Afrodisias

From Selcuk we headed back inland to see three of the most famous classical and natural sites in Turkey, the ruins at Afrodisias, the travertine terraces of Pamukkale, and, above them, the Roman spa city of Hierapolis. Afrodisias (that's how the Turks spell it) was one of the best sites we have seen yet, in the extensiveness and condition of its structures but also in the many interesting un-reassembled parts just laying around everywhere.

Us in front of the great city gate of Afrodisias

Afrodisias' stadium, seating 30,000, the best-preserved such structure from the 
Roman world



Many of the seats had markings on them, said to be seating reservations! 
("Family of Pseudolus Maximus, IV seats, home games,  LXIX...Go LIONS!")



Temple of Aphrodite; later a basilica

A mason's mark (to get paid)

One of the city's two agora, part of the south agora

Looking back to the north agora and Hadrian's Baths

The theatre, built into the side of a hill excavations of which revealed neolithic 
habitation going back to 5800 BCE

Looking from the hill back toward the Temple of Aphrodite and the stadium: 
the long line of columns traces the length of a pool and arcade in the south agora

Public hall and more baths

Remains of the Sebasteion, a three-level arcade for the worship of emperors 
and glorification of the empire; remains of many of the friezes are in the museum

Museum annex, where most of the Sebasteion resides; the museum contains a 
great wealth of statues, busts, and other items recovered in the various 
excavations, many in very good condition

Perhaps the most important of which is this, the city's official 
statue of Aphrodite

Garden Camping, Selcuk

We have not seen all the campgrounds in Turkey, nor is it completely fair to judge them in the low-season, but the best we have come across is Garden Camping, in Selcuk. It is in a wooded area just under the citadel, away from the city, part of a large organic farm, with all the facilities and amenities, and within easy walking distance of all Selcuk's sights. Ephesus is walkable too, if a bit more distant. In high season, its restaurant is reputedly one of Selcuk's best, with everything very locally-sourced. We happened to be at Garden Camping during Kurban Bayrami, the Festival of the Sacrifice, most important of Turkish and Islamic holidays. The remarkable Sallioglu family, who have businesses and interests in Italy, Istanbul, and Selcuk, were singularly wonderful hosts, educating us about Turkish products, customs and life, and inviting us and the other camper couple to share in the Festival Feast.

Entrance to Garden Camping

A couple ancient--archaeological grade--hamami adjoin the

property 



Our wash, just below the citadel...



We got to know them well enough to buy a small rug--which is saying something 
in our case--alas, not the beautiful silk-on-silk pictured (next time, after we have 
won the lottery); pictured with us is Mehmet Sallioglu

Festival of the Sacrifice Feast: the Netherlands camping couple, Sallioglu 
daughters  Nesrin and Gulseren, mother Emine, father Mehmet, daughter 
Ilayda Selma, and Vicki; Nesrin has a textile/fashion design firm in

Istanbul; Ilayda is a pop singer of note (http://www.ilaydamusic.com/); 
Gulseren runs the campground; Mehmet has businesses in Italy and Turkey; 
mother Emine keeps it all going and is a great chef; a fourth daughter, Nuray, 
is a stock broker in Istanbul



In memoriam: Ralph the Ram, whose sacrifice provided us with breaded and fried 
liver and boiled rib meat; he was joined by seasoned rice and a luscious tomato 
salad and home-baked bread; followed by assorted fruit and Emine's special 65-layer 
home-made baklava; all a great treat and privilege for us

Efes Museum

The museum of items from Efes (Ephesus) is located in modern-day Selcuk, so we decided to visit the museum before seeing the ancient city, which is probably the best-known of Turkey's many classical sites. The museum was just a couple hundred meters from our campsite.

Nice sarcophagus in a garden setting outside the museum

Bust of Marcus Aurelius...



As found in excavations of Efes

"Honey, could you press that little button, and smile?" The

Priapos is one of the museum's most popular artifacts; they

discreetly keep it in a darkened box--it's a family museum--

which is hilarious, since you can buy a replica at any trinket

shoppe from Istanbul to Antioch, Izmir to Nemrut

Dagi

A more artful version, with Virgil's famous

lines

Sundial in the courtyard



Roman glass, which we always find intriguing

"And now for something completely different:

a woman with ..." Efes Museum's most

famous item, the larger-than-life statue of

Artemis

Different version

Entrance to the ruins of the massive Byzantine Basilica of

St. John the Evangelist (he's supposed to be buried

somewhere underneath)

View from the ticket office, the citadel in the background

We decided to take a pass on this one, since a) everything

is restored--restored ruins--everything you see is modern,
b) it's merely Byzantine, c) we're really more into the
Synoptic Gospels, and d) no plenary indulgence was offered

Temple of Artemis, or, the Bigger They Are, the Harder They Fall

Another couple hundred meters away is the Temple of Artemis, another of Pliny's Seven Wonders of the World. Nature, time, and humanity seem to have had particular scorn for these seven. Only the pyramids of Egypt remain in recognizable shape.

Model of the Temple of Artemis, from the Efes (Ephesus) Museum, in Selcuk; 
the ancient world's largest, and probably not surpassed as a religious site until 
the Hagia Sofia; for all I know

Rubble in a swamp; not even very much rubble

One column remains upright, of 127

A row of stumps

A few stones still in some semblance of order

Sic transit, Gloria

Isa Bey Mosque

Just a few hundred meters from Garden Camping is the 14th century Isa Bey Mosque, one of the older still-functioning mosques in Turkey, a major tourist destination.

Completed in 1375; 17th century earthquakes brought down a 
minaret and the courtyard columns; restored in 1995 or so

Interior courtyard

Mosque interior; the floor is covered not by prayer rugs but by regular rugs, 
some very large and probably very old

Ditto

Ditto ditto



Meanwhile, back in the courtyard...

From the cemetery

Columns

A beautiful, old, mighty structure

Selcuk

We got to Selcuk, found Garden Camping just below the citadel, and set up for a few days' rest. I took a number of walks into and around town, but we did not do any sightseeing in earnest for three restful days.

Selcuk has a well-known Saturday market, indeed one of the

largest weekly markets I have seen anywhere; produce

departments in groceries and supermarkets are relatively

small in Turkey; most Turks buy their produce at markets

such as this one where there are hundreds of vendors; of

course there are garment districts, hardware districts,

houseware districts, and on and on



Aquaduct ruins in Selcuk

It's a regional center but also a tourist town--with its own

major sites and Ephesus just a few kms away; also host, in

the winter, to Turkey's major camel-wrestling (camel vs.

camel) tournament

Cat in a bowl; not a small cat either

More local ruins, near the St. John Church

A small local amusement park

Everyone has satellite TV...

The citadel, currently undergoing restoration; the

campgound is right below it

Random Magnetic Ruins

After Priene we drove on, intent on nothing but finding that nice campground in Selcuk we had heard of, near Ephesus, and taking several days off. We are tired travelers, and Vicki's arm needs rest. But the cultural and historical sites in Turkey are without end, and, not far from Selcuk, without even noticing the brown cultural/heritage signage, we passed another ruined city, this time Magnesia. It was in none of our guidebooks. We had to stop for just a few pix outside the fence. Magnesia was settled by Greeks from Thessaly, Leukippos and his followers, the Magnetes (could be a rock band; "and now, direct from their home town in Thessaly, and following a succesful tour of Asia Minor, please welcome Leukippos and the Magnetes..."), in the 5th century BCE. It became a religious center under the Byzantines, then declined. Aegean and Mediterranean Turkey are just littered with such places. I wonder whether anyone has seen them all.