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Information about Selcuk and
Ephesus, Turkey
Selcuk was a farming town, but now derives most of its income from tourism as it is so close to the ruins of Ephesus, the Shrine of Virgin Mary and the Church of Saint John.
Selcuk is a fun place to stay and offers many nice local restaurants at very reasonable prices. The center of the town boasts ruins of a Byzantine aqueduct where storks often build their nests. It is an ideal destination for backpackers with modest hotels and a couple of good boutique hotels. There is also accommodation in the wine-growing village of Sirince nearby. The closest airport is Izmir airport, which has frequent flights from Istanbul, and you may also
reach Selcuk by long distance coach.
Although evidence of settlement as early as 2000 BC has been found on Ayasoluk Hill, the town came to life in the Byzantine era after the harbor of Ephesus had completely silted up.
Selcuk has played an important role in the events of the early Christianity, including key events in the life of Paul and John.
You may visit Ayasoluk Hill, where the St. John's Basilica is located. It is said that St. John came to Ephesus and wrote his Gospel here. Justinian had a magnificent church built above his grave in the 6th century. To the west of the hill you may notice Isa Bey Mosque, which was built in 1375 by the Emir of Aydin. It is remarkable for its post-Seljuk and pre-Ottoman style. The hilltop citadel north of here was also constructed in the 6th century and rebuilt by
the Seljuks. The Artemision or temple of the Anatolian fertility Goddess Artemis was once one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. All that is left now is a column and some foundations. A visit to the Ephesus Museum is also interesting. It has a significant collection of statues and mosaics that are nicely displayed. There is also an ethnographic section. Don't miss the statue of Artemis, with rows of egg-like breasts.
Ephesus itself is a fascinating site that requires a minimum of 1.5 hours or more to tour.
Ancient Ephesus was a trading and religious city and a center for the cult of Cybele, the Anatolian fertility goddess. Cybele later became Artemis, the goddess of hunting and the moon, and during the Roman Era, she was called Diana. It was a busy harbor city and very prosperous. Ephesus attracted a considerable congregation of Christians. St. Paul visited Ephesus and wrote one of his most moving epistles to the Ephesians. See the Library of Celsius erected in 114 AD. The library hosted 12,000 scrolls in niches around the walls.
Niches on the façade of the
Celsius library represent the Virtues: "Arete" (Goodness), "Ennoia"
(Thought), "Episteme" (Knowledge) and "Sophia"
(Wisdom). The façade is quite impressive as the base
of the façade is convex, making the central columns seem much taller. Near the library is the impressive gate of Augustus, which leads to the commercial agora. Ephesus had public toilets with running water, which were very hygienic for their time. There is also an interesting advertisement for a brothel etched in a stone of the road, and
the brothel is not far off. The Temple of Hadrian is quite impressive, with its beautiful friezes
and a head of Medusa relief. Near here are the newly excavated "Yamac Evleri" or terrace houses of the rich. They are decorated with mosaics and frescoes, but are not currently open to the public. Ephesus also boasts a very impressive theater near the harbor area. It was constructed by the Romans between 41 and 117 AD. The theater was capable of holding 25,000 people and has great acoustics. Follow the Sacred Way from the theater and you will see remains of the city's water and sewer system and the commercial agora.
The Shrine or "House" of the Virgin Mary is a major Christian pilgrimage site. Some people believe that the Virgin Mary came to Ephesus with St. John at the end of her life. The ceremonies at the House of Virgin Mary are held every year on the 15th of August. The site is 7 km from Ephesus and there is no public transportation.
Grotto of the Seven Sleepers: According to a legend Christian youths, in order to escape persecution, hid in this cave and were sealed in it by command of Emperor Decius. Supposedly they fell asleep in this cave and "reawoke" long after anyone they had known
was passed away and Ephesus had become a Christian city. This grotto became a cult center.
Sirince Village is 9 km east of Selcuk, and deserves a visit. The old fashioned houses have red tile roofs. The farmers here grow fruit and make grape and apple wines. You can shop for hand-made lace and walk the narrow cobbled lanes.
The Ephesus International Festival is held here in May and the Camel Wrestling Festival, which takes place on the third weekend of January (lasting in one day) is an interesting local event.
Information about camel wrestling in Turkey
Camel wrestling is a traditional sport in Turkey and is now mostly restricted to the Aegean region although it was once more widespread in Anatolia. Because it occurs in winter, not many tourist have a chance to see an event of this type, but it is certainly worth seeing. Events occur on Sundays in January both near the Mugla and Ephesus area and in Demre, near Antalya for example.
In the winter you will see elaborately saddled camels being paraded through the villages with the owner boasting how his camel is going to beat any contender crazy enough to challenge his beast. The camels are all fully grown bulls specially fed to increase their bulk further, and the sight of them wrestling one another would seem to promise some spectacular action.
In reality it doesn't happen and camel wrestling is more akin to comedy than to blood sport. Bull camels normally wrestle and butt one another in a knockout contest for precedence in mating. In the arena two bulls are led out and then a young cow is paraded around to get them excited. It's very easy to know when a bull is excited as streams of saliva issue from his mouth and nostrils. Mostly the two bulls will half-heartedly butt each other and lean on the other until one of them gives in and runs away. This is the really exciting bit as the bull will often charge off towards the crowd, with the conquering bull in pursuit, and the spectators must scramble hurriedly out of the way. The antics of spectators trying to avoid a thousand kilograms (nearly a ton) of camel running towards them can lead to pure comedy and is the best part of camel wrestling. Miraculously there are few accidents. Occasionally two bulls will get down to it and actually try to wrestle one another, feinting in here and there, eventually locking a fore-leg inside the leg of the opposition and leaning on him to topple him over in a dromedary's version of a wrestling fall and pin.
The sport is a declining one as the cost of keeping, feeding and training a camel solely for competition doesn't come cheaply, and only a rich man can afford to do it. Large bets are wagered by owners and spectators alike, though how you tell just which camel won can be difficult to determine. What happens when they both run away? - It happens. It's worth going once just to see and it's quite nice to know that there isn't a lot of blood and gore involved in the sport; it's really quite gentle.
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