Author Archives: Sonya

Ancient Greek city of Ephesus

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We awoke early in Selçuk the following morning after a pleasant stay at the Australian New Zealand guesthouse, run by a Turkish Australian man who had lived in Perth for eight years. Our first stop was the Aqueduct which then led us to the 6th century Basilica of St. John the Apostle which some believe, is built on the site of the Apostle’s tomb. It is believed that the Apostle John fled from Jerusalem to the city where he remained for the rest of his life, writing his gospels.  We spent some time wandering around the Basilica grounds – it was serene and peaceful with no other tourists around.  From the Basilica we could see the grand fortress of Selçuk on Ayasoluk Hill and the İsa Bey Mosque.

Byzantine AqueductRestored ruined pillars which supported the aqueductRestored ruined pillars which supported the aqueduct
Travis at the Gate of PersecutionRuins of Basilica of St. JohnRuins of Basilica of St. John
The Tomb of St. JohnIsa Bey MosqueSonya at the ruins of Basilica of St. John
The Tomb of St. JohnGrand fortress Ottoman castleLooking west across the interior of the Basilica of St. John

Ephesus was our next stop located about four kilometres from the city. When we arrived a few tour buses had already unloaded. We decided on opting for a guided tour and were approached by an English speaking guide, Volkan, who held the record for longest tour (51 days) in Turkey.  The history of the Ephesus site spans thousands of years, beginning in the Neolithic age (around 6000BC) across the Bronze, Dark ages, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine eras before being conquered during the Ottoman Period and abandoned.   Now, Ephesus contains the largest Roman ruins in the eastern Mediterranean and only 25% of the site had been excavated.

Highlights of Ephesus include the Library of Celsus, a façade of which has been carefully reconstructed from original pieces, the Theatre which has a 22,000 seating capacity, the outdoor/communal latrines which were also a key social area, The Temple of Hadrian, The Temple of Domitrian and the agora (market places).  After the tour we decided to also visit the recently excavated Roman apartments, the living compounds of where wealthy Romans lived. They were surprisingly spacious, bright and airy and beautifully decorated with mosaics covering walls and floors. The rooms were also huge and numerous.

Varius BathsOriginal Roman ceramic drainage pipesStoa of the State Agora
Gaius Memmius MemorialWinged Angel of VictoryLooking down Curetes Street towards the Library of Celsus
Curetes Street with the Library of Celsus in the backgroundSonya with Curetes Street in the backgroundSonya and the Gate of Hercules
Greek writing along Curetes StreetTrajan FountainStoa of Alytarches mosaics
Temple of HadrianRoman public latrineLibrary of Celsus
CrossSonya and the tour guide with a SarcophagusHadrian Gate
Ephesus Brothel AdvertInside the Great TheatreTravis and Sukey looking down the Arcadian Avenue
Sonya and Sukey looking down the Arcadian AvenueLooking down the Arcadian AvenueLooking up at the Great Theatre
Greek writing on stone blocksCat on ancient stone blocksLooking over Commercial Agora
Library of CelsusSophia Greek wisdomSukey and the Library of Celsus
Travis and the Library of CelsusLibrary of CelsusSonya and the Library of Celsus
Sonya inside Gate of Mazaeus and MithridatesPutting together the mosaics of the apartmentsClose-up of restored marble
Sukey and Sonya inside the Palaces on the SlopesRestoration worksTravis and Sonya inside the Palaces on the Slopes
Lion floor mosaics in the Palaces on the SlopesRestoration worksDionysus God of the Wine mosaic
Bird paintingNereid and Triton MosaicFloor mosaics in the Palaces on the Slopes
Travis and the Library of CelsusTravis and Sonya the Library of CelsusSonya and the Library of Celsus
Statue of Alexandros on Curetes StreetSukey and Sonya at Kahvalti RestaurantGozleme

After our morning in Ephesus we decided to taken on Voltron’s recommendation and visit one of the local restaurants nearby to the Seven Sleepers, for some Gözleme (pancakes / crepes) before heading off to our next stop, Pamukkale.

