Turkey Nicea and Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia of Iznik (Nicea)

On the way back we stopped at Iznik (formerly known as Nicea) where the catholic church held the Nicean councils. At that time there were about 8 churches with their own Bishops that were acting independently. There were two prevailing opinions as the nature of Jesus Christ.

Discussion of Nicene Creed

One was the Arian belief that Christ was created ex-nihilo by the Father and though divine was therefore less than the Father. This contradicted the belief that Jesus, the Father and the Holy Ghost were all Gods. They compromised on what has become known as the Trinity.

Hagia Sophia, “Holy Wisdom,” was originally a basilica style church built in the fourth century.  After the church burned down twice, Emperor Justinian built the present, fireproof structure around 537 A.D.  Hagia Sophia served as a Christian church for 900 years until 1453, when Moslem Turks took the city and converted it into a mosque.  In 1935, it was turned into a public museum.

Stone remains of the basilica ordered by Theodosius II, showing the Lamb of God

Interior view of the Hagia Sophia, showing Islamic elements in the ceiling

The Deesis mosaic probably dates from 1261. It was commissioned to mark the end of 57 years of Roman Catholic use and the return to the Orthodox faith. It is the third panel situated in the imperial enclosure of the upper galleries. It is widely considered the finest in Hagia Sophia, because of the softness of the features, the humane expressions and the tones of the mosaic.

The Comnenus mosaics, equally located on the eastern wall of the southern gallery, date from 1122. The Virgin Mary is standing in the middle, depicted, as usual in Byzantine art, in a dark blue gown. She holds the Child Christ on her lap. He gives His blessing with His right hand while holding a scroll in His left hand.

The Empress Zoe mosaics on the eastern wall of the southern gallery date from the 11th century. Christ Pantocrator, clad in the dark blue robe (as always the custom in Byzantine art), is seated in the middle against a golden background, giving His blessing with the right hand and holding the Bible in His left hand

Farewell to Turkey  We had a great time and learned alot

Turkey Bursa/Ulu Cami

Our Last overnight stay was in Bursa.  This is a  Statue of Osman Gazi Khan in front of the Hotel.  Osman I was the leader of the Ottoman Turks and founder of the Ottoman Empire in 1299.  Bursa is the 4th largest city in Turkey with over 2.5 million people

Bursa Grand Mosque (Ulu Camii)

 Ulu Cami (Great Mosque) is the largest mosque in Bursa and a landmark of early Ottoman architecture.
It is a large and rectangular building, with a total of twenty domes that are arranged in four rows of five, and are supported by 12 columns.

Fountain for ritual ablutions

 


Wudhu is the Islamic procedure for washing different body parts in preparation for formal prayers (salah). The 4 obligatory acts (fard) include face, arms (including elbows), head and feet to the ankles.

men on the way to worship

Islamic Articles of Faith 1)there is only one God 2)belief in Angels 3)belief in revelation-Quran 4)Prophets-Mohammed but also Adam,Abraham, Moses, Jesus 5)Resurrection and Judgement 6)Predestination

woman on the way to worship

 
5 pillars of Islam 1)shahadah=creed or testimony 2)salat=daily prayer 5x 3)zakah=alms giving approx 3% of income 4)sawm of Ramadan=month long fast eat, drink only when the sun is down 5)hajj=pilgrimage to Mecca. at least once during life though proxy pilgrimages may be performed for those unable to complete

Marriage in Islam is a civil contract which consist of an offer and acceptance.  The groom is required to pay a bridal gift (mahr) to the bride.  A man may have up to 4 wives if he believes he can treat them equally.  A woman may only have one husband.  I think I would stick to one.

Sharia="the path leading to the watering place" is Islamic law and is the expression of the divine will, and "constitutes a system of duties that are incumbent upon a Muslim by virtue of his religious belief.

