Turkish History

I’d drove past the sign for Magnesia ancient city ruins many times. Hardly talked about or featured in guidebooks, I figured there was not much to see, yet curiosity still made me want to visit. So last month, our hobby photography group piled into the cars and made our way there. Sitting in the Aydin region of Aegean Turkey, it was just an hour’s drive away from my home, and when we arrived, only one other group was there. Magnesia city ruins … [Read more...]

Saint John’s Basilica in Selcuk is one of those places that still intrigues me, long after my visit. Actually, if you are a Christian, the whole district is worth visiting because the nearby grand theatre of Ephesus is where Paul the Apostle faced the wrath of the silversmith crowds, who were angry that he questioned the validity of the goddess Artemis. Also, the suspected last home of the Virgin Mary and the place of her assumption is high in … [Read more...]

Finding the Isa Bey Mosque was easier than expected. I had geared myself up for a bus ride or long trek, but felt quite the fool when the hotel receptionist said, “leave the hotel, turn left, walk 50 metres and it’s there.” Situated in the heart of Selcuk town at the bottom of a hill, Isa Bey Mosque was originally built in 1375 in honour of the ruler of the Selcuk region from 1360 to 1390. It doubles up as a place of worship and one of the … [Read more...]

Visiting the cave of the seven sleepers near the ancient ruins of Ephesus, (one of the biggest cities of the Roman Empire) was a disappointment. I had previously read many websites describing graves, a church and ancient inscriptions on the wall, yet I was stood looking at three walls of rusty colored bricks that could resemble an old village house. My guide with an “I told you so” smile confirmed we were in the right place yet I could not feel … [Read more...]

Walking the sacred path of Miletus was an immense physical achievement for me. Not only did I do it with a raging hangover, garnered from a heavy night before, but as well as the long distance of 14 kilometers, the rugged path is a winding route of grass and stones, going up and down hills through the country land. My walking partner that I met for the first time was Pat Yale, a famous author of many travel guide books about Turkey and former … [Read more...]

According to history books, two extremely important treasures emerged from the ruins of ancient Priene, a former city in the Aegean region of Turkey. They are the Priene Inscription and the Priene Calendar, two informative scripts passed down for future generations. Albeit no city could ever leave behind as greater legacy as that, but for me, strolling around the ancient ruins provoked a state of joyful excitement, even though they are not as … [Read more...]

When it comes to fame and glory, Iasos is one of the humble historical sites of Turkey. It normally receives no more than a paragraph mention by websites and guidebooks and this problem has been officially recognized by the head of the excavation team. Yet to locals and expats of the Bodrum peninsula, Iasos is a small but cherished historical landmark. I had first attempted to visit in 2010 and staying true to habits, I got lost and ended up … [Read more...]

The Celsus library in Ephesus is probably one of the most photographed historical structures of Turkey. It belongs to the ancient city located on the Aegean coast, near the holiday resort of Kusadasi and the working town of Selcuk. One of my interests, while I learn about my adopted country is the history of Turkey, so naturally, I have a huge amount of respect for the excavated ruins and their magnificent architecture. However to write from the … [Read more...]

The colourful timeline of Turkey’s history means that the country is awash with historical sites dating from many civilizations. Out of all of them, Ephesus ancient city ruins are probably the most well-known, attracting thousands of visitors every day. Ephesus ancient city is to Turkey what the pyramids are to Egypt or the Colosseum to Rome and in 2014, 3 million people walked through its gates. Sitting on the Aegean coast of Turkey, near to … [Read more...]

Along with my personal guide, I had arrived in Aphrodisias, the city of sculptures, creativity, ancient ruins and a story of how it dominated one man’s life nearly 500 years after it fell into oblivion. Standing in the long hall of the museum, what I saw left me speechless. The hall had no windows, just four white walls, a door and a shiny tiled floor that reflected everything because of bright lights shining down from the ceiling. Called the … [Read more...]

To be truthful, the Ephesus theatre is not my favourite place. I feel detest for this prominent ruined structure of the ancient Greco-Roman city, because it was also the scene for gladiator and animal fights. I don’t want to pay homage to a place, where unnecessary death and pain reigned simply for the pointless pleasure of human beings. Having said that, the natural course of human evolution has buried those days, and now, the Ephesus theatre … [Read more...]

When the Roman terrace houses of Ephesus opened up to the public, I was absolutely thrilled.  I had listened with jealousy as other people described the extensive finds of pain-staking excavations and read with envy as other bloggers wrote about how much they enjoyed their visit to the new attraction and significant landmark of the ancient city. Often postponing planned visits again and again, I finally made it back to Ephesus in March of this … [Read more...]

I have a goal to visit the remains of the Seven Churches of Revelation mentioned in the New Testament of the Bible, which are all in the Aegean region of Turkey. One such city was Laodicea; an extremely profitable centre of trade that did especially did well in wool, because the nearby plains provided sheep with ample grazing food. Turkey has an extremely strong Biblical history that any hard-core Christian would be a fool to ignore and slowly … [Read more...]

The Antipater of Sidon, a famous Greek poet lived during the latter half of the 2nd century BC. During his travels, he visited landmarks belonging to the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. This included the Temple of Artemis that now stands near the ancient ruins of Ephesus, in Selcuk on the Aegean coast of Turkey. The Greek Temple, also known as the Temple of Diana, was built in honour of the goddess of fertilely Artemis and was rebuilt two … [Read more...]

The Temple Of Apollo in Didyma, Turkey is a major landmark for the surrounding touristic resorts of Altinkum and Didim.  It is on the Aegean coast and receives thousands of travelers and tourists every year. In historic times the area was referred to as Didyma and even today signs of Greek history are everywhere. This is not the only Temple of Apollo. There are four temples dedicated to Apollo in Greece, three in Italy and five in Turkey.  I  … [Read more...]

Last month, on impulse, I stayed in the town of Selcuk, near the ruins of Ephesus. Due to my hasty decision, I did no research but despite my lack of planning, the trip was fantastic. I made new Turkish friends, explored recommended attractions, ate good food, and drank lots of beer! However, I was seriously disappointed by a travel scam, targeting foreign tourists. Infact, the same scam was tried on me, twice in two days! The scam artists … [Read more...]