Related posts:

  1. Acropolis, Pergamon
  2. Pamukkale and Hierapolis
  3. Troy, City of Troia, Turkey
  4. Karnak Temple – the largest ancient religious site in the world
  5. The Temples of Baalbek

Troy, City of Troia, Turkey

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The famous city of Troy (or Troia in Turkish) lies an hour or so south of Çanakkale. We had visited the Trojan horse built for the Brad Pit featuring Troy movie that morning in Çanakkale before heading to the ruins.

thydzikgooglemap(http://sonyaandtravis.com/maps/turkey-2011-canakkale-to-troy.xml)

Clock tower at nightSeaportTravis with the Trojan Horse form Troy movie
Trojan Horse form Troy movieTrojan Horse from Troy movieSonya and Sukey having breakfast

thydzikgooglemap(http://sonyaandtravis.com/maps/turkey-2011-canakkale.xml)

City of Troy (Troia)

As we had heard, the ruins had not been very well preserved. The site was discovered in the late 1800s by an excavation led by a German merchant, Schliemann. Until then, there was very little known about whether Troia, described in Homer’s Illiad, had existed or not. When Schliemann’s first excavation uncovered the ruins which he claimed to be Troia, it was immediately thought that the relics and ruins related to the famous stories and poetry of Troy, however as more archaeologists discovered more about the ruins, they realised the site contained layers of ancient ruins across several generations (over something like 2000 years) of Troia cities which they named Troy I to Troy IX. Schliemann’s discovery was related to the Troy II period. It is now widely accepted that the epic Greek story of the Trojan War would have likely been during Troy VIIa.

Anyway despite it being low season we saw at least three Japanese tour buses. Some of the Turkish guides even spoke fluent Japanese. As we were leaving a young couple approached Travis and asked if they could hitch a ride with us to the main road. They were both in their early twenties and very friendly. We found out the girl was Spanish and the guy was Slovakian (can’t remember their names), and their next destination was Pergamon, same as us. They were travelling Western Turkey via public transport and hitchhiking, and using CouchSurfing as accommodation. Ah, to be students! So we gave them a lift to Pergamon, another three and a half hour drive away.

Walls of Troy VIIView of the Trojan HorseWalls of Troy VII
Travis and the walls of Troy VIIOriginal red brick walls of Troy II and IIISukey in a 2000 year old well
Sonya and Travis with the Troy walls behindLooking over Troy IVWater system form Hittite settlement
Pillar HouseSukey sitting at the OdeonCollection of pillars
Sukey and Sonya inside the Trojan HorseSukey and Sonya inside the Trojan HorseSonya and Sukey exiting the Trojan Horse

thydzikgooglemap(http://sonyaandtravis.com/maps/turkey-2011-troy.xml,s)

Related posts:

  1. Acropolis, Pergamon
  2. Istanbul, Turkey (Türkiye)
  3. Ancient Greek city of Ephesus
  4. Gallipoli – The ANZAC Walk
  5. Ras Abrouq peninsula – Film City and Zekreet Fort

Istanbul, Turkey (Türkiye)

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My sister Sukey had decided to come and visit us during her uni break so we thought it would be an opportune time to do some more travelling.  With Sukey travelling all the way from Perth, we planned to do a trip to Turkey before her stop in Qatar and to save some time we decided we would meet her in Istanbul.

Doha to Istanbul is a short four hour trip. We took Turkish Airlines and it was a pleasant trip – being a red eye flight, I pretty much slept the whole flight. There was a cat in the main cabin which persisted on meowing during the entire trip which was a little bizarre (not that he was meowing – that he was on the flight).

We found a tired Sukey (27 hours of travelling from KL) at the Visa office and picked up our car – a big Renault sedan and headed to Sultanahmet – the area we would be staying for the next three days.  As we approached the city area we realised the Renault was probably not the best choice for inner city Istanbul! We managed to find our hostel and settled in just in time for breakfast – the traditional Turkish breakfast of olives, feta cheese, tea (çay), bread, cucumber, tomato and boiled eggs.

Day 1 – Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque and Grand Bazaar

The morning was spent wandering around Sultanahmet. Right next to the picturesque Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque as it’s commonly known) we decided to walk there first.  Being Friday, morning prayers were taking place so we took a few photos and decided to head across to the basilica Hagia Sophia (Aya Sofia in Turkish) only just across from the Mosque.  The Hagia Sophia, smaller in size than the Blue Mosque, was completed in 357AD during the Byzantine period and served as a church but since then has been used as a mosque and is now a museum. Interestingly, during the Ottoman period the Hagia Sophia served as a basis for the design of mosques including the Blue Mosque.

Architecturally the Aya Sofiya was amazing – the interior grand with its massive domes and Christian depictions. Inside are also a number of mosaics my favourite being one of the Virgin Mary and her Child, Jesus, flanked by Justinian I who is handing her a model of Hagia Sophia and Constantine I, offering a model of the city, Constantinople.