Salah or ritual prayer is compensatory and takes place 5x daily.  There is flexibility for those who are unable (work,illness) and may take place anywhere.  The person faces Mecca and if possible joins others in a Mosque.  Minarets call the devout to pray.

minbar

Friday is the "Day of Assembly" and if at all possible Muslims gather for noon prayers.  Following prayers the Imam (religious leader) will use the minbar as a pulpit and deliver a sermon, usually religious but often political in nature.  

Tapestry of Kaabal/Mecca

  Kaaba is the most sacred site in Islam and is felt to have been built by Abraham and his son Ishmael.  All Muslims, matter where they are in the world face Mecca during prayers and this is the destination of the Hajj where they walk around the cube structure 7 x in a counterclockwise direction

Muhammad (c. 570 – June 8, 632) was a trader later becoming a religious, political, and military leader. However, Muslims do not view Muhammad as the creator of Islam, but instead regard him as the last messenger of God, through which the

Muhammad is viewed as the last in a series of prophets.  For the last 22 years of his life, beginning at age 40 in 610 CE  Muhammad started receiving revelations that he believed to be from God. The content of these revelations, known as the Quran, was memorized and recorded by his companions

Spring/Summer Students 2011

Turkey Miletus/Pamakkule/Thyatria

Theater at Miletus

After Ephesus we were all tired, but hey there was another ancient site to visit.  Miletus was an ancient Greek city on the western coast of Anatolia.  Before the Persian invasion, Miletus was considered the greatest and wealthiest of Greek cities.

 

Look at Miletus from theater

By the time the Apostle Paul visited Miletus at the conclusion of his third and final journey, he was hurrying  to arrive in Jerusalem in time for Pentecost (Acts 20:16).  He had bypassed Ephesus (I am glad we didn't), where his past connections would have obligated him to spend a considerable amount of time.  He summoned the elders from Ephesus to meet him and delivered a lengthy (Paul's style just ask Eutychus from Troas who fell from a window) and poignant farewell speech (Acts 20:17-35)  At the conclusion he quoted an otherwise unknown saying of Jesus that has become famous, "It is more blessed to give then to receive"

Polat Thermal Hotel

We stayed the night at Polathotel about 5 km from Pamukkale (Ancient Hierapolis).  The highlight here was the swimming pool and the students took advantage.  Alas, Christine and I had left our swim suits in Jerusalem.  The spa was an option, but having a thick armed Turk rub me down while laying there in nothing but a towel wasn't too exciting.

Travertine Terraces of Pamakkule

Pamukkale (Cotton Castle) is the modern site of the ancient Hierapolis.  The terraces are Travertine which I am told is a white sedentary rock deposited by water from hot springs.  There are 17 hot water springs. I took off my shoes and walked into the nice warm water, braving my way through bikini clad visitors.  I fail to see how fat, old people look good in bikinis or speedos

Hierapolis "the sacred city" In the first century it was part of the tri-city area of Laodicea, Colossae, and Hierapolis.  This connection between the cities lies behind Paul’s reference to Hierapolis and Laodicea in his epistle to the Colossians (Col 4:13).  Laodicea was known for cold springs and Hierapolis for it's hot springs and Colossae was chastised for being lukewarm

Apollo Temple

Remains of the Apollo Temple.  Its foundations date to the Hellenistic period, but the structure itself was built in the 3rd century A.D.  Apollo was thought to be the city’s divine founder.  The temple was built beside the plutonium, an underground cavern from which poisonous gases emerged.  The city’s theater stands in the background.

Nymphaeum

The Nymphaeum is located inside the sacred area, in front of the Apollo temple. It dates from the 2nd century CE. It was a shrine of the nymphs, a monumental fountain distributing water to the houses of the city via an ingenious network of pipes.

Antique Pool

the Antique Pool's water is good for heart diseases, atherosclerosis, blood pressure, rheumatism, eye and skin diseases, rickets, nervous disorders, nervous and physical exhaustion circulatory problems and furthermore when it has been drank it is good for digestive maladies.  Unfortunately, all the speedos and bikinis increase digestive maladies

 

 

View of Travertine Terraces

We made a 15 minute photo op at Thyatira, the modern Turkish city of Akhisar ("white castle") and managed to avoid a bathroom stop which would have changed it to a 45 minute stop.

