TURKEY is the only country situated in two continents, Europe and Asia. The two continents are separated, from south to north, by the Dardanelles Strait, the Sea of Marmara and the Bosporus river.
The Black Sea is to the north. It borders with Greece and Bulgaria in the northwest, Russia and Iran in the east, and Iran and Syria in the southwest.
Turkey was our second leg on our trip to Greece in 2001. (See my article about Greece posted in March 2010.) Greece and Turkey, two countries with different religions, different languages, different monetary systems and different mentalities, but one thing in common. Both can claim the title of The Cradle of Civilization.
We departed from the port of Piraeus, in Greece, at 7:30 PM and arrived at ISTANBUL at 5:30 PM the next day, after crossing the long Dardanelles Strait. The entrance to this ancient city of eight million people is impressive, specially the view of the silhouetted mosques and the bridge that separates the two continents.
The city of ISTANBUL is also the only city in the world located in two continents; the old walled city in Europe and the modern one, across the long suspended bridge over the Bosporus river, in Asia.
The first tour that we took ashore was to ASIA, crossing the long suspended bridge. We visited a hill that was full of nationals; the view of the city and its numerous mosques, the river, the bay and the famous bridge, was awesome.
I bought a couple of huge tortillas that some ladies were making there and paid with a $5.00. I became and instant millionaire, with more than four million Turkish lire in change.
The following morning, we visited the ruins of King Constantine's castle, then to the Sultan Suleyman Mosque and the Topkapi Palace, a museum consisting of about twenty buildings, where we saw, among myriad of other things, some hair from Mahoma's beard.
Unfortunately, the Grand Covered Bazaar (a complex with about 4,000 tiny shops) is closed for Sunday and we missed this interesting site.
We also visited the mosque of Sultan Ahmed Amii, also known as the BLUE MOSQUE for the blue mosaics that cover most of the interior walls. In front of it, across some beautiful gardens, is HAGIA SOPHIA, an old mosque converted to a museum.
After enjoying the delicious dinner at the ship´s restaurant, and a good night sleep, we took a tour to KUSADASI, (pronounced Kiushadasi, from Kush:bird and ádasi:island. The taxi took us first to the ST. JOHN MONASTERY, a complex of ruins from the second century BC. This is the place where the Apostle St. John wrote the fourth Gospel of the New Testament. He is also buried there, under a marble slab adorned with four Corinthian columns.
Next to it are the ruins of the TEMPLE OF DIANA. When the Ionians came to this part of Turkey they found a great temple surrounded by walls and it boasted a huge wooden statue whom they called Artemis (the Greek word for Diana). It had been rebuilt by several kings, but was finally burned down -on the very same day that Alexander the Great was born- by a madman named Horostratus, who wished to become famous by doing this. Today, only one column and some scattered fragments next to a ditch remain from this majestic and colossal monument, one of the seven wonders of the world.
The taxi then took us to the top of a high mountain where there is a house (rebuilt over the original foundation) where it is said the Virgin Mary had to hide from religious persecution and where she lived the last years of her life.
And then it was EPHESUS! Nobody knows when and by whom this city was first constructed. The first information about it comes from the year 2000 BC. Many people have lived in this ancient city, but it gained the most importance during the Roman period (from the fifth century BC to the first century AD) where close to one million people lived there. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus lived here, Alexander the Great, and Aristides, the Greek writer. The Apostle St. Paul visited it many times to preach against the pagan gods in the huge amphitheater that could hold 24,000 people. History tells us that a jeweler named Demetrius, who used to make silver miniatures of the Temple of Diana, was not happy with St. Paul's preaching against the pagan gods, because it was ruining his business. So, he gathered all the artisans and marched to the great theater where St. Paul was preaching. A big crowd followed, all singing "Great is Artemis of Ephesus", without even knowing the reason of the protest. The apostle had no alternative but to leave the city in a hurry.
Thanks for reading my blog.
The city of ISTANBUL is also the only city in the world located in two continents; the old walled city in Europe and the modern one, across the long suspended bridge over the Bosporus river, in Asia.
The profusion of mosques in Istanbul is amazing. The largest and most beautiful, called the Blue Mosque, is a perfect example of Byzantine architecture.
I bought a couple of huge tortillas that some ladies were making there and paid with a $5.00. I became and instant millionaire, with more than four million Turkish lire in change.
The following morning, we visited the ruins of King Constantine's castle, then to the Sultan Suleyman Mosque and the Topkapi Palace, a museum consisting of about twenty buildings, where we saw, among myriad of other things, some hair from Mahoma's beard.
Unfortunately, the Grand Covered Bazaar (a complex with about 4,000 tiny shops) is closed for Sunday and we missed this interesting site.
We also visited the mosque of Sultan Ahmed Amii, also known as the BLUE MOSQUE for the blue mosaics that cover most of the interior walls. In front of it, across some beautiful gardens, is HAGIA SOPHIA, an old mosque converted to a museum.
After enjoying the delicious dinner at the ship´s restaurant, and a good night sleep, we took a tour to KUSADASI, (pronounced Kiushadasi, from Kush:bird and ádasi:island. The taxi took us first to the ST. JOHN MONASTERY, a complex of ruins from the second century BC. This is the place where the Apostle St. John wrote the fourth Gospel of the New Testament. He is also buried there, under a marble slab adorned with four Corinthian columns.
Next to it are the ruins of the TEMPLE OF DIANA. When the Ionians came to this part of Turkey they found a great temple surrounded by walls and it boasted a huge wooden statue whom they called Artemis (the Greek word for Diana). It had been rebuilt by several kings, but was finally burned down -on the very same day that Alexander the Great was born- by a madman named Horostratus, who wished to become famous by doing this. Today, only one column and some scattered fragments next to a ditch remain from this majestic and colossal monument, one of the seven wonders of the world.
The taxi then took us to the top of a high mountain where there is a house (rebuilt over the original foundation) where it is said the Virgin Mary had to hide from religious persecution and where she lived the last years of her life.
And then it was EPHESUS! Nobody knows when and by whom this city was first constructed. The first information about it comes from the year 2000 BC. Many people have lived in this ancient city, but it gained the most importance during the Roman period (from the fifth century BC to the first century AD) where close to one million people lived there. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus lived here, Alexander the Great, and Aristides, the Greek writer. The Apostle St. Paul visited it many times to preach against the pagan gods in the huge amphitheater that could hold 24,000 people. History tells us that a jeweler named Demetrius, who used to make silver miniatures of the Temple of Diana, was not happy with St. Paul's preaching against the pagan gods, because it was ruining his business. So, he gathered all the artisans and marched to the great theater where St. Paul was preaching. A big crowd followed, all singing "Great is Artemis of Ephesus", without even knowing the reason of the protest. The apostle had no alternative but to leave the city in a hurry.
Thanks for reading my blog.
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