Day 6 - Friday, June 16, 2023 - Kadasi Port - Ephesus, Turkey - Part 2

Day 6 - Friday, June 16, 2023 - Kadasi Port - Ephesus, Turkey - Part 2

After visiting Ephesus 2, we made our way to the 3rd age of Ephesus where the remains of the Basilica of St. John stands. 

John came to Ephesus with Mary, the mother of Jesus between 37-48 AD.  John later did missionary work in Asia & we know was exiled to the island of Patmos as well.  He returned to Ephesus in 95 AD & nobody really knows what happened after that.  Some believe that he died here & was buried, others believe he still walks the earth awaiting the Savior’s 2nd coming, & many just don’t know what to believe happened to St. John.  It’s all very interesting to me & I absolutely love learning about each belief.  His “tomb” is located here at the remains of the Basilica in Ephesus.  Our tour guide told us that when this tomb was discovered, a body was buried there & 4 skeletons were found around the 4 corners of the tomb as if to “guard” the body buried there.  Whether it is John’s actual body or not, it was a beautiful memorial to the beloved apostle of Jesus Christ. 

The Basilica of St. John was built during the reign of Emperor Justinian the 1st in the 6th Century.  Large parts of the city of Ephesus & the Basilica were destroyed in 614-615 AD by military conflicts.  There were many different parts of the ruined city to explore from chapels (with beautiful paintings), treasuries, government buildings, & a baptistery shaped  like a key hole where Christians could be baptized out of the Roman eye.  The person being baptized would walk from the West to the East through the water representing being “cleansed of sin” while 2 witnesses watched from the side.  The ruined city was beautiful & really interesting to explore.  It had been built by 3 different civilizations over hundreds of years & the different architectural styles were evident for each period. . . Byzantine, Greek, & Roman.  As a lover of all things historical (especially archaeological architecture), this was INCREDIBLE to see in one area. I loved this.

After exploring Ephesus 3, our tour guide drove us to a tiny little mud/brick building in the middle of nowhere where we learned all about Turkish pottery.  We got to watch a master potter made 2 pots with matching lids.  I couldn’t believe how precise his work was.  The pots were perfect & he would make the lids just by staring at the pot he made. . . No measurements whatsoever.  The lid would fit perfectly sealing the pot.  It was incredible. 

Lorien is actually really good at ceramics & pottery so the master potter let her have a turn on the wheel.  He smiled at her the whole time & told his translator to “hire her!”  That made Lorien feel good.  Lorien made 2 different pots & they were beautiful. 

They then took us into their warehouse where they showed us several pieces of pottery that had been fired in the kiln & explained the process of firing the pieces.  They were true works of art.  They add crushed moonstone to their clay making their beautiful works of art GLOW IN THE DARK.  As long as they see some sun each day, they glow a vibrant greenish/white at night.  We bought a small plate with the tree of life painted on it.  (It’s currently packed up carefully for our move, but I’ll take a picture when we get to Utah this week).  It’s gorgeous.  The pottery shop was a fun addition to our day in Turkey.