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| Kusadasi, Turkey |
A few years ago I found myself,
by chance, in Kusadasi, Turkey. I say “by
chance” because it was at a time when riots had broken out in Egypt and the
holiday I was originally booked on had to be changed at the last minute. Kusadasi (Bird Island) has become known as
The Gateway to Ephesus because the ruins of this very ancient city are just 10
miles away – so a visit could not be passed up.
On the way we passed through a
wide plain where the Temple of Artemis once stood. This had been one of the seven wonders of the
ancient world but all that remains in the 21st. century is a lone
pillar. St. John is said to have written
his Gospel here and it is also thought to have been the last home of the Virgin
Mary.
It is difficult to find words which describe the City of
Ephesus – impressive, glorious, lavish all spring to mind, but for a keen amateur
photographer like myself “captivating” is probably the most apt. The tour took us through the main
thoroughfare (The Marble Street) from the high hillside entrance down to the
plain. If I strayed too
far from the guide there was every chance of getting lost but whenever possible
I struck out on my own for just
a few minutes.
It was during one of these “stolen” moments that I
came across an American photographer.
She had two cameras slung around her neck the most impressive of which
would not have looked out of place in a museum.
She told me that it was
a Rolleiflex which had
belonged to her grandfather and apparently it worked as good today as it had 55
years ago when he had purchased it. In
fact she told me that it took
much better pictures than today’s digital
varieties.
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| "Rolleiflex camera" by Juhanson - Image taken by Juhanson. Licensed under Creative Commons |
The lady was a freelance
photographer from a little town called York – New York (!!). Apparently she was as frustrated as I was
with having to stay with a guide but she had the flexibility of being able to
return the next day when she hoped to visit much earlier in the morning when
the light would be better for her photographs.
Who knows, perhaps one day I may come across her Ephesus photos in National
Geographic.
Something worthy
of note is the Cats of Ephesus. They
would suddenly appear on the top of ruined pillars as if from nowhere.
The most
impressive sight of all has to be the façade of The Library of Celsus. A photograph will describe it much better
than I can in words:
But just before I
reached The Library my attention was drawn to one side – to the Scholastica
Baths. I explored a little further and
lo & behold discovered the Ancient Loos !!
The marble toilets are set in benches with no screens to section one
from another. Going to the loo was a
very communal business in those days and scholarly matters were discussed in
the relaxed atmosphere. If the weather
was cold then slaves would be sent in advance to warm the seats for their
masters.
In front and to
the foot of the toilet seats was a channel carrying water. This was useful for cleansing oneself after
the event. The method was to use a dampened
sponge on a stick. The sponge would then
be rinsed off in the channel and (wait for it) – then passed onto the next
person who requested it!!! I understand
that this is where the phrase “Getting the wrong end of the stick” originates
from!
A fee was charged
to use these communal loos but I do not know how it would compare with today’s
20p. Fortunately for me the Ancient Loos
of Ephesus are no longer in operation – although one is allowed to sit on them.
More modern facilities with separate cubicles were available in the tourist
congregation area at the exit to the site.
I can only hope
that I have not put my readers off reading another of my posts.
Until tomorrow!
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