Ephesus & Kusadasi

Hey everyone!

So   today was unfortunately our last day in Turkey. We spent the morning exploring Ephesus, which was incredible. For those who don't know, Ephesus was a huge city in ancient Rome. It was the Eastern capital of the Roman empire for decades. However, people have lived there for centuries with artifacts dating back to 5,000 BC. The land surrounding the city used to be sea during Roman times.

Before the Romans, the land was occupied by Alexander the Great, who expanded the city. The oracle of Delphi was the one who supposedly predicted the expansion of Ephesus. When Alexander the Great liberated Asia Minor from the Persians, Ephesus took center stage. So many people have lived or passed through this city; it is almost overwhelming. The Virgin Mary is believed to have spent her last days here. St. Paul definitely passed through here and Christianity was prominent during 2nd Century AD. Just walking around, I was amazed at the structure of the city and how old the land was. It was especially cool to see a city that I have studied so much in my Roman history classes. The site consists of a stunning library, Roman style houses, cemeteries, bathrooms, and more. It is essentially a city reconstructed from ruins. The amphitheatre and the library are by far the most spectacular.

After Ephesus, we  visited the House of the Virgin Mary and the Temple of Artemis. The House of the Virgin Mary is where they believed she spent her last days. That is, of course, a big question mark, but it was so cool nonetheless. The Temple of Artemis was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World at one point. Today, it is just a column that remains. However, there are pictures of what they believe it looked like so that was cool to compare.

After our tours, we went back to the hotel and my roommates and I went to explore Kusadasi a little further. I have really enjoyed my time in Turkey and am sad to leave. Our Turkish tour guide, Ahmet, was so interesting and I learned so much about Turkey from him. I hope I will be able to return to Turkey again someday. It has definitely stolen my heart.

Tomorrow, THE GREEK ISLES!

AL