I would love to hear about your trip. I spent some time there a long time ago and would be interested to see how it has changed.
I had lived there, too, for nearly 3 years, some years ago, in Ankara. The changes are many. The population in Ankara in 1960 was about 350,000 and Istanbul around 800,000. Today, Ankara's population is more than 3 million and Istanbul's is over 12 million. Traffic wasn't a problem. I cannot understand how anyone can drive in either city, plus some other sizeable communities (i.e., Izmir, Bursa, Kayseri) and not go beserk. We tipped our driver well, and come to regard him with the upmost respect. The boundaries of the cities have extended well into the pastoral countrysides, where once shepherds tended their flocks of sheep, or crops laced in and around the mountains, buildings have spread. It's changed. Money? Once upon a time we had 11 lira to a dollar; now it's about 1,700 lira, but fluctuates daily, to more or less. To get a better rate in bygone days, we had to go to Lebanon. Never have I seen so many tourists: German, Spanish, French, Italians, et al. I didn't see many English, mainly, Continental Europe. Every site was filled to capacity. One group waiting for another to finish. At times it was like an invasion. Still, it was well worth the wait. We had a very apt guide. He seemed to know just when it would not be so crowded. We were a group of 20, who met in Istanbul, attended a number of lectures at Istanbul Technical University to better prepare for the wealth of sites we visited. I could recognize the Turkey I knew, but was often nonplused with all the change. I regret the over building along the Bosporus, the two castles are no prominenty anymore and the skyline isn't the same when once the mosques dominated the hills of Istanbul.
I read once that Turkey was a palimpsest of civilization. A palimpsest is a parchment from which writing has been partially or completely erased to make room for another text. After trekking over that rugged, scenic land, and pondering over the glorious ruins of ancient Hellenic cities, built upon even more ancient ruins of an even earlier culture, and later, encroached upon again and again by Roman contributions, the Byzantine castle, the Seljukian Turk, to modern-day Turkey, a palimpsest is an apt description. Once, I lived in Ankara, and while I traveled when there, mostly to Istanbul, I had wished for an opportunity to explore the many interesting sites along the western coast, and elsewhere. I harboured a longing thaat one day I would return to fulfill this desire. I was not disappointed. The trip was intriguing and definitely mentally rewarding.
It began in Istanbul where I met up with 21 fellow history addicts. Our guide, Sirkan, age 27, proved to be a wonderfully versatile young man. He handled all our logistics, as well as being our 'on the site' lecturer. We were first billeted for three days in an area within the oldest section of the city, Laleli (pronounced lah'lay'lee'). This is a site of extremely busy commerce between the Russians and the Turkish merchants. We were told this trade amounts to $20 billion yearly to the local economy, and though, taxes are not collected on this trade, it's allowed to flourish because of the big economic impact. It goes on all night, throughout the early dawn hours, being as busy at 2:00 AM as midday. The crowds and traffic were constant. Fortunately, the hotel had sound-proof windows. We adjusted. As a matter of fact, we returned to the same hotel for 4 days after we had finished our Anatolian trip. We felt like old timers and some of us went out among the crowds, chatted with the Russians and relished the pace.
The first morning we had an extensive lecture on civilizations, beginning with the Paleolithic Age and ending with the Turkish Republic. The lecture was given at the Istanbul Technical University, by a professor of anthropology, who covered this vast historical span, emphasizing those cultures that left some traces; i.e., Catalhoyuk in the Neolithic Ages, when it was the biggest town on earth (6000 inhabitants) with the most advanced civilization, excepting Jericho. She brief us on the Hittites, Lydians, Carians, Phrigians, et al, and, of course, Troy, and the other Hellenic cities. She used slides made on site and of relics, many of which were housed in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. After lunch at the famous Istanbul Train Station, we visited the museum. It was an excellent follow-up. Troy was well represented, and there were relics from many of the various ages mentioned that morning. Additionally, we saw the resplendent sarcophagus of Alexander the Great. It's not known who the sarcophagus belonged to, it's simply called that because it's so richly sculpted -- the most splendid of all.
