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Tags: Aegean Coastline Kusadasi Turkey Beach Sea Mountains March
Historical 14th century mosque in Selcuk, Turkey.
Tags: Mosque Selcuk Turkey Isa Bey 14th Century Courtyard Palm Tree Ancient Historical
The beautiful grounds of the historical 14th century mosque in Selcuk, Turkey.
Built around 650 BC, the Temple of Artemis, dedicated to the Goddess Artemis, is one of the seven ancient wonders of the world, based in Ephesus, Turkey. Behind the solitary column is the Basilica of St. John, constructed in the 6th century, which reportedly stands over the burial site of St John the Apostle. Oral tradition states John brought with him to Ephesus, Mary, the mother of Jesus. To the left of the column is the İsa Bey Mosque constructed in 1374-1375. On the top of the hill stands the Ottomon Ayasuluk castle.
Antipater of Sidon, who compiled the list of the Seven Wonders, describes the finished temple:
“I have set eyes on the wall of lofty Babylon on which is a road for chariots, and the statue of Zeus by the Alpheus, and the hanging gardens, and the colossus of the Sun, and the huge labour of the high pyramids, and the vast tomb of Mausolus; but when I saw the house of Artemis that mounted to the clouds, those other marvels lost their brilliancy, and I said, "Lo, apart from Olympus, the Sun never looked on aught so grand".
Acts 19
The Riot in Ephesus
"A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there. He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: “You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business. And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all.There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.”
When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s travelling companions from Macedonia, and all of them rushed into the theatre together. Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theatre.
The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there. The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front, and they shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people. But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: “Fellow Ephesians, doesn’t all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to calm down and not do anything rash. You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess. If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges. If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.” After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly."
Tags: The Temple of Artemis Artemis Greek Gods Ancient Wonder of the World Ottomon Castle Isa Bey Mosque Basilica of St John Ephesus Turkey
Ephesus, now in modern day Turkey, was built in the 10th century BC on the coast of Ionia and was a great seaport. Known for its Temple of Artemis, one of the seven Ancient Wonders of the World, it came under Roman control in 129 BC. Built in AD 115-125, this library fell during an earthquake in AD 270 and was not rebuilt until the 1970s. The interior measures 70 by 80 feet and held approximately 15,000 scrolls. On the steps of the Celsius Library is a carving of a Menorah, evidencing the presence of the early church in Ephesus and Christianity was declared as the official religion in 380 during the reign of Theodosius I when destruction of pagan temples was legalised. It was from here that Christianity spread out across the world.