summer in Johannesburg or the Lowveld, it is completely dry and arid in Bodrum.

We absolutely delighted in identifying all of the different trees. I remember olive, fig, plum and lemon trees but I am sure there were more.

Orhan then took us to a lady who was making carpets.

What distinguishes Sazköy carpets from others is that the carpets are double-knotted and are extremely durable and strong. They are all hand made and the average time for completing a carpet is three months. Like the ceramic bowls, no template is followed and therefore each and every single carpet is a one off unique piece of art.

Although standards of living are more modern these days, they have preserved a little cottage to show how people used to live. I could not help myself by that stage - I had to take a bit of a rest.

Thankfully it wasn't too much further and then we were invited into the home of a villager and served the most delicious meal I have eaten in years (excluding Stephen's Sunday roasts of course).

We sat cross-legged on the patio to eat our meal and drink iced-tea. It was really fabulous and with Orhan explaining all of the food to us, it was a real treat and introduction to Turkish culture.

After the meal we were given a show of all of the different types of Turkish carpets, explaining the different pigments and materials as well as some of the pictures on them. It was lovely. Here is a link to the finished products: Sazköy Carpets. Stephen and I were so conflicted because we really, really wanted a carpet in natural colours (I think it would have been €100) but we just did not think we could put it anywhere in our home. With two dogs and two cats it is not always easy to keep our house clean, never mind adding lovely, expensive carpets to the equation! Of course, we had no idea that the credit crunch would lead to our landlord giving us notice when we got back from holiday. Still- I might just arrange to buy a carpet through Peninsula Tours once we settle in the new house.

Turkey: A Turkish Night

As can be expected, we got home on Wednesday evening (after travelling all day to see Ephesus) and we passed out. We barely managed to eat dinner!

We spent the whole day on Thursday by the pool (bliss) and got ready later to go on a Turkish Night.

As we were waiting for the coach to arrive, we took in the beautiful sunset over the bay. I don't think I have ever seen such an interesting coastline before (with my own eyes that is).

It was really lovely and even now, a couple of weeks after my holiday, it just brings a smile to my face and peace to my mind to remember it.

Onwards then to the Turkish Night. The tour consisted of a short coach trip to a restaurant on the outskirts of Bodrum town. All of the seating was outside and was situated in semi-circle around a central stage. The food was a self-service buffet of all sorts of Turkish foods. The entertainment included four dances. Unfortunately, not many of my photos came out for the evening even though I tried to use the sports setting on my digital camera!

First, there was a traditional folk dance from a more northern or central part of the country - perhaps the Black Sea region.

This was followed by a traditional knife dance and then a dance by a male belly dancer. He was really excellent and he really managed to whip the whole crowd up into a frenzy.

Alex the Male Bellydancer, Bodrum, Turkey

Finally, there was a traditional female belly dancer but she wasn't very good and she certainly didn't entertain like Alex.

All in all, I would have to say that the evening was a great disappointment. For a Turkish Evening, there should have had a better master of ceremonies to explain in detail what we were eating and (most importantly) the history behind the various types of dances. I had known of the knife dance beforehand but was none the wiser after attending the Turkish Night. The dances were very intricate and it would have been lovely to know some of the meaning behind them.

In the end, when we went into a village the following evening, we were able to come much closer to Turkish culture and to understand more about how people eat and live.

For an amazing evening experience, I would have to say that the Arabian Night we took in Dubai in 2005 was a million times better than this.

Before I leave you thinking that we were miserable, we weren't. We had a great time and even met a nice couple from Yorkshire to share it with.

Turkey: The Ancient City of Ephesus

"Ephesus ... was a city of ancient Anatolia. During the period known as Classical Greece it was located in Ionia, where the Cayster River (Küçük Menderes) flows into the Aegean Sea. It belonged to the Ionian League.
Ephesus hosted one of the seven churches of Asia, addressed in the Book of Revelation of The Bible, and the Gospel of John might have been written here. It is also the site of a large gladiator graveyard.
The city was famed for the Temple of Artemis (completed around 550 BC), and both were destroyed by the Goths in 263. The emperor Constantine I rebuilt much of the city and erected a new public bath. The town was again partially destroyed by an earthquake in 614. The importance of the city as a commercial centre declined as the harbour slowly filled with silt from the river.
Today's archaeological site lies 3 kilometers south of the Selçuk district of İzmir Province, Turkey." - Wikipedia

Link: The Ephesus Guide at kusadasi.biz

I simply don't know enough about ancient history to give an accurate description of Ephesus, hence the Wikipedia link. Next time I go to a site like this, I will definitely try read up more on it beforehand though. Nevertheless, we arrived at the site at about 11am in searing 42˚c heat. In a word, it was amazing. Absolutely breath taking. Hopefully some of my photos will show that.

That is the Eastern Gymnasium in the background. At first I marvelled at how they seemed to build the structure of the university into the mountain but then later I realised that they simply hadn't excavated the whole structure yet. (Please note: laughing at me at this point would be considered rude). This really is Archaeology for Beginners.

From the Greek or Roman word for "small theatre", the Odeion could sit about 1,400 people.

The Temple of Domitian was one of my favourites - the Emperor Domitian (51AD - 96AD) erected it in honour of himself and it was effectively torn down after his death.

These statues are at Heracles Gate, but if I understand correctly, these statues were moved here and used to occupy a higher place, perhaps over the Pollio Fountain.

The Trajan Fountain was my very favourite. I just loved the clean lines and beautiful architecture. I would have loved to see this structure at its original height of over 12 metres tall!

The Temple of Hadrian was awesome - it was so ornate. Like the Temple of Domitian, it was built to honour a person as opposed to a god and it was dedicated to the Roman emperor.

You would have to see the Celsus Library to appreciate its wonder and majesty. The son of the Roman consul Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus built the library as a mausoleum for his father.

And finally, at the end of a very hot day, you walk down Marble Street which is the main road between Ephesus and the harbour. You come upon the main Ephesus Theatre which could sit a massive 25,000 people and which is host to the Efes Festival each Spring. Elton John has even played here!