Later that day we went to one of the cisterns, a vast underground water storage facility, a part of the aqueducts whose remains still frame areas of the old city in a picturesque tableau of past glory. there's a netherworldness about the cistern, being as it is, under the earth, and eerie, at that. The roof is multi-vaulted, and each vault is supported by Doric, Ionic or Corinthian columns every few feet (approx. 5 to 6 ft apart). So, there are literally, at least, I think, a hundred columns of those three types. The placement of which style goes where was baffling, and I thought the choice was probably random, for I couldn't distinguish a pattern, but there must have been one. The Doric columns are the heavy task bearers, and they were plentiful. The floor is covered with shallow water, and a wooden platform walkway extgends the length up one side, then across and back down the other. The lighting is a strange green, yellowish glow. In the very back, there are three heads of Medusa sculpted on three different columns. One, upside down, one sideways and one upright: I don't know the symbolism. A young Turkish musical group were playing ancient instruments, which we later learned to identify: A kanun (zithar), an ud (lute), a ney (wind instrument made of reed) and about three others. The music is plaintive, as often Turkish music is, but it's ageless and, so, gave the right ambience in this magnificient ancient structure. Sirkan said one of the Bond movies was partially filmed here. I don't think I've ever seen a Bond movie. But, this would add to intrigue.
The next day, we had a lively, four-hour lecture on Byzantine art and architecture by Dr. Filiz Ozur, a fascinatingly witty lecturer. Such colorful people! The Plantagenets seemed tamed in comparison. I thought about Eleanor when the professor described Theodora, the consort of Justinian, who share the throne, equally, with him. I had heard her described before, but not with so much zest. And Zoe, who married late, but married four times, and each time she had the image of her former husband's head removed from a mosaic at St. Sophia's, and the next husband's placed there instead. Byzantine art, Dr. Ozur explained, was chieflly symbolic to show timelessness. The long nose, the staring eyes void of emotion, the formless body.
We then visited St. Irene Church to see the many mosaics there. It's a special treat to see a site after having such an instructive class. The mosaics, often gilted, do catch the eye, and capture one's interest. During our initial stay there, we saw remnants of the old city wall, the sea wall, and areas of interest were pointed out as we drove about in the city. We visited the first of a number of mosques. Much of Istanbul, though, was left for our final four days.
We traveled by bus to Gallipoli, where we took a barge to cross the Dardanelles, (Hellespont) enroute to Troy. Sirkan gave a running lecture on the Battle of Gallipoli, a very intense battleground of WW1. And, we were greeted at Troy by an enthusiastic young man, who announced he was the last Trojan. His namme is Mustafa Askin. He had a book for sale on Troy, a book he wrote, and I bought one. His enthusiasm spills over in the book. He is a native of the area and a guide, fluent in several languages:English, Swedish and German, and is always available to the guideless visitor. He's one of those very blue-eyed Turks, who, if one lives there finds, are not uncommon. I think he wrote the book because he once read a travel guide that described Troy as just a pile of rubble. Actually, it isn't and that's erroneous to describe it as such. The many levels are represented there, some more than others. It does require advance study, and a whale of an imagination, such as Mustafa's. It's a fact that Schliemann was not a professional archaeologist, that he damaged the site by using improper methods, and he also removed items that will probably never be returned to Turkey. I understand these items are in a Moscow museum now, having been taken there from Berlin, after WWII. Still one can stand there at Hisarlik, the multi-layered hill, and look out toward the Dardenelles and re-create some of those ancient scenes of that struggle in that long-ago time in the Bronze Age. There was much transmigration at the time, collapse of civilizations, the Hittite Empire for one, the attacks of the sea peoples on Egypt, and the destruction of the Mycenaen civilization.
About a century later, Greece was dominated by a warrior race, the Dorians, that may have invaded from the north after the Mycanean collapse. The Dorians forced many Hellenes to flee their homeland to the west coast of Turkey and its offshore islands. The Aeolians left first settling mainly on the islands, but also along the west coast of Turkey, and the Ionians followed in the 10th century BC.
We left Troy for an overnight stay in Bergama, the modern city built around ancient Pergamum. We started our visit there early the next morning, beginning with the acropolis, or upper city. It is high on the top of a mountain, and even though the Roman ruins are, at first sight, the most eye-catching detail, it is essentially a Hellenistic city. The temple of Trajan stood sharply out, starkly white and majestic against a deep blue sky. It rather lessened the impact of the Grecian traces of civilization for a while. In time, though, I began to set some order to the puzzling picture in my mind. The library waas supposedly of the grandest scale in existence then, with the exception of the library in Alexandria. I studied the area where it had been located, there are but bare traces left. there are ruins of Hellenic palaces, houses, agoras, temples, but the most impresssive of all was the might ampitheater which goes steeply down the side of the hill. It's an amazing sight. It seats on 10,000, which is much smaller than other amphitheaters we saw, but its location is spectacular.
