The Travels of Nad'Zilla: Part 8 – Undoubtedly the highlight of the trip

Please allow me to include some extra information regarding the ancient sites that we visited. This is one of the most spectacular archeological sites I have ever visited and it is overwhelmingly impressive.

I have taken the liberty to just ‘copy and paste’ some information from other sources.

Docking in Kusadasi:

Out tour guide and driver were waiting for us:

“Did you know that the VIRGIN MARY lived her last years of her life in Turkey, here in a small cottage near Ephesus?
After death of Christ, it is believed that St.John brought the Virgin Mary to Ephesus and she spent her last days in a small house which is under shady trees on the slopes of Mount Coressus.
It was restored in 1950 and brought to its present state. The statue of the Virgin Mary in the apse facing the entrance is from the beginning of the century.”

Here we are in front of the house. There are many mare photos that we took here but too many to post.

The spring water near the house is said to have curative qualities.

Houda is drinking some of the natural spring water:

The entrance to the ancient site is very typical with the usual tourist souvenir shops. The only think I couldn’t figure out is what is the significance of these statues, LOL!!!!!!!!!!!

Here’s another one for all you watch collectors, LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“Ephesus was founded by colonist from Athens in early 1000 B.C., this mean 3 thousand years ago, as a port on the Aegean Sea, the ruin city now lies several miles inland, and the original harbor looks out over a dry valley, with not a drop of water in sight. The city became famous for its TEMPLE OF ARTEMIS, dedicated to the Greek goddess ARTEMIS and considered one of the Seven Wonder of the Ancient World.”

Here are some random pix:

This mosaic sidewalk just blew me away. To think that this work was done almost 3000 years ago!!!!!!!!

I poured some water to highlight some of the designs:

Can you believe the toilets, AND it had running water to flush, LOL!!!!!!!

Standing in front of the library:

The Grand Theater:

The Temple of Artimus:

“The greatest temple of the ancient world, the Temple of Artemis once stood as the most magnificent accomplishment of Greek civilization and Hellenistic culture, built as a tribute to Artemis - the Greek goddess of the hunt, mistress of Nature, protector of wild beasts and the sister of Apollo. The Temple of Artemis was located in Ephesus (in modern-day Turkey), which was to become the richest seaport in Asia Minor. It once consisted of 127 marble columns each standing 20 meters (60 feet) tall. First built in the 6th century B.C., the temple was destroyed by fire 200 years later and then rebuilt under the supervision of Alexander the Great. The great temple was eventually destroyed successively by invading Gothic hordes, earthquakes, and plunderers. Today, only a solitary column remains of this once-glorious structure.”

Then it was time for lunch!!!!!

This guy was selling figs on the sidewalk by our table. I had the guide buy some figs and ask the restaurant to wash them and bring them to the table:

“The Basilica of St. John (St. Jean Aniti) was a great church in Ephesus constructed by Emperor Justinian in the 6th century. It stands over the believed burial site of St. John, who is identified as the apostle, evangelist (author of the Fourth Gospel) and prophet (author of Revelation).
The basilica is on the slopes of Ayasoluk Hill near the center of Selçuk, just below the fortress and about 3.5 km (2 miles) from Ephesus.”