Warning: More Photos of Lovely Ruins (Afrodisias)

May9

I decided to stay an extra day in Pamukkale so that I could take a day trip out to Afrodisias, another extensive set of Roman ruins with the added benefit of fewer tourists since it’s somewhat off the beaten path.

Though the pension called it a tour, it was really just a chartered dolmus, which was fine with me as I wanted to explore on my own. Our driver was an older Turkish man with limited English, but I understood from him that he was upset only three people were going to Afrodisias that day. It took about an hour and a half each way, so I can understand his disappointment.

Driving through the hills and valleys was great, though. We saw farmers tending their fields, the women pretty much all with a scarf wrapped around their hair and often their faces too. I’ve seen a number of farmers using old fashioned manual instruments, like scythes to cut hay, over the past week or so.

When we arrived at the car park for the site, we transferred to a little trolley-like car pulled by a tractor. Once through the entrance gate, I stopped to put on bug spray as it looked like a very grassy site. As I dug into my bag, all the stray cats came over hoping to be fed!

I decided to go in the direction it seemed like the tour groups were not going in, and happily spent a few hours wandering around. At one point I passed a group of school children who, seeing my English language guidebook in my hand, decided to try out their English with “hello”s and “where are you from”s. One little boy then yelled the Turkish equivalent of “Turkey rules!”

The stadium is absolutely gigantic, with one end set aside as a colosseum within it:

The entrance to the temple of Aphrodite that gives the town its name:

Before leaving, I checked out the museum:

Out of the three passengers meeting back at the dolmus, I was a little early, one of the men was on time, and the Turkish passenger was late – late enough to get our driver stewing about him and calling him a bad Muslim and a liar. Luckily our driver eventually calmed down, but in the intervening wait, I got to chatting with the other guy who is French Algerian. One of the great things about this solo trip is the meeting interesting people whom I might never have spoken to if I were traveling with someone else.

Once back at the hotel, one of the men who worked there who had given me the lift to Hieropolis the day before again invited me to see the travertines illuminated at night. As I think both times it would only have been the two of us there, I again declined and soon escaped up to my room as it made me somewhat uncomfortable. I resolved to wear my fake wedding ring on the next part of my trip to try to avoid future awkward moments.

Dazzle Me: the White Terraces of Pamukkale

May9

I hopped on a bus from Selcuk to Pamukkale, the site of some amazing, glistening white calcium terraces and travertines at the foot of the ruins of the Roman spa town of Hieropolis. It was supposed to be a direct bus, but we actually had to change in the nearby town of Denizli. I had read that from Denizli one should take the regularly scheduled bus (which I think is free when transferring from the big intercity one) and to try to avoid the dolmus. I asked the conductor on the Metro intercity bus where to go and he pointed in one direction. It was only when my bags were loaded and none of the other tourists heading to Pamukkale were on my bus that I realized I’d been had – I was on a dolmus. At least I got the real dolmus experience where they cram people in even after all the seats are filled!

I arrived at the hotel and sat poolside until it got a little cooler before heading out to the travertines. When it came time to head out, one of the people at the pension offered me a ride. He went to move his motorbike, and I was so flustered when I found out that he wasn’t just moving it, it was our mode of transportation, that I got on the bike! Check one item off the list of things to try – we puttered along pretty much at a bicycle’s speed, but it still counts as having ridden a motorbike (I think).

Despite my having waited till 4, the sun was still incredibly strong, so I didn’t wander around Hieropolis as much as I would have otherwise. Most of the ruins are far away from the entrances and you have no idea how big it is until you walk for a ways. Then it’s rather impressive, in a grassy, still excavating kind of way

But it’s the travertines that make this place jaw-droppingly one of a kind, a place where you stop to give thanks for being alive and privileged to see it. The hot spring water has a high calcium concentration which has turned the entire hillside into a giant stalagmite. I gather the terraces used to all be full of water, but now only some are so that others can bleach in the sun to kill the algae that would otherwise grow and discolor them.

The terraces are lined with powdery calcium (and a number of pebbles, every single one of which my feet found when I hiked down), and so the water is this incredible light blue

If you take off your shoes, you’re allowed to hike down. Most of it is smooth going on the calcified…er, calcium deposits, except for the bottom of the terraces. As you hike down, you are walking through the warm thermal spring water that is also flowing downhill (though most has been diverted).

I headed back to the hotel and enjoyed one of the best meals I’ve had in Turkey (koftes and eggplant) and headed happily to bed.

Ephesus!

May7

I joined a tour to see Ephesus (Efes in Turkish) and a few other sites in the area. It’s apparently a major site for early Christianity. Our first stop was Meryem Evi or Mary’s House, thought by the Catholic Church to be where Mary spent her last days.

There were some spigots for water thought to have special healing properties/properties to grant the requester his prayer. Next to them was a wall where people had left their wishes and prayers written on pieces of paper

I took advantage of the little post office to buy a bunch of stamps for postcards. Then next stop, Ephesus!

Ephesus is a large set of Roman ruins that are extensive and impressive. Not surprisingly, my favorite was the library facade, two massive stories of which have been restored

Ruins:

Nike (check out the swoop that the company Nike uses for its logo):

Ancient public toilets:

Marble + sun = kitty

The library from a distance

I was the only one on our tour who opted for the additional entrance fee to see the Terrace Houses, but it was definitely worth it. The houses are still being excavated and reconstructed, so you can see the frescoes and mosaics as well as the in process restoration. Those scared of heights, though, beware! There are a couple of walkways that are about two stories up and made of glass so you can see the mosaics and frescos without damaging anything. Not my favorite part at all.

I joined the rest of the group back at the library:

This one gives you an idea of the scale (yes, I’m the bitty figure in one of the doorways)

The rest of the ruins including the theater are also on a grand scale:

After a buffet lunch at a not-very-good restaurant catering to tours, we visited a ceramics place. Yes, I admit it, I caved in and bought some! And now I have to carry them in my backpack the rest of the trip…but they are truly lovely and the glaze is lead free.

We then went to St John’s Basilica, believed to hold the grave of St John. Interestingly, this Seljuk (I think) church reused some columns from the Artemision (Temple of Artemis). So does the Seljuk Isa Bey mosque I visited on my own after the tour.

The church:

Views of the Seljuk fortress and Isa Bey Mosque from the church:

We also stopped back at the Artemision and then at a carpet school/workshop/store. I made the mistake of showing interest in some of the carpets and got the full carpet salesman experience. At least I got an idea of prices!

I ended my sightseeing at the Isa Bey mosque:

trails untrod

Satisfying wanderlust one day at a time

Tag Archives: Roman ruins

Warning: More Photos of Lovely Ruins (Afrodisias)

Dazzle Me: the White Terraces of Pamukkale

Ephesus!