The Asclepion, a type of medical facility, or a therapeutic center in the classical world. The cult of Asclepius, the god of healing, apparently spread here from Epidaurus early in the 4th century BC, and the first sanctuary of his cult was built on this site. Galen, the second most famous physicain in antiquity, practiced here. The snake was the symbol. Herbs and baths were used. The most interesting treatment of all was a long tunnel through which the patients walked after having been treated in all other ways, and the walk finalized their treatment. As they proceeded through the tunnel, voices (the speaker was unseen) spoke through grate opening on top, telling them that they were better and getting even better all the time, and by the time they left the tunnel they would be cured.
There are ruins of the temple of Dionysius and a sanctuary of Athena (most of which is in the Berlin Pergamum Museum, as well as the temple of Zeus, with only the base left on site). A Byzantine tower is opposite the theater. There's an interesting frieze which shows the weapons taken as booty from the Galatians, Syrians and Macedonians. The Galatians (Celts) interested me. I had long wondered about them. They seem to have been everywhere: Turkey, Spain, France, Germany, Ireland, etc., and I've wondered whence they really came, but I have not found the answer. However, in a small book in Turkey, I read that in 278 BC the Bithynian king of Nicomedia (Izmit) invited the Gauls to Anatolia, and transported some 20,000 warriors across the straits to serve him as mercenaries. These unruly warriors were to occupy the Gordion, Ancyra (Ankara) area, and were to name this Anatolian area, Galatia. I think they must have been admired by the inhabitants to have so often been the subject of their art for there wre many dramatic and beautiful sculptured figures of these Gauls. The results show such a graceful, beautiful people, marvelous symmetry.
The present day entrance to Pergamum is the original entrance of the citadel, the location of the heroun, where the cult of the Pergamene kings was celebrated. Ruler worship was a characteristic of the Hellenistic period. It was started by Alexander the Great who regarded himself as the son of the Egyptian god Ammon after capturing Egypt. Even the Roman rulers, Hadrian and Trajan, were worshipped. This legitimized the power of the ruler and his dynasty. The kings of pergamum were transformed into gods after death [apotheosized].
We visited several sites of ancient Greek cities on the Western Coast of Turkey. Because of similarities, I will present those aspects considered different, or at least, outstanding among the sites visited. By far, Pergamum was the most dramatically situated, terraced as it was on three levels, beginning with a steep conical-shaped hill, a middle and a lower section. It had been copied after Athens, but unlike Athens where the acropolis was considered sacred and reserved for religious purposes, the pinnacle of Pergamum was a multi-functional area, with buildings for a variety of social, and cultural activities. It was once considered the most splendid of all Greek cities. Even with ruins all about, it was apparent that once this was truly a beautiful, well-organized metropolis.
Our next visit was to Ephesus located on the fringes of the south-western section of Selcuk. Selcuk is a small city in Izmir Province (Vilayet), once known as Ayasuluk for the Byzantine (Aya Suluk) Castle, where the residents of Ephesus moved in the 7th Century AD, because swampy conditions had caused a malarial outbreak, and, also, for protection against Arab invasions. We spent the next 6 nights there; it was a convenient location for daily excursions to other ancient sites nearby: Miletus, Didyma and Aphrodisias. It was a restful area where one might experience some of the routine of a smaller Turkish community.
To prepare for the Ephesus visit, we attended a lecture given by an archeology professor from Izmir University. She outlined interesting detail about the excavations in Ephesus, began by the British, and later, by teams from the Austrian Archaelological Society. To date, only about ten per cent of the ruins have been excavated. This lecture was held in a reconverted hamman, a Turkish bath, which was juxtaposition to the Selcuk Museum, with a lovely garde in-between. Following lunch by the Aegean Sea, we had a leisurely swim in that beautiful seas, after which, we headed for Ephesus.
