At dock at Kusadasi
Ephesus
Ephesus
Shrine of the Virgin Mary, Ephesus
Displaying hundreds of carpets for guests
Hand-woven Turkish carpet
Rare Armenian hand-woven carpet above and below
Secrets from the Lost Bible
turkey
° Ephesus ° Kusadasi ° UNESCO World Heritage Sites
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 privilege 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 learned that it is believed that that Mary spent her last days at the Basilica marking the tomb of John, Jesus' most beloved disciple. Mary did not live in Ephesus itself, but on a hill to the left of the road from Jerusalem. Narrow paths from Ephesus lead southwards to it It is a very lonely place, but has many fertile slopes as well as rock caves where several Christian families and friends of Mary already lived. Here, John had a house built for her. She lived there with her maidservant and John would visit them when he was not away on his travels.
During this tour, I asked our knowledgable guide if he knew Mary's surname. He did not, although I read somewhere -- probably in the lost books of the Bible -- that she was a Levite. No one has yet confirmed that.
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. 
The day tour to Ephesus taught about the Home of the Assumption: Reconstructing Mary's Life in Ephesus and John's Gospel as a work of imperial negotiation in the context of Ephesus, once capital of the Roman province of Asia. Located on the top of the "Bulbul" mountain 9 km ahead of Ephesus, the shrine of Virgin Mary is set in a hidden glade. She may have come in the area together with Saint John, who spent several years in the area to spread Christianity. The house is a typical Roman architectural example, entirely made of stones.
Ephesus dates back 2,000 years before the 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 and Syria, then by the Romans in 190 B.C.E. 
The CD above features music from the Osland Saxophone Quartet with Miles Osland (soprano saxophone); Joe Carucci (alto saxophone); Lisa Parent Osland (tenor saxophone); Larry Nelson (baritone saxophone).
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 cotton 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 (jewelry, 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.
Click to view
selections of books about
World Heritage Sites
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Turkey
(Click for information on trips to Istanbul)
- Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia (1985)
- Great Mosque and Hospital of Divriği (1985)
- Historic Areas of Istanbul (1985) Hattusha: the Hittite Capital (1986) Nemrut Dağ (1987)
- Hierapolis-Pamukkale (1988)
- Xanthos-Letoon (1988)
- City of Safranbolu (1994)
- Archaeological Site of Troy (1998)
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Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude