Greece and Turkey

Our first stop in Turkey was the port of Kusadasi, near the ancient city of Ephesus. In the first century AD, Ephesus was the Roman capital of Asia, and as many as 250,000 people lived there. However, the harbor that made the city a center of trade eventually silted up, and Ephesus was abandoned.
This is a view of the town of Kusadasi, with our ship in port in the background. We spent the afternoon shopping for souvenirs and trying to avoid the zealous carpet salesmen.

Before we visited Ephesus, we stopped at some of the other interesting sites in the area. The temple of Artemis was considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Now, only a single column remains, and a stork has built a nest on top of it. We also visited the site of the Virgin Mary's house, which was (re)discovered based on the visions of a German nun in the 1800s. The current building probably dates from the 7th century.

On the right, Curetes Street leads downhill to the Library of Celsus, and was once lined with shops.
Two thousand years ago, these mosaics were the pavement in front of shops.

Our ticket shows the temple of Hadrian, donated by a wealthy citizen in 118 AD.

The Roman baths were supplied with water via buried pipes like those visible here. The public latrines were another interesting feature of the bath complex.

The most famous site in Ephesus, the Library of Celsus was built between 110 and 135 AD. It held 12,000 scrolls until it was burned by the Goths in 262 AD.

Marble Street is the second major street in Ephesus. Archaeologists are currently excavating the terrace houses built into the hill.

Our first stop in Turkey was the port of Kusadasi, near the ancient city of Ephesus. In the first century AD, Ephesus was the Roman capital of Asia, and as many as 250,000 people lived there. However, the harbor that made the city a center of trade eventually silted up, and Ephesus was abandoned. This is a view of the town of Kusadasi, with our ship in port in the background. We spent the afternoon shopping for souvenirs and trying to avoid the zealous carpet salesmen.

Before we visited Ephesus, we stopped at some of the other interesting sites in the area. The temple of Artemis was considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Now, only a single column remains, and a stork has built a nest on top of it.	We also visited the site of the Virgin Mary's house, which was (re)discovered based on the visions of a German nun in the 1800s. The current building probably dates from the 7th century.

The Roman baths were supplied with water via buried pipes like those visible here.	The public latrines were another interesting feature of the bath complex.

The most famous site in Ephesus, the Library of Celsus was built between 110 and 135 AD. It held 12,000 scrolls until it was burned by the Goths in 262 AD.

	Marble Street is the second major street in Ephesus. Archaeologists are currently excavating the terrace houses built into the hill.