There was much more to be seen in Ephesus than at Pergamum. But, then, it had been a much larger city. At its peak, during Roman rule, in the 1st and 2nd Centuries AD, it was a city of 200,000 inhabitants, located on a primary trade road to Persia, with a busy harbor. The harbor was a deep bay known as the Korassos, the confluence of the Cayster River with the Aegean Sea. It has been silted over by the river for centuries since, and the city is now 9 kilometers inland. But, during its heyday, it was major city of the world, and the capital of the Asia Minor Province under Emperor Augustus.
Ephesus is known in the Christian world as the last residence of the Virgin Mary, and the house is maintained there, as such. There is a church there, too, the Church of St. John, built in the honor of St. John, the Apostle, who, it is reputed, escorted the Virgin Mary there, about 4 or 5 years after the death of Christ. It is also said to be where he wrote his Gospel and his final resting place. St.Timothy and St. John are said to have been the first bishops. Ephesus is the city where St. Paul preached to the Ephesians. He arrived in 54 AD and organized the first Christian community. Artemis had been the principal cult for centuries, and the establishment of Christianity there was not without struggle.
The Temple of Artemis was one of the 7 great wonders of the ancient world. It had been erected on the ground where once there had been a temple to Cybele, the Anatolian mother goddess, with a nature similar to Artemis. Today, only a few pieces of marbvle and one column remain. Many pieces are in the British Museum, most particularly, the "Columna Caelata," which was donated by King Croesus of Lydia, who conquered the city in the mid 6th Century BC. Some pieces are in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. But much was used as building materials for other construction down through the ages. It was built on a colossal scale with a 13-stepped crepidoma and a stylobate three times as great as the Parthenon. It was a dipteral temple (surrounded by a covered, double colonnade and three rows of columns at the front end). It was the largest Greek temple at that time, 425 ft in length by 220 ft. wide and 60 ft. high. Its roof rested on 128 pillars with Ionic caps. It was the first building made entirely of marble. The reconstructed drawing depicts an awe-inspiring structure.
The true focal point of Ephesus is the splendid theater, which seated 24,000, the largest ampitheater in Asia Minor. And I was most impressed with the Marble Road, also called the Arcadiana for the Emporer Arcadius, which was made of blocks of white marble slabs with a sewage system that dated to the Hellenic Period. The road goes from Koressos Gate by the harbor to the Celsus Librrary. Along the sides of the road, there had been covered, (arcade style) colonnaded sidewalks; the columns are still there, in varied heights. The facade of the Celsus Library is mostly intact, with the statues of Sophia, Arete, Eunois and Episteme symbolizing the wisdom, knowledge and virtue of Celsus, the one-time Roman governor of the Asian Province.
Most everyone was surprised and interested in the public latrines, with sewage, no less. There was also a brothel, with directions etched in the marble on how to find it. The baths, too, excited some interest, with their varied rooms: the frigidarium (cold room), the tepidarium (lukewarm room), and the caldarium (hot room); also, an apodyterium (undressing room), and a seating room (sudatorium). Heat was supplied by hot air circulating among brick columns on the floor.
Of all the sites visited, there were more tourists there, in this city, than I have ever seen anywhere, at any one time. Once, I stopped just to listen, for there were so many languages being spoken the the Turkish guides that it was confounding to say the least: There were those speaking Japanese, German, French, Spanish. Italian, and on and on. They were doing an excellent job for they had the rapt attention of their individual audiences.
Because there was more to see, there was another visit to Ephesus the following day to visit the Church of St. John, and the house of the Virgin Mary, etc., plus a morning tour of the museum, where many Ephesian artifacts from the varied civilizations are housed.
Then on a Saturday morning, we experienced the Turkish Bazaar. During the time I lived in Ankara, I went every Saturday morning for fresh produce and to browse. But that had been a while back; this time, it was a far more lavish affair, with merchandise of all sorts. In addition to produce and spices, there were endlless booths of clothing, jewelry, pottery, carpets, ad infinitim. I bought some saffron for gifts. It was so inexpensive.
