Europe:Turkey :If Europe and Asia come together in Turkey, both physically and culturally,
they also part there. The continents are divided within Turkey by the Bosporus Strait,
which likewise divides Istanbul, the country’s largest city.
LET'S VISIT
EPHESUS & THE CHURCH OF ST.MARY IN YEAR 2000
According to tradition, Efes (Ephesus), one
of the most important cities of antiquity, was founded by Androclos, although it has been
established that the Lelegians and Carians inhabited the place earlier. The city must have
been colonized no later than the 10th century B.C., by the lonians. Then Persian invasion
in the 6th century B.C. took place. This was followed
by Ionian uprising against the Persians during the 5th century B.C. The ruins remaining
are of the city established by Lyssimachos, one of the generals of Alexander the Great in
the 3rd century B.C. The best remains of the city ramparts today are from this era. During
its Golden Age (2nd century B.C.), the city had a population of around 300,000; it
monopolized the wealth of the Middle East and was one of the principal ports of the
Mediterranean. Finally, the Roman and Byzantine Empires took control of the city. When the
Seljuks and later Ottomans claimed the control of the city, it had already lost its
commercial and political significance. Today, a visit to Ephesus is one of the highlights
of any visit to Turkey.
Androkles,
the son of Athens king Kossos, who was afraid of Dor’s invasion, got permission from
his father for settling down in quiet places. And by getting on a ship with a group of his
friends, he came out to this most beautiful shore of Aegean. According to the Ion beliefs,
on the purpose of fixing the place of the city which would be newly established, he
visited the priests of Apollon temple at Claros. The priests said him that; “a fish
and a pig would show him the way”. On one evening, Androkles and his friends were
cooking fish at a place near shore. One of the fishes which they cooked, fell down from
the pot and fired the grasses. A pig, which was lying between the grasses, started to
escape fastly. Androkles got on his horse and shot the pig. Here was the front of Kyble
temple. The oracle’s words had been turned out to be true. First, Androkles and his
soldiers clashed with Ephesus people for a short time. He established their temple to the
name of their goddess Artemis at the sploses of Kolossos Mountain, front of Kyble temple
and settled down his nation there.
 The
small societies, which established in Aegean before them, had decided to live in the
places that are further north and they gave the names Ionia and Eolia there, and had
started to form Polis (city governments) which were living in peace. At polis, laws had
been being in force: these laws had provided equvalent living of Ions with the local
public which lived in that vicinity. Androkles, called the Ephesus queen to form a bigger
Ephesus. By this way they gathered and prepared a law string. This law string would
provide their societies’ equivalent living; it would pass the things they knew about
agriculture, trade, art, culture to a higher position. The city’s name remaining as
“Ephesus” was accepted by the wish of the queen.
Ephesus nation was an
expert at agriculture till that day. They were raising especially fig, olive and grape
very well. They knew how to infect, fertilise and make the vegetables more fruitful by
changing their places. They provided wine from grapes and oil from olives. They produced
honey by feeding bee. They knew working with mines, marbles, stones, and by nourishing
animals, they made good use of their milk and meat.However the ions were very good
tradesmen and seamen.of products which they got, to the most far As a result of this two
culture’s mixing, the selling countries that can be reached, had realised and thus a
great richness began to flow Ephesus.
At last Ephesus became
the biggest center of the trade road that was from Asia to Europe. Ephesus began to lead a
splendid life. Ephesus’ name was started to be remembered with respect and
inclination in everywhere. The shore governments of Ions, which directed their own selves,
are the first examples of governments that were managed by democracy at history.
Neighbour governments
and this provided a peace There was a war between the environment. At this peace
environment, they made a decision for being rich by utilising the ground and this was put
into practice. Ions held on the elements, which would provide their living together and
peacefully, top of everything. They took pains not to break off their religious ties with
Greek although they founded independent governments at Anatolia.
Visits to the ruins of Efes usually begin in
the eastern part of the city through the Magnesia Gate, around the important Upper Agora
or also known as the State Agora. The Eastern Gymnasium is located just next to the
Magnesia Gate on the Pion mountain side. Clustered around the State Agora were the Varius
Baths and the Odeion, both from the 2nd century A.D., the Prythaneion or Town Hall, and
the Temple of Domitian - the first temple of Efes to be built in the name of an emperor
(81 - 96A.D.) - located next to the Domitian Square. The Temple of Dea Roma was located
right next to the Odeion.
•Historical Istanbul
•Izmir
•Ephesus
•Bodrum
•Fethiye
•Antalya
•Ankara
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