Kusadasi - Turkey

On our second day on the cruise we were told that the next city on the list was Kusadasi, which is actually in Turkey. This got us really excited because neither of us had been in that country before Plus, we were going to have time to go the local markets, or agoras, to enjoy ourselves. As we drove into the mountains from the port we got a glimpse of Kusadasi. It looked beautiful! It had many Middle Eastern traits. We were told that Turkey is a great producer of olives and figs.

Our first stop was the House of the Virgin Mary – Meryemana in Turkish, located in a nature park between the ancient cities of Ephesus and Seljuk. It is believed that this was the last residence of the Virgin Mary. It was highly interesting to know that this site is sacred to both Christians and Muslims, and is visited year round by tourists and pilgrims. It is a small stone structure with one bedroom and a kitchen. They have kept the inside of the structure quite simple with an altar, candles and images of the Virgin Mary. As we walked outside of the room, we realized there was a wall in which people had hung hundreds of tissues; we were told that this was a prayer wall and people usually write wishes or small prayers on tissues and hang them on the wall. There was also a particular place in which pilgrims could collect holy water. As we left in our tour bus and headed towards our second destination, I think we all realized how lucky we had been to be able to visit such ancient and sacred places.

Ephesus was our second destination. This was certainly one of the most amazing places visited in the trip. Most of the structures within the complex were pretty much standing, so it gave us all a better view and perspective of how things used to be. In ancient times, Ephesus was established as a port, and it became the most important commercial center. In 356BC the Greeks built the Artemesium – a temple dedicated to their Goddess Artemis. This later became a part of the seven wonders of the ancient world. During the 2^nd century BC, it also became famous for the Library of Celsus and its medical school. We got to sit on the amphitheatre where according to the Acts of the Apostles (19:23-4 1); the theatre was the site of the ‘riot of the silversmiths’ in which those who made silver figures of Artemis rioted because St. Paul’s preaching was bad for business. It truly was an amazing and unforgettable experience!