Hagia SophiaTravis and Sonya outside Hagia SophiaHagia Sophia Dome
Arabic writingColourful tilesApse mosaic of the Theotokos
Sukey inside Hagia SophiaChrist on the Deesis mosaicSukey and a red door
Sukey and Sonya with Hagia Sophia in the backgroundHagia SophiaTravis, Sukey and Sonya with Hagia Sophia in background
Red walls of Hagia SophiaRed walls of Hagia SophiaHagia Sophia at night

thydzikgooglemap(http://sonyaandtravis.com/maps/turkey-2011-istanbul-hagia-sophia.xml,s)

On our way to the Blue Mosque we sampled the first of our street food. A colourfully dressed street vendor and his stall at Sultanahmet Square were surrounded by men, women, children. Naturally this caught our eye and we wondered what all the fuss was about. Fifteen minutes later Sukey had herself a gooey lollipop on a stick which I thought was a little overrated – but almost every Istanbuli in the area seemed to have one! Outside the mosque we also tried simit (bread) a popular Turkish breakfast.  At this point, a Turkish family also asked Sukey and I to take a photo with them!

The Blue Mosque – inside was very, well – mosque like. It is still used as a mosque and there is a women’s area inside as well. Impressive Islamic mosaics – however I much preferred it’s grandness from the outside.

Vaulted arcade (revak)Sonya and TravisSukey and Sonya
Sukey and Sonya at the hexagonal fountainMany doors under the vaulted arcade (revak)Blue Mosque viewed from inside
Sonya and Sukey eating Simit breadTravis with the Blue MosqueSukey and Sonya inside the Blue Mosque
Blue Mosque from Sultanahmet ParkBlue Mosque from Sultanahmet ParkTravis, Sonya and Sukey with the Blue Mosque in background
Sonya and the Blue MosqueColourful man selling honey salab teaBlue Mosque at night

thydzikgooglemap(http://sonyaandtravis.com/maps/turkey-2011-istanbul-blue-mosque.xml,s)

After the mosque we headed towards the Grand Bazaar. What a place! The biggest bazaar/souq I’ve seen – we actually got lost in the place! Hundreds of alleys of jewellery, artwork, ceramic tiles, leather, bags, shoes, it was a shopper’s paradise.  My sister and I started making lists in our heads of what we would pick up on the way back…

Entrance to Grand BazaarVarious Arabic trinketsEvil Eye Nazars
Inside the Grand BazaarColourful ceramicsColourful scarfs
Inside the Grand BazaarWooden gamesSukey at Faros restaurant
Column of ConstantineTravis at Cennet restaurantPreparing Gozleme

thydzikgooglemap(http://sonyaandtravis.com/maps/turkey-2011-istanbul-grand-bazaar.xml,s)

In the evening we stopped at restaurant (Faros) for some Turkish mezze and dishes – we shared a musakka (eggplant and lamb), cokertme (potatoes, veal and yoghurt) and an eggplant and goats cheese mezze. It was absolutely delicious and we also had a friendly waiter who taught us some of our first Turkish words.  On our way back we stopped to admire the splendour of the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque at night before heading back to our hostel.  Our hostel was right above a quaint restaurant (by the same name) and that night Sukey and I caught up on sisterly gossip over some local Raki (aniseed spirit, similar to Lebanese Arak).

Day 2 – Basilica Cisterns, Topkapi Palace and Spice Markets

We awoke to a beautiful sunny day. Our hostel, Metropolis, was comfortable and we all slept relatively well (except for the noisy Americans next door who left at 5am for a day trip).  We walked past the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia towards the Basilica Cisterns.  After watching From Russia with Love we were keen to see what the ancient underground cistern’s looked like.   The cisterns were built in the 6th century under Emperor Justinian’s rule – an ingenious way to store water the city’s water. Quite an eerie place, the water still and deep orange lighting across the 10,000 square metre area.  Two pillars stood at the end the very edge of the cistern areas – each with carvings of Medusa’s head (one upside down).

Sukey and Sonya at the entrance to the Basilica CisternSonya inside the Basilica CisternMedusa Gorgoneion

thydzikgooglemap(http://sonyaandtravis.com/maps/turkey-2011-istanbul-basilica-cistern.xml,s)

After the cisterns we headed to the Topkapi Palace, located near the Hagia Sophia. A huge Palace, it was the primary residence of the Ottoman Sultans for over four hundred years.  Since the end of the Ottoman Empire it is now a museum. The Palace is enormous – with something like four courtyards. It’s set on a hill and has amazing views of the Bosphorus.  Highlights for me included the Spoonmaker’s diamond – 86 carat diamond and the fifth largest in the world.  The diamond was actually discovered in the 17th century in a city dump by a local peddler who sold it to a jeweller for a few spoons.  Incredibly sparkly, I couldn’t stop staring at it.  And of course the famous Topkapi Dagger (from the 1964 film Topkapi) weighted down by a row of three big emeralds and diamonds in the hilt and on the cover.   I was expecting to see it on the mannequin of a Sultan, as in the movie but it was not. We also couldn’t take photographs which was a shame.

