Ancient Ephesus

        This past week we attended a CES training conference in Kusadasi, Turkey.  Those in attendance were CES senior couples from Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, Bulgaria and the baltics.  Most of the couples were from Russia but since it is much easier to obtain visas to enter Turkey than to enter Russia it was decided to hold the conference in Turkey.   Kusadasi is right on the Aegean Sea.  We flew to Istanbul (formerly Constantinople) then to Izmir (anciently the city of Smyrna, one of the Seven Churches of Revelations).  From Izmir it is a short bus ride to Kusadasi.  We enjoyed some great training mostly from the Russian directors of Insitute.  These are four outstanding young men that are truly an inspiration.  They have strong testimonies, are well grounded in the gospel and each of them has a wonderful sense of humor.  It made it an interesting and inspiring few days.  We were also blessed to be instructed several times by Elder Larrry R. Lawrence of the Second Quorum of Seventy and his wife.
     One of the highlights of the trip was an afternoon spent at the site of the ancient city of Ephesus.  Ephesus is a short 1 hour bus ride from Kusadasi.
     The great temple to the greek goddess Artemis (one of the early 7 wonders of the world) was in Ephesus.  It was later renamed by the romans "Diana" after the Roman goddess Diana.  It has since been destroyed.  A single column and some of the foundation is all that remains.  The Apostle Paul spent 2-3 years at Ephesus while he preached the Gospel there and in the surrounding area.  His christian teachings were seen as a threat to some of the local merchants (silversmiths) who made replicas of Diana and sold them to the locals and the visitors to their city.  These merchants and silversmiths were also worried that Paul's teachings would weaken the worship of the great Goddess Diana.  On one occassion when Paul wanted to preach in the Grand Theater (which is still in existence and we were able to see)  There was a tumult caused by some of these merchants and he was advised not to enter the theater.  Read about this incident and other matters pertaining to Ephesus in Acts 19.
       Ephesus was at one time one of the most important cites in the entire region, boasting a population of about 250,000.  The Aegean Sea came right up to the city.  The harbor and the tributary river has silted up over the centuries and the sea coast is now many miles away.  This was one of the reasons for the decline in importance of Ephesus.
        There is a legend that Mary the mother of Jesus spent her last days in Ephesus.  A shrine has been built on the purported location of Mary's home.  The site has been visited by the Pope and is a popular site for Christians and Muslims alike.  Muslims, of course, believe that she was the mother of Jesus, one of the important prophets in the scriptures.
     It was in imspiration to walk the streets where Paul walked and where he taught the Gospel.

The Aegean Sea in the background.

A street in Kusadasi Turkey

Istanbul from the air.

Notice the solar panels with water tanks attached on the roofs.

A little turkish boy fishing in the Aegean Sea with his grandad behind our hotel.

The four Russian Institute directors who instructed us for much of the conference.  From Left Igor, Sergey (director for all of eastern Europe, Alexander ("Sasha for short:  he is our director in the Novosibirsk Mission) and Yuri.

The Turkish countryside.

The upper entrance to Ephesus

This is a Christian symbol found throughout Ephesus.  Together the lines and the circle contain the letters in the Greek word for "fish" and those letters stand for the phrase "Jesus Christ, Son of God Savior."   

These are 1st century water pipes and their are miles of them throughout the area.  They carried both hot and cold water.

This is the front portion of the town library.  It contained about 12,000 volumes.  A medium sized library for the day.

This entire area has been covered by archaeologists and students who are currently working on this site.  It is the home to about 5 or 6 wealthy families.  Many of the frescoes and tiles have fallen from the walls and they are putting them back together like a giant jigsaw puzzle.

A large sitting room in one of the homes.

Some of the frescos that adorn the walls (from the 1st and 2nd century!)

Many of the rooms had these wonderful mosaic tile floors making it look almost like a rug had been placed on the floor.

Notice the water pipes along the floor and coming down the inside corner of the room.  Many of these systems contained both hot and cold water.

This was the entrance to the "Agora" market place.

The library in the background

The grand theater referred to in Acts 19.

        Only a fraction of the city has been uncovered.  The work is ongoing.  We felt blessed to have been able to enjoy this great experience.  We love and miss you all.  The work here goes on and we are loving it all.  The people make us feel at home.  They have become such great friends.
Elder and Sister Noel