Thyatira

 

 

 

 

In Acts 16, Paul and Silas traveled to Philippi where they met a woman named Lydia, who is described as "from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth."(16:14)  She is considered to be the first Christian convert on European soil.  In Revelation 2, Jesus sends a message to the church in Thyatira praising them.  However, there was a problem with the support of a woman symbolically called Jezebel, considered a false prophet and seducer who led the people astray, causing them to "eat food sacrificed to idols" and to "commit adultery with her" (metaphor for leading them to be unfaithful to God)

Turkey/Ephesus

Grand Blue Sky Hotel Kusadasi

We arrived in the resort town of Kusadasi on the Aegean coast.  The hotel we stayed at was patterned off a cruise ship.  It was probably the nicest hotel we stayed at in Turkey but unfortunately the service was lacking.  We were given 20 minutes to try and have 90 hungry students and old timers eat dinner.  They would take plates away if you didn't keep your hand on it with a knife to fight off the waiters.  Kusadasi is only a few miles from Ephesus and I noted a sign for a Lady's Beach...whatever that is.

Eastern entrance to Ephesus

 Following a quick breakfast, knife in hand, we arrived at Ephesus as the sun was coming up.  Well not really, by the time we load buses and make bathroom stops it was more like 9:00 am...still pretty early.

Temple of Artemis

  

Famed for the Temple of Artemis (550 BC)was known as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.  It was destroyed by a mob led by St John Chrysostom in 401 AD.  Since he was a saint, I am sure Jesus told him to do it .  It was later rebuilt by Emperor Constantine I but was then destroyed by an earthquake...vindicating Mr Chrysostom.

 

   Odeum/ Bouleuterion                                                                      

                      Stone carving of the flying goddess Nike

Hercules Gate

Hercules is depicted with the skin of the Nemean lion in mythology. The Nemean lion had been terrorizing the area around Nemea, and had a skin so thick that it was impossible to kill it. Finally he wrestled the lion to the ground, eventually killing it by thrusting his arm down its throat and choking it to death. Hercules was the god of power and strength.








 Built by Quintilius in 138 AD and dedicated to Emperor Hadrian.  Inside the temple above the door, a human figure, probably Medusa stands with ornaments of acanthus leaves. On both sides there are friezes depicting the story of the foundation of Ephesus - Androklos shooting a boar, Dionysus in ceremonial procession and the Amazons. The fourth frieze portrays two male figures, one of which is Apollo; Athena, goddess of the moon; a female figure, Androkles, Herakles, the wife and son of Theodosius and the goddess Athena. 

Temple of Hadrian

                                                                                                                                         

Prytaneion

 The place where ceremonies and banquets were held.  The sacred flame symbolizing the heart of Ephesus was kept constantly lit in the Prytaneion.

Curetes Street Ephesus

One of 3 main streets in Ephesus between Hercules Gate and the Celsus LibraryThere were fountains, monuments, statues and shops on the sides of the street. The shops on the south side were two-storied. Ephesus had many earthquakes, in which many structures including the Curetes Street were damaged.

Latrines

Part of the Scholastica baths and built in 1 century AD.  These were the public toilets and required an entrance fee.

Library of Celsus

Built in 117 AD Library of Celsus was originally built as a monumental tomb for Gaius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, the govenor of the province of Asia

The scrolls of the manuscripts were kept in cupboards in niches on the walls. There were double walls behind the bookcases to prevent the them from the extremes of temperature and humidity. The capacity of the library was more than 12,000 scrolls. It was the third richest library in ancient times after the Alexandra and Pergamum.

