The Ruins at Ephesus

Ephesus is an ancient Greek city, located in present day Turkey.

Beginning in AD 50, Ephesus was an important center for Christianity. It is estimated that as many as 56,000 people lived within the city during the height of the Roman Empire, 180 years earlier.  As you can imagine, there is an abundance of history in the ruins at Ephesus.

We spent an afternoon visiting the ruins. Though my knowledge of and interest in the specifics of the history of the ruins is scant, I very much enjoyed seeing the ruins.

Me, at Ephesus.

I was astounded by the massive amount of ruins...

...and the endless rows of "pieces" just waiting to be matched with their long-lost brethren.

The structures created back in the day are awe-inspiring,
such as this acoustically impressive theatre (ca 200 BC).

And this, my friends, is said to be the oldest advertisement for prostitution.
The lady in the upper right corner is the prostitute,
the rectangular currency in the lower right corner notifies customers that payment is required,
and the foot on the left tells customers how to navigate towards the cat house.

Speaking of cats, I loved making friends with all the feral kitties
who live amongst the ruins.

Now for the people photos.
Here is me and the family of Feridun (Ferit's brother), jumping for joy.
Feridun's adorable son is in the foreground.

And here's the all-familiar "jumping for joy" photo...

...as well as the yoga pose.

Ferit walks atop the rocks to stay dry,
while his shadow opts to traverse the puddle.

This is the Celsus Library, constructed in 135 AD.
If you look at the photo up-close, you can see how the ruins have been
pieced back together.

Though there is a surprising amount of detail
in some of the ruins...

...I love the simplicity of this column.

These are the ancient toilets...

...where you do your business aside everyone else
who needs to do their business.

Late in the afternoon, it started to rain.
but we didn't let the moisture deter our sightseeing.
Fortunately, my non-waterproof backpack fit nicely beneath my rain jacket.

The kitties didn't let the rain scare them aware either;
they were hungry for affection.

And here's another photo of kitties receiving some kitty love.
My apologies for the plethora of kitty photos,
but I desperately miss my kitties.
(Refer to Nine Lives.)

Here's me & Ferit...

...very much enjoying each other's company.

The combination of the rain along with a gorgeous sunset made for some spectacular photos. Here are some of my favorite photos from the day, all taken by my favorite photographer, Ferit.

A girl and her umbrella.

The Celsus Library.

A street scene.
Feridun's family looks as though they are the last survivors on a nearly-destructed planet.