Winter Holiday 2011: Selçuk and Efes
Selçuk is a small town, but not one to be ignored. It lies 3km from the ruins of the ancient city Efes (Ephesus in English) and is also home to several other ruins, including the Artemission, or Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. We arrived by train and were met with views up a hill to a sprawling castle. Right outside the train station stands part of the old Roman aquaduct, some of the columns now used as a base for migrating storks' nests.
It being the winter, and therefore the off season, meant that many pansiyons and guest houses were closed for renovations. We were directed by the owner of one such place to the ANZ pansiyon, run by a jovial Turk who had lived in Australia for several years and picked up a strong Aussie accent - in fact at first we questioned whether or not he was actually Australian. It was a nice place; well-decorated rooms and a cosy communal living room area. It was also rather chilly.
After a warming cup of apple tea we set off to take a peek at the Artemission before the sun set. However stunning this temple was in its day, there's not too much to be said for it now. One surviving column in the middle of a muddy, boulder-strewn field, with a small swamp covering up further blocks of stone. A shabby sign with badly translated English, and a rusty unmanned gate added to the impression that this place had lost all traces of its former glory. But to still be there at all is something, and we were glad we'd taken the 10 minutes to sneak a peek.
Dinner that night was in a small but cosy kebap place; a couple of tables against the wall, tv on in the corner, and tasty food. On the walls were reviews from previous happy eaters, and the table tops had an array of maps and leaflets under a glass cover to keep you entertained while waiting to be served.
Monday was Efes day, and this in itself was pretty exciting. The morning dawned crisp and clear...and cold. Bundled up and bracing ourselves, we made our way to the dolmuş (small mini-bus like vehicle, literally translates as “stuffed”) station as we didn't fancy the 3km walk. The dolmuş dropped us on the side of the road, and we walked down a twisting lane which eventually led to the site.
On arrival at the lower entrance, a shady walkway took us past Roman milestones (complete with camouflaged bug, see flickr) to the Arcadian Way. This ancient street leads up to the Amphitheatre. Lined with a few columns and paved with smooth pale flagstones, it makes a nice introduction to the city. Turning away from the Amphitheatre to look behind you also provides stunning views over the surrounding countryside.
The Amphitheatre was one of my favourite parts. It's just that big and that impressive. A giggling group of three potentially Korean girls shuffled forward to sing shortly after we got there, and even though we were down by the stage area, the acoustics were noticably amplifying their voices, echoing the sound around the vast space. The banks of stone seats were steep and eroded in many places, but the climb became oh so worth it once you reached the top. We sat for a while, warmed by the ever-strengthening sun, enjoying both the views and the unescapable feeling of being in the midst of something very old, and very awe-inspiring.
The road leading away from the Ampitheatre is also paved and column-lined. One of the flagstones bears the remains of a signpost of sorts from times gone by. A woman's head, a footprint showing you which way to go, and the now-faded away words “follow me” told passers-by where they could find the brothel. Shortly after this signposting however, all thoughts of centuries-old friskiness is shoved out of your mind as you come upon the Library.
Really, all that's left of the Library is the facade. There are a few bits of stone here and there round about, but they don't ever get much attention. The facade is captivating. Ornate, detailed stonework, cleverly designed proportions to make it appear larger than it really is, and, well, that's enough to make it spectacular. We spent quite a while there, looking up, moving a few feet to one side, looking up some more. Good on the Romans for knowing books are important.
Scattered around the library are the ruins of what seemed to be houses or small buildings; the foundations still visible and doorways still standing. We then moved on to the Terraced Appartments. These had been highly recommended by friends and so we knew they would be worth the extra cost. Parts are still undergoing restoration, with teams hard at work brushing up marble and doing very complicated adult-style jigsaw puzzles to recreate mosaics. We walked through the different sections marking out where individual dwellings used to be. In some you could see evidence of the Roman heating system; ground set lower than floor level, and stumpy columns on which the floor would rest (while hot wtaer flowed in between). Some of the floor mosaics were stunning in both colour and detail.
Moving on and up the main road, we almost passed by the latrines without noticing them. This was quickly rectified and the obligatory posed shots were taken. Ahead of us lay the remains of small temples, houses and walkways. The day was warming up and by the time we reached the far end of the site, the second amphitheatre, the tour groups were beginning to appear. Feeling very grateful we'd been able to do most of our exploring in relative peace, we called it a day and headed back to Selçuk.
After some delicious pide for lunch (Turkish version of pizza, without the tomato sauce but usually made with very tasty dough) we meandered around town before calling in at the Efes Museum. Here are housed the precious finds from the site, preserved and kept safe from smugglers. Amongst other things they have a large collection of statues which were once part of various fountains, and, more interesting to me, an oddball assortment of various household items; vases, bowls, ornaments, jewellery and so on.
That evening we arranged to combine travelling to Lake Bafa the next day with a three-stop tour of ancient cities - Priene, Miletus and Didyma.
To be continued...