Commercial Agora

Being the most important trade center of Ephesus, Agora was built in the third century B.C in the Hellenistic Period, but the ruins date from the reign of Caracalla (211-217 C.E)

Originally holding 25,000 people, this theater was built in the Hellenistic period and was renovated by several Roman emperors.  Designed for theatrical performances, later alterations allowed gladiatorial contests to be held here

 During his stay in Ephesus, Paul aroused the anger of the city's guild of silversmiths, who had a prosperous business selling silver shrines of Artemis(Diana), the goddess who's impressive temple was in Ephesus.  A near riot ensued when the silversmiths began chanting "Great is Artemis" (Acts 19:28) The people of the city gathered in the theater dragging two of Paul's traveling companions inside.  After two hours the town clerk was able to bring the crowd under control.  Paul wrote the letter of 1 Corinthians and perhaps 2 Corinthians here.  Some scholars suggest Paul was imprisoned during this time.
 

The Church of Ephesus is the first mentioned in Revelation (2:1-7).  Early Christian tradition claims that John lived in Ephesus after leaving Jerusalem and then following his exile on the island of Patmos.  Here he wrote the Gospel of John and the three Letters of John.  According to this tradition, John died in Ephesus (see D&C 7:1-6) and also brought Mary, the mother of Jesus to Ephesus.

 

Behramkale (Assos)

Day 4 we were up early and on the road.  The only negative thing about our trip was the amount of time we spent on the bus.  Probably an average of 8 hours daily.  Bathroom stops (with 90 people) are quite interesting.  As you can imagine the women's line is usually a little slower moving.  Every field trip I thank God I am male.  This little town at the base of Assos had 4 stalls  for the whole town.  A bathroom guide for field trips would probably sell well or maybe male disguises would work.

Ruins of Temple of Athena in Assos

 

 After leaving Plato, Aristotle came to Assos and opened the Academy of Assos, marrying Pythias, King Hermia's (also a student of Plato) daughter.  When the Persians invaded and killed the king, Aristotle escaped to Macedonia where he became Alexander the Great's tutor.

View of Isle of Lesbos from Assos

Assos, on the Aegean coast, has a harbour where Paul met his companions and sailed to Mitylene on the Island of Lesbos, to Samos and then on to Miletus

 Reconstructed Temple of Trajan (the original is in Berlin, Germany).

 Pergamum is located 16 mi from the Aegean Sea.  The Attalids (descendents for Attalus) were supporters of Rome against Phillip V of Macedon.  They remodeled the acropolis after the Acropolis in Athens. 

Theater

It sits next to the library which housed 200,000 volumes and was the second largest in the ancient world after Alexandria.  Parchment was invented in Pergamum after relations with Egypt soured and papyrus became difficult to obtain.

This theater is one of the steepest ones preserved in Turkey today.  It sits on the edge of the city's acropolis.  It was built in the Hellenistic period and altered in the Roman period.  

Seating capacity of this theater is estimated at 10,000 people.

Great Altar of Hercules

The Book of Revelation describes Pergamum as the place "where Satan's throne is" (2:13).  While discussing John's statement several students noticed ticks and spiders on their skin...interesting.  We quickly shook the dust (and the spiders) off our feet and left.

Jenessa Duffy and Erica Clark (Bus Docs entrance to Aesclipium

We have been blessed to have bus docs or people interested in medicine to help me and Christine with our responsibilities.  We teach them how to give the students two aspirin and call us in the morning.

Aesclepium

The god of healing, Aesclepius received worship in cultic centers around the Greek and Roman world.  This large complex at Pergamum was originally constructed in the 4th century B.C. and became an official center in the the 3rd c.  

In the 2nd c. A.D., Hadrian further developed the center and it was added to the list of "wonders of the world."

Serapeum

The Temple of Isis or Serapisis also called the Red Basilica is about 1 mile south of the acropolis in Pergamum.

A temple to the ancient Egyptian god of the underworld was erected in the lower city of Pergamum.  The Serapis cult was founded by Ptolemy I and was centered in Alexandria.  

Held to be a god of healing, particularly of blindness,  Serapis was one of a number of Egyptian deities worshiped in ancient Greece and Rome.

Converted to a church in 1st Century AD and was one of the 7 Churches that the Book of Revelation was addressed. (Rev 2:12)