Harbour of Ephesus

Submitted by Iza on Wed, 05/19/2021 - 08:24

The harbour quarter of Ephesus is located to the south of the Church of Mary. The harbour itself silted up a long time ago and is now a small lake, although there are some plans of the Turkish authorities to make it functional again. The revitalisation of the harbour means that it would be possible to sail into the ancient city once again. However, these plans are very vague at the moment and the area is not accessible to visitors.

This text is a fragment of a guidebook to Ephesus: "The Secrets of Ephesus".

Middle Harbour Gate fragments, Ephesos Museum, Vienna

Odeon of Troy

Submitted by Iza on Mon, 05/10/2021 - 09:23

The odeon of Troy, originating most probably from the time of Emperor Octavian Augustus, still has a podium and several rows of marble seats. This building served as a concert-hall as its Greek name means the place for the recitation of odes. Decorative marble blocks, lying in front of the odeon, were once a part of its scaenae frons, i.e. the stage building. It was first discovered by Wilhelm Dörpfeld in 1893 but did not receive much attention from archaeologists until recently.

This text is a fragment of a guidebook to Troy "The Secrets of Troy (TAN Travel Guide)".

Historical town of Kemaliye and the Medieval churches and monasteries of Midyat and Tur Abdin plateau added to UNESCO Tentative List

Submitted by Iza on Mon, 05/03/2021 - 10:18

Two more historical assets from the area of Turkey have been submitted to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List in April 2021. The first one is the town of Kemaliye in Eastern Anatolia and the second one is the city of Midyat and its numerous Medieval churches and monasteries.

April 2021 in Turkish archaeology

Submitted by Iza on Sat, 05/01/2021 - 09:51

April 2021 brought alarming news concerning the state of the ancient city of Assos where the rock fragments fell onto the road to the ancient harbour. Also, the historical rock tombs in the ancient city of Kaunos are under the threat of extinction, losing their structural integrity due to the deterioration of rocks. Meanwhile, thirty graves were unearthed in a basilica church in the ancient city of Kibyra and a monastery built in the Roman period and a nearly 1500-year-old mosaic were discovered in Aliağa.

Ruins of Assos on the slope facing the sea

Theatre of Dreams or Illusion

Submitted by Iza on Wed, 04/21/2021 - 17:45

Nestling upon the shores of the Aegean some two hours drive south of Izmir one can find the site of the second most important Oracle active during the Archaic and Hellenistic Eras; the Temple of Apollo in ancient Didyma. Indeed, this area was purported to be a sacred place devoted to Apollo even before the Greek colonization c.800 BCE.

Text and photos by Glenn Maffia