Turkish guardTravis and Sukey reading the Lonely PlanetThe Gate of Salutation
Travis at the Gate of SalutationFountain of Suleiman ISukey with the Third Courtyard and Privy or Imperial Treasury in background
Colourful tilesSonya and SukeyBaghdad Kiosk
Grand Kiosk in the fourth courtyardSonya with Asian Turkey in the backgroundTravis and Sonya with Asian Turkey in the background
Outside Imperial Council HallColourful tilesFountain in the Harem

thydzikgooglemap(http://sonyaandtravis.com/maps/turkey-2011-istanbul-topkapi-palace.xml,s)

After Topkapi, we headed for lunch – kebabs on Divan Yolu road, before looking for a Whirling Dervishes ceremony show. We managed to get tickets for the following evening so headed back to the hostel for a rest before heading to the Spice Markets. The Spice Markets were extremely crowded. I have never seen so much Turkish delight, spices and tea in my life.  The store vendors here also seemed to be able to say hello in every Asian language so we were Japanese along one aisle and Korean the next. Travis stocked up on Turkish delights and Sukey bought a variety of cheeses, prosciutto and olives. We headed to a small tea stand for Turkish coffee and teas before heading back home.

Turkish DelightSpicesTurkish Delight
Fish MarketFamous Tarihi Sultanahmet Koftecisi restaurantCollage of media clippings

thydzikgooglemap(http://sonyaandtravis.com/maps/turkey-2011-istanbul-spice-bazaar.xml,s)

That evening we caught a taxi to Beyoğlu which is located on the European side of Turkey, but on the north part of the Golden Horn.  Beyoğlu is famous for its restaurants and mayhenes (local Turkish pubs and bars).  As it was Saturday night the streets were packed with locals. We had dinner – a selection of mezze and some red wine before heading to a local bar for some music and dancing.

Day 3 – Chora Church, Yedikule Fortress and Whirling Dervishes

The following day we decided to check out some sites in Western Istanbul. First the Chora Church – a church from the Byzantine period (which was also converted in to a mosque during the 16th century Ottoman rule).  Most of the Christian mosaics are still relatively intact and tell stories of the lives of Mary and Jesus.

Chora Church outside red brickSonya outside the Chora ChurchJesus healing the sick
The Virgin And ChildHarrowing of HadesThe Virgin And Child
The Virgin and JesusMosaic of the Virgin Mother with childClose-up of mosaics

thydzikgooglemap(http://sonyaandtravis.com/maps/turkey-2011-istanbul-chora-church.xml,s)

After this, we went to the Golden Gate and the Yedikule Fortress, part of the Walls of Constantinople which are made of stone.

Looking at Tower of Ahmet IIISonya climbing a TowerNorth and South Pylons flanking the Golden Gate
Sukey climbing Tower of Ahmet IIILooking over the Yedikule Fortress the Mosque ruins in the centreSonya and Travis at the Golden Gate

thydzikgooglemap(http://sonyaandtravis.com/maps/turkey-2011-istanbul-yedikule-fortress.xml,s)

We headed back to the hostel and rested before heading to the Whirling Dervishes ceremony. The Whirling Ceremony is a religious one of the Mevlevi order (Sufi) and traditionally from Konya in central Turkey.  However it has spread to Istanbul and a few places allow visitors to attend and watch the ceremony.  The first part of the ceremony was a traditional musical concert and the second, the Whirling Ceremony. Five semazens entered the round stage and for a good hour, whirled in their white costumes – their faces in a trance-like state and their arms in the air. It was quite amazing to watch.  I think Travis was disappointed we weren’t allowed to take photos, despite the tour booking guide clarifying that we could.

We headed back and rested for our early morning wake up the following day – next stop, Gallipoli.

Related posts:

  1. Troy, City of Troia, Turkey
  2. Istanbul – from Bursa to Beyoglu
  3. Istanbul Beyoglu Street Art
  4. Gallipoli – The ANZAC Walk
  5. Ancient Greek city of Ephesus

A People’s Revolution

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For the past week, we have been following the historical events in Egypt.  At every hour, people at work are gathered in the lunchroom watching Al Jazeera’s coverage of the people protests across Cairo, Alexandria, Suez, Sinai – discussing what will happen next.   Since Friday it has been most chaotic – my boss left for Cairo on Thursday and since then hasn’t had email access as all internet and some mobile services have been cut off by the government.

Today, I commented on how Mubarek looks like he’s in good condition for an eighty plus year old.. my Egyptian colleague rightly stated “So he should – he has been eating all the food of the Egyptian people for the last 30 years”.

Let’s hope people power proves strong enough to see some real changes.

Related posts:

  1. Coptic Cairo, Egypt
  2. Egypt – Our first day in Cairo
  3. Egypt – Egyptian museum and Islamic Cairo
  4. Abu Simbel – reign of Ramesses the Great
  5. Qatar wins bid for 2022 World Cup!