Saturday, January 22, 2011

Ephesus, Turkey

If ever there was a historic site to see, it is this incredible one!  It was unimaginable to think a society lived in such a magnificent place only to see it reduced to ruins.  The technology imaginary should still be ours today, but sadly, it is not.  This is a MUST see in Turkey.  From Izmir, you travel to Ephesus to view an incredible site.  Cleopatra's sister Arsinoe, was murdered on the temple steps and they believe she is buried in this grave, which holds a very special woman. The ceiling of the library can still be seen. Inside the library, there was only one floor even though it looks like more.

Here's an interesting fact I recently learned:  Cleopatra was the grandmother of Mary Magdalen.  Mary's mother was also called Cleopatra.  Funny the things you learn.

I came across a fabulous site from a traveler named Dana.  Her site has so much info on Ephesus & the Christian faith and references to the Bible with the Disciples: http://www.timetravelplans.net/bible-study-in-ancient-ephesus/ 
"Ephesus, a city located on Turkey’s west coast in the Izmir Province, was once a Greek city and later a major Roman stronghold. The city was well known for the Temple of Artemis which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Like many other cities in Turkey, Ephesus is rich in Christian history. The Book of Ephesians in the Bible is a letter written by the Apostle Paul to the Ephesians to strengthen their Christian faith. Apostle Paul wrote 1 Corinthians from Ephesus, and it’s possible that the Gospel of John was written there as well. Also, Ephesus is one of the seven churches of Asia referenced in the Book of Revelation."  Thanks to Dana's site!
Enjoy please.


I got this page, thanks to Dana's site.





The Great Theatre






There are lots of cats in Ephesus.  I felt so bad for them. Rialey wanted
 to take them home.








marble roads for the regular people




Mosaic roads for the rich were beside the marble roads
Beautiful mosaic roads still can be seen clearly
Beautiful Library

Community toilets and they even had a drain system to carry the stench away.
The green building is where they are still excavating and finding new things for us to enjoy from the pages of history.
Hadrian's gate






Possible grave of Cleopatra's sister Arsinoe. They say the grave is of a young woman about Arsinoe's age &  is royalty.




The steps of the Library with little Rialey in the red.
The Selcius library is amazing!  It only had one floor inside yet it loomed so tall!
This is the way we walk to go to the Colosseum
Looking up at the ceiling of the Library
This is the inside of the Library
this is the long walk pass many columns
Did Caesar  kill Arsinoe as asked by Cleopatra.  Arsinoe's grave in Ephsus
Layla on the steps of the Library



Layla taking pictures of the Library
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This is all that is left of the great Temple of Artimis, where Arsinoe was (purportedly) killed on the steps by Caesar, ordered by her sister Cleopatra. This is all that is left of one of the ancient Wonders of the World.

"To summarize the story, vendors in Ephesus used to sell silver shrines of Artemis. At the time, Paul and Jesus’ disciples were spreading the gospel and teaching people that gods made by human hands aren’t gods at all. The vendors felt threatened by Paul and the disciples because they knew that if more people converted to Christianity, then not only would they lose business since the converts would no longer want to buy Artemis trinkets, but Artemis would lose her divine majesty. A silversmith named Demetrius gathered an assembly to discuss this matter and a mob of people seized Paul’s travel mates as they rushed into the Great Theater. Paul wanted to address the mob, but the disciples wouldn’t let him. Fortunately, a city clerk was finally able to quiet and disperse the crowd." as written by Dana Carmel on her blog: http://www.timetravelplans.net/bible-study-in-ancient-ephesus/
Can you imagine what this use to look like in its day?



Roman Colosseum
Roman Colosseum
Roman Colosseum

Roman Colosseum

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