Basilica of St John in Philadelphia

Submitted by Iza on Sat, 11/25/2023 - 14:27

One of the Seven Churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation was the city of Philadelphia, now known as Alaşehir. Unfortunately, there are no remains of a Christian temple from the period of this apostle's activity in the city, simply because the first Christians met in private houses or meeting rooms. The "Church" that the Book of Revelation mentions was the community of Christians in a particular area. However, in Alaşehir you can see the ruins of a church from the Byzantine period, and more precisely from the 6th century CE.

Small mosques from the Aydınid period in Selçuk

Submitted by Iza on Thu, 11/23/2023 - 17:34

İsa Bey Mosque is not the only mosque in Selçuk that dates back to the 14th century. As a matter of fact, there are several more religious structures from the Aydınid period, and they also deserve some attention. As they are of much smaller dimensions, the word that describes these mosques in Turkish is not "cami" but "mescit", meaning precisely a small mosque or a place of religious worship. It is worth remembering that the present appearance of all of these buildings is the result of a thorough renovation.

The tour of these historical mosques starts and ends near İsa Bey Mosque as they are all located very close to each other, on the southern side of Ayasuluk Hill. The sightseeing tour is arranged clockwise and takes only 45 minutes to complete as the route is around 3-kilometers-long.

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

Acropolis of Pergamon

Submitted by Iza on Sat, 11/18/2023 - 15:48

The modern city of Bergama is dominated by a hill where the ancient Acropolis of Pergamon was located. The word "Acropolis", in the areas of Greek colonization, meant the highest part of the city, most often covered with buildings playing public and religious functions. The Acropolis of Pergamon, unlike the Acropolis of Athens, served mainly the inhabitants of the city, and not the religious purposes. Here, the citizens of Pergamon walked, met, dealt with official matters, traded, and practised sports. The importance of the ancient monuments of Pergamon has now been recognized by UNESCO, which included them on the World Heritage List in 2014.

Pergamon finds in the Pergamonmuseum - das Panorama in Berlin

Submitted by Iza on Fri, 11/17/2023 - 16:44

While the Pergamon Museum in Berlin is under a prolonged restoration, some masterpieces of ancient art from Pergamon can still be seen in the nearby venue called Pergamonmuseum - das Panorama. The main attraction of this museum is the magnificent 360° Panorama of ancient Pergamon by Yadegar Asisi - the reconstruction of the city during the Roman Empire under the rule of Emperor Hadrian. However, the place also exhibits many finds from Pergamon excavations. Below, you can see the major artefacts on display there.

Enhancing a gift from the past

Submitted by Iza on Wed, 11/15/2023 - 15:56

Text by our correspondent from Didyma, Glenn Maffia

I have often pondered upon the thought that the establishment of a visitor centre and museum, displaying artefacts recovered from the Temple of Apollo, and the adjacent area, would be a significant complement to the magnificent landmark(s) of ancient Didyma. As of now, the antiquities from the Didyma environment have been dispersed far and wide, though some remain at the nearby Miletus Museum.