We were up, breakfasted and out of the hotel by 0900 and I think a couple of our fellow travellers were a bit annoyed that there was no sightseeing programme in Izmir itself, as apparently there's lots of interesting things to see here.
We're heading now for Ephesus (Efes in Turkish) which, according to our guide book, is unmatched by any other Mediterranean archaeological site (Pompeii aside) and appeals to both serious scholars and those with just a casual interest - so even I might enjoy it!
And enjoy it I did - it was fab-u-lous - and I took loads of photos which I'm posting here with a little text if I can remember. Probably due to the average age of our group (60+) we started at the top of the complex and went down, whereas when it was occupied you would have arrived by boat (water now silted up) and climbed upwards. Good call I think!
According to one legend Ephesus was founded in 1100 BC by an Ionian prince, although another legend attributes it to the female warrior tribe Amazons who named it after their queen Ephesia. However most of what we see today is attributable to the Romans who conquered the area around 200 BC.
The baths.
Ephesus played a vital role in the spread of Christianity with visits by St Paul (he also wrote them a letter) and St John and also Mary, the mother of Jesus, who is thought to have spent her last years here. It was a hotbed of early Christian evangelism and in the days of Christian persecution this symbol, representing Christ and found carved into the stone walkway, was a secret way of announcing that Christians were near.
I wonder if this was the prototype for Dr Who's cybermen enemies??
This stone carving is of Nike, the Greek goddess of Victory.
There are lots of cats living here and we actually saw some guides feeding them.
This one's nose was actually in focus but not much else.
Göksel sharing his immense knowledge.
For a while it was much like other piles of old stones but then we reached the main thoroughfare, Curetes Way which was 210m long and lined with statuary, religious and civil buildings, workshops and even restaurants. You could really get a sense of how the city was in Roman times.
Looking back up the hill.
Rows of shops selling incense, silk and other goods would also have lined the street, many of them with mosaic floors advertising what they sold.
Although for the life of me I don't know what this represents.
The public latrine with more than 12 marble seats arranged around 3 sides of an open colonnaded courtyard for use by the residents and visitors. A channel of fresh water flowed in front of the seats for cleaning.
At the far end stands the magnificent Celsus Library.
But before we could explore the library, we visited some ongoing excavations of living accommodation which were under canvas (not sure if this was for protection from the elements or so they could charge extra to visit). It was quite interesting to see the terracing.
Early versions of wallpaper?
And mosaics
Personally I couldn't wait to get to the main event - the library. Although I can't find quite this version of events online, Göksel told us that in 114 AD the son of Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus (one of the richest businessmen in the city, recently deceased) wanted to build a mausoleum for his father’s remains but that permission wasn’t given so he redesigned the building as a library and was then allowed to build it. His father was entombed in a lead coffin encased in a marble sarcophagus decorated with high relief figures of gods and goddesses, rosettes and garlands and buried under the floor.
Whatever the story behind it, it's stunning.
But nigh on impossible to photograph without people.
The library contained 12,000 scrolls which were intended to be read in situ, rather than borrowed and taken away. In the
façade, there are 4 statues which allegorically embody Celsus' qualities; Sophia (wisdom), Arete (character), Ennoia (judgment) and Episteme (expertise) - these are the first two.
A couple more shots of decorative features.
Just to the right of the Library stands the Gate of Mazaeus and Mithridates, built in 40 AD by two emancipated slaves for their emperor, Augustus, who gave them their freedom.
This carving on the floor allegedly points the way to the brothel which was just behind the library. Apparently if your foot was smaller than the carving, you were deemed too young to avail yourself of the services on offer!
There were two argoras (markets) here, this is the larger, commercial one.
A side view of the Library, the top half was never a storey as such, just decorative.
This stone, right in the middle of town, was where criminals were handcuffed for maximum embarrassment.
I don't know how Ian would have got on, his chubby arm barely fitted.
The theatre which had a seating capacity of 25,000 was initially used for drama but during later, Roman times, gladiatorial combats were also held on its stage (as evidenced by the wall all around which was there to prevent combatants or animals escaping. The first archaeological evidence of a gladiator graveyard was found here in May 2007.
This is Arcadiane or Harbour Street, around 500m long anyone arriving by boat would walk this impressive colonnaded street into town.
Giving them a superb view of the theatre.
Just as we were leaving the grounds our Canadian ex policewoman got accosted by an actor who proceeded to get her to pose in the hope of selling photos. His colleague, the photographer, told me I was depriving him of his living by taking pictures but he said nothing to the rest of our group who were using mobiles.
