Turkey Day 6 - almost the end of the trip

This day starts at a place called Sardis. Sardis was one of the seven cities that John wrote to in the Book of Revelation. Our first stop, of course, is to the restrooms.

 

I'm the monitor! :)

 

 Right outside the restrooms is this woman selling scarves. Beautiful scarves.

Our next stop - the Temple of Artemis.Construction began on this temple in 300 B.C., but expansions and renovations continued for many centuries. This temple was the fourth largest Ionic temple in the world and one of the seven largest of all Greek temples. The southeast portion of this temple was eventually turned into a Byzantine church.

The man in the center there is our boss, Eran Hayet. He came with us to Turkey in Winter of 2012.

 

 I'm not thrilled by ruins, unlike Kent. One column looks like another to me :). But, the setting is UNBELIEVABLE!!!

 

In the lower part of Sardis there is a gymnasium - really amazing!!

 

 Right next to it is a synagogue. That is our guide, Necip, waiting for us. :)

 

 There are some beautiful, original tiles on the standing walls:

 

 And always a favorite of mine - mosaics:

Thyatira was our next site. Thyatira is also one of the Seven Churches that John wrote to in the Book of Revelation. It was famous as a center for producing purple dye.

After Paul saw the “man of Macedonia” in a vision, he sailed from Troas and traveled to Philippi in Macedonia. In Philippi he met a wealthy woman named Lydia (who was originally from Thyatira), and he baptized her and her entire household. Lydia was “a seller of purple”, meaning she owned a successful business manufacturing and selling purple cloth—a trade she probably learned growing up in Thyatira. The ruin is in the middle of modern-day Ahkisar in northwestern Turkey.

 

 We walked down this lovely street on our way to the ruin:

These are a few shots of the site itself:

This is a view of the streets surrounding the site:

We made a drive to a place called Bursa.

It was famous because of its hot springs and baths. It was also an important international trade center for silk and other imported products on the caravan route from Asia.

The largest mosque in Bursa is called the Ulu Cami (a phrase that means “Grand Mosque” in Turkish and is pronounced “U-lu JA-mee”). The building is rectangular and has 20 domes arranged in rows of 5 and supported by 12 massive columns. Outside the mosque are 2 thick minarets. Inside the mosque is a large fountain used for ritual washings before prayer, as well as almost 200 examples of beautiful calligraphy on the walls, columns, and large plates, written by famous Seljuk calligraphers.

This is a place to wash before entering the mosque. Also, notice the thick minaret to the left:

 

Another washing area:

 

 Entrance:

 

Washing or ablution fountain inside. The dome above is open, so when it rains - it rains into the fountain. :)

 

 

 Different scenes inside. Look at all the beautiful calligraphy:

 

 This niche is called the Mihrab and faces Mecca - the direction that Muslims face when they pray.

 

 Just to the right of the mihrab is the minbar - where the Imam stands preach. The cute guy in front is NOT the Imam. :)

 

 

The Grand Mosque is next to the Bursa Silk market. It was once a caravansary and the shops & restaurants are within the old rooms and lofts of that caravansary. I've gotten some beautiful scarves here.

 

This is one of the entrances:

Courtyard:

 

 Stairs going up to the upper level:

 

 Our day ends with a stay in a very nice hotel with great food. Great day all around!

You won't believe this - I can't believe it!!!!

President Uchtdorf attended our District Conference two Saturdays ago. He and his family then had some vacation time here in the Holy Land. Kent and I had the privilige of escorting them for 8 days. It was an unbelievable experience - one we'll never forget. :)  :) :) :)

 

 

 

Turkey Day 5

I didn't actually go to Turkey this semester, but I have previous semester pics to share. On Day 5 we go to Ephesus:

 So here is the main road - you can see the famous library at the end 

 

 All along both sides of the road are shops, government buildings,
shrines to various Gods, etc. etc.

 

This is a fountain

 

This is where the Nike symbol comes from. :)  

 

Now we're getting closer to the library

 

 At the library:

 

As you leave the library, you come into the agora - the market area. You know me and my flowers! Aren't they amazing???

 

This used to be the road from the harbor into the agora. The harbor is WAY far away now.

 

 These are what the water pipes looked like:

 

 Here is a grand view of the main attraction - the theater:  

 

In the theater they were preparing for a performance of some sort:

 

As you leave or enter the theater you turn and see this road. It originally connected to the harbor.

 

They have uncovered one area that is full of upscale houses. Entrance requires a separate ticket, so during our free time, Kent and I went and explored.

 

 I took this picture because of the painting on the inside.

 

 These are not "humble" homes.

 

 Private bath

 

 This looks like a wall, but it is actually a floor.

 

 

This is the walkway that exits Ephesus. It was from along here that I took the view of the theater.

 

 

After we leave Ephesus, we have lunch at one of my favorite places of the whole trip. It is a little restaurant run by a woman and her parents. They serve authentic Turkish food and are so gracious to us. They love the students!

 

 

Our last stop of the day is a place called Prienne. It is really beautiful. The reason we bring our students here is because 1) it is a really cool ancient site and 2) you can look across the valley [which used to be a sea port] and see Miletus. Miletus is where Paul went at least twice during his missionary journeys. Miletus is not as awesome as Prienne and is very swampy most of the year.

 

 

Part of what I love about this place is the setting:

 

 This is the temple

 

I was trying to get the sound of their bells in. Oh, well. :)

 

Here is the theater

 

 Here is another broader view of the theater - it would be hard to concentrate on your performance when you had this to look at behind the audience. Actually, this might be a good cure for nerves. Look at the scenery, not the audience. :)

 

In the theater are some VIP seats. In about 1984 Kent and I had our picture taken sitting in one of them. This is really bad, because it is a picture of the picture. This semester, 2 of our students "reinacted" the picture. Scroll down.