Ephesus: Basilica of St. John

The last stop on our tour of Ephesus was the Basilica of St. John. The basilica was constructed in the 6th century by Justinian the Great and was said to be standing over the burial site of the Apostle John. Justinian the Great believed that Apostle John was buried in a tomb from the 4th century sitting high atop Ayasuluk Hill in the town Selçuk (just a few miles outside of Ephesus), so he built a church around it to preserve and honor the final resting place of the saint. It is said that Apostle John traveled from Jerusalem to Ephesus and spent part of his life there (and is said to have written his gospel here) until he was exiled to the Isle of Patmos by Emperor Domitian. During his time in exile on Patmos, historians believe that was when he wrote the book of Revelations. Apostle John was later pardoned from exile when a new emperor took power and he came back to Ephesus for the remainder of his life. With the decline in importance of Ephesus in 1402 (and after many Arab raids of the area), the basilica built around St. John's tomb fell to ruins. Soon after, the destroyed church was pillaged for building materials, but in recent years has become a site for historic restoration. Today, amidst the ruins of St. John's Basilica, you can find a small tombstone engraved with the words 'The Tomb of St. John,' no doubt to continue honoring his supposed resting place.

While the ruins were of a much smaller scale and not quite as imposing as those of ancient Ephesus, probably the most interesting part of our visit to the basilica was standing in the rain, overlooking the Turkish countryside as the call to prayer rang through the rubble from a mosque down below. We'd heard the call to prayer multiple times during our visit to Istanbul, but I finally got smart and whipped my iPhone out to record it (video above). It was eerily beautiful, standing there amongst the supposed burial grounds of John the Apostle hearing a Muslim call to prayer. I almost couldn't wrap my brain around what my eyes were seeing and what my ears were hearing. Very surreal, for sure.
 While Ephesus wasn't my favorite stop of our Mediterranean cruise, it was wonderful to be able to see so much history firsthand, and to learn a little more about the numerous biblical connections found in Turkey. If you ever have the chance to travel to Ephesus, on a cruise ship or otherwise, definitely do! Just avoid the carpet making demonstrations. Consider yourself warned. Up next on my Med cruise recap...we journey to Athens, Greece! 
Stay tuned...
[Linking up with Bonnie & Belinda for Travel Tuesday!]

Ancient Ephesus: Terrace Houses

[If you're visiting from the fabulous Eat Yourself Skinny blog, WELCOME, FRIENDS!! I'm currently recapping the 12-day Mediterranean cruise my husband and I took this past May--you can play catchup here. I hope you'll have a look and stay awhile! And if you wanna know more about yours truly...here's a good place to start! Happy Monday!]

The Terrace Houses, located within the ruins of ancient Ephesus, were once the fanciest houses in all of Turkey. Only the most rich and elite Ephesians were residents here in the 6 units (with 3 expansive terraces--hense the name) tucked into the lower slope of Bulbul Mountain. Today, what remains of the Terrace Houses is covered entirely by a milky white dome of fiberglass, designed to protect the ruins from the elements, including the hot Turkish summers. The houses are constantly in a state of restoration, which was evident by couplets of archeologists, excavators, and researchers huddled around various parts of the units. The scope and scale of the excavation and restoration process is quite impressive. The colorful marble walls are slowly being pieced back together in most rooms, but some sections still remained fully intact. As you walked from room to room, level to level, it was easy to see that no ordinary families lived here thousands of years ago. The mosaic tiled floors and uncommon terracotta plumbing lines showed that inhabitants of these apartments were far from void of luxuriousness, at least where the ancient world is concerned. For an extra fee of about 15 Turkish Lira, you too can wander through the homes of Ephesus' rich and famous during your visit to the ruins. Unlike the crumbles of stone and marble outside, the Terraces Houses shed light on the more complex lives of ancient Ephesians. These apartments are not to be missed!

You can find more from our visit to Ephesus here.

Ancient Ephesus & The House of the Virgin Mary

Truth be told, I had barley heard of Ephesus before booking our cruise. I had no idea this ancient Greek city (and later a Roman city) was home to one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World. I was clueless as to the fact that Ephesus was one of the seven churches of Asia cited in the book of Revelations by the Apostle John. Or that the Gospel of John might have been written here. This city and its ruins sit upon hallowed ground. Ground to which thousands of years of history occurred and subsequently left Turkey with one of the most spectacular outdoor museums in the Northern hemisphere.

As I mentioned before, we ported into Kusadasi with some unseasonable weather. Fog, torrential downpours, and chilly winds greeted us as we made our way off the ship to find our tour guide for the day. Per the suggestion of my good friend, Jessica, D and I booked a tour with Ephesus Deluxe, and they did not disappoint. Granted, the weather made our day in Ephesus a little more complicated (and a lot more muddy), but our tour guide knew exactly where to go and what to see to maximize our short time there. Our first stop was the House of the Virgin Mary just 20 miles northeast of the port in Kusadasi. This house is said to be the home where Jesus' mother, Mary, spent the last days of her life. Although this has never been authenticated as fact, the Roman Catholic Church has recognized it as a shrine to the Virgin Mother. In present day, the house (although not the original structure) is now a sacred site for both Christian an Muslim believers. Inside the small, stone structure are 2 rooms...a kitchen and a bedroom. The interior is kept quiet and simple, fitted only with an altar, candles, and images of Mary. There is also a spring that runs underneath the house that is said to have healing properties. Many believers make pilgrimages to the house and spring each year hoping to be blessed with a healing miracle. After you exit the house, down the stairs to the left are fountains where the spring water can be touched. You can also leave a prayer to the Virgin Mary on the wall beside the spring. Had it not been pouring down rain, we probably would have left one. 

After our quick stop at the House of the Virgin Mary, we hopped back in the van and made our way down to the ruins of ancient Ephesus. Ephesus was once one of the biggest cities of the Roman Empire in the times of Christ. Previously a thriving seaport and trade center for the ancient world, Ephesus now lies about 5 miles inland from the Aegean coastline. The city was famed for the Temple of Artemis (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World), a temple dedicated to the goddess of the hunt, but now only one single column and its foundation remain. The extensive ruins of Ephesus include a gymnasium, large theatre (Odeum Theatre), the Terrace Houses (which I will show you later), and one of my favorite sites, the Library of Celsius (pictured in the next to last photo). As of today, only about 15% of the metropolis has been excavated. As we walked the stone streets, taking in the words of our tour guide, we imagined what life was like back in the 1st century BC. It was fascinating to see remnants of old bathing quarters, Greek messages written in marble, and pieces of ionic columns laying in puddles, seemingly forgotten with the passing of time. At the end of our visit to ancient Ephesus, our tour guide gave us a list of bible verses that mentioned various temples and places we'd just visited. In case any of you are interested in reading more about Ephesus from the words of Paul (such as his first letter to the Corinthians) or Apostle John, the book of Acts (and 1 Corinthians) heavily mentions it. Even though I didn't know much before visiting Ephesus and its ruins, I left with a wealth of knowledge and newfound love of this ancient city. Even the crowds and the rain couldn't damper that.

More from ancient Ephesus coming soon!

[Linking up with Bonnie & Belinda for Travel Tuesday]