Later, we had a trip to a small village of Sultankoy to observe a carpet-weaving class. It was on an outdoor pavilion, with a slotted roof of thin, wooden stats that emitted diffused light and provided a very pleasant working area. Several young women werre busy at their looms. Each worked on a different design. One had a gorgeous pattern going using silken thread. Carpet weaving is a cottage industry in Turkey, and after acquiring the skill, the women return to their homes to work on their own. Our guide's name was Alladdin, (no kidding) and he provided us with much information on all facets of the rug making art, from weaving, to extracting silk from silkworms, and dyeing the yarn. We actually watched these processes: Dousing the worm cocoons in scalding water, and stringing a single thread forth to roll onto spools. It was fascinating. Dyeing the woolen yearn was also interesting: They use only natural dyes made from indigo, myrrh, franckincense, walnut shells, leaves, etc. And, of course, should you wish to to purchase a carpet, they were available. The larger ones could be shipped, and smaller sizes could be carried in a neat carpetbag, which they supplied. Incidentall, oftentimes, one mentions Persian rugs as being a different type. We were told that it only the design that differs, and they use each others designs.
It was Turkish Independence Day, and there was a general feeling of celebration going on, which lasted several days. Toupes of folk dancer, all decked out in impressive native dress, the men in black tunics, and black boots with high leggins, women in showy red silk with gold-braided embroidery, provided entertainment, as well as spicing the air with a shared feeling of festivity. As we later saw, the dances were lively, very much the same as those of the Russian Steppes, and every bit as intricate.
We experienced Turkish culture in other ways, too, After dinn, there was usually a Turkish cuisine lessor, or a language sessiion, or participation in the national pastime - a game of backgammon. Once we had a rather free-flowing discussion on the Turkish government, with Sirkan, our well-informed guided. It was interesting.
Our nest trip out was to Aphrodiaias and Pamukkale. As Aphrodisias implies, the city was named for Aphrodite, she was the cult goddess there, with a temple in her honor. The temple of Aphrodite has a number of columns and other remnants left, enough to imagine the structure as it might have been Aphrodisias is more a recent excavation site, with most of the findings having been uncovered since 1961, under the auspices of New York University. Excavations had been attempted earlier, particularly in 1904, but the town of Geyre was located on top of the ancient city, and, so, until it was decided to remove the town to another site, little could be accomplished. For instance, there was a theater on the acropolis, but Geyre's stone cottages covered the acropolis with only the theater's upper tiers visible. The National Geographic Society made a generous contribution toward the excavation of the acropolis and the theater. Since the move, seven periods of the Bronze and Iron Ages have been uncovered, as well as revealing evidence of a very beautiful Hellenic/Roman city. There appears to have been an ancient shrine of Ishtar, the fertility goddess of Ninevah and Babylon, a predecessor of the temple of Aphrodite. Relics have been found that date back to 5800 BC.
I was most in awe of the spectacular and very long stadium, (seating capacity - 30,000), and the Tetrapylon, a decorative gateway that dates to about 150 AD, its four rows of columns, (Gk. tetra = four, and pylon = gate), with a front row of spirally-fluted Corinthian columns. There were lavish decorations of Erotes and Nikes hunting among scrolls of acanthus leaves. The ruins are scattered across vacant distances, indicating that this was a large city, and most is still buried. The structures are all handsome. The north portico of the agora is intact and the columns are a majestic sight.
We had lunch enroute to Pamukkale, in a very rustic spot, deep in a wooded area. We were serenaded by a Turkish guitarist, and just after the meal, several of our group were selected to accompany a young Turk. These members reappeared camouflaged in mysterious veils, and other beguiling garments, and to the rhythm of Mid-Eastern, belly dance-type music, the Turk led them in a series of writhing dances. The Turk was quite the dancer. It was hilarious.
Pamukkale is a natural wonder. It's situate on top of a spectacular cliff turned snow white from the limestone-laden waters that flow down the side from the plateau above to the Lycus valley below. It is the site of ancient Hierapolis, the sacrd city because of the many sanctuaries that were there in ancient times. Only a Temple of Apollo and it associated cave-sanctuary of Pluto remain from the Hellenistic Period, probably from the time of Eumenes II. Most other momuments there date from Imperial Roman Period: Theater, baths, a famous spa then, and still a famous spa now. Some of the group went for a swim in the spa pools.
Back in Selcuk, several of us decided to visit a hamman and experience the Turkish bath. It was a ritual: It was preceded by a shower, then steaming while lying on a huge, round, smooth rock, which takes up most of the room. The rock weeked to be centered under a sun roof of sorts and while it was not hot, it was quite warm and caused one to sweat within minutes. There were showers between each step. Then, we had a vigorous rubdown, another shower, a sudsing, another shower, and finally, we were able to leave the bath area and have a rigorous massage. An unforgettable experience.