turkey
° Ephesus ° Kusadasi
The surprise of our Mediterranean cruise along the coast of France, Italy, and Greece was a stop at the port of Kusadasi, Turkey. We knew little about the country and its ancient history, so we were amazed to see the cosmopolitan beaches and resorts and to tour one of the world's largest archeological digs at Ephesus, which was the capital of Asia Minor and a major commercial center.
We were also had the privledge of having an elegant gentleman with at least two degrees (economics and art history) as our guide. His depth of knowledge and his love of country were imparted to us during a long day-tour, which included three ancient sites (including a tomb of Mary, Mother of Jesus) and a lovely lunch at white-linen covered tables in a private meadow down a private ancient road at Ephesus.
Ephesus
We did not know that Mary spent her last days at the Basilica marking the tomb of John, Jesus' most beloved disciple. Ephesus, the Basilica and the house of the Virgin Mary are visited by hundreds of thousands of people from around the world; they unexpectedly filled us with an awareness of the scope of Turkey, and with reverence unlike any other stop on this wonderful trip.
Ephesus dates back to 2,000 years before Christian era. Its existence was mentioned near the temple of the mother goddess Kybele, a figure later called Artemis. The oldest sources records that Amazona founded the town and that it was then inhabited by Carians and Lelegians. Ephesus was conquered by Ionians in 11th B.C.E. and it fell under the rule of Egypt adn Syria, then by the Romans in 190 B.C.E.
Kusadasi
We always want to bring something home with us to enjoy our travel all over again with every glance at the object. Generally it's something quite modest. But during a tour of a Turkish Rug Gallery, we fell in love with two rugs . . . something that we don't generally do. Princess Cruises gives a "Quality Assurance Form" for goods in certain stores. One of those stores was The Design Rug Gallery right near the harbor where the Star Princess was berthed. The presentation by Hakan, the owner, and his fine staff was sublime.
Much to my surprise, I came home with two of the most beautiful carpets I have ever seen. One is a classic red/blue/gold silk/wool "prayer" rug; the other is a 100-year-old cotten Armenian Nebati in creams and brownish-reds.
It is a splendid piece, soft under bare feet, about 5' x 8. We have since been learning about the history of these beautiful rugs, especially the Armenian rug: Armenians are one of the most ancient peoples of the world and their arts date back thousands of years. Armenian arts developed their own national features in the Middle Ages due to the development of architecture, music, literature, fine and applied arts (jewellery, pottery, rug and carpet making). During and since the Middle Ages, rugs became a profitable commodity that brought a world-wide fame to the Armenian rug-making art and still is very popular in the world market.
An average 9 x 12 hand woven rug takes a minimum of 3000 hours of weaving, to say nothing of the time spent on the design, dye preparation, spinning of the wool and the setting up of the loom.
Because the countries in the East have always been considered the Orient, a hand woven rug, made from wool, silk or cotton, from that part of the world is the genuine article. Although beautiful handmade rugs come from Romania, Uzbekistan and Egypt as well as the Caucasus region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea above Iran, the most famous rug weaving countries are Iran, Afghanistan, China, Pakistan, India and Turkey. Their tradition dates back thousands of years.
Back onboard the ship, one woman said they were taken to a factory just outside of Kusadasi where the owner was helping young women learn to make a living from the rug weaving, while at the same time teaching them how to get along in a changing world. This is a culture where women have not been in a position to help themselves should their fathers, brothers, husbands either die or leave them alone. They were then left to fend for themselves as best they could, which was not very well, especially if they had children. The factory they visited is at work helping to change this strife.
Reading departure signs in some big airport