‘The Sacred Way’ is the original pilgrimmage route that connected :The Temple of Artemis in Ephesus to her brother’s temple in Didyma, The Temple of Apollo. Instead, we would do it backwards, and in a car! Dropping in on all the sacred sites nearby, starting with Herakleia, Didim, Milet, Priene and finally Ephesus.
As soon as we got out in the tiny town near the lake our car was immediately surrounded – by 6 old Turkish women. They demanded to know where we were going, appointed themselves our official guides. Inevitably we were marched through vineyards and ancient houses to see various famous rocks (Greg’s favourite ‘Ekmek rock’ – bread shaped rock), the thousand year old olive tree and the ruins of the old aqueducts. The town of Herakleia used to be large port city, but when the waterways silted up cutting off the ocean access, the port became obselete and the people moved away.
Endymion’s Myth
Where he slept they built a temple so the Goddess could visit him nightly, this is the temple we went to see, now in ruins but who knows perhaps Endymion still slumber a there today.
Didymos / Didim
Help! I got stuck
Miletus
Miletus used to be a bustling port town, with some of the ancient world’s foremost thinkers, but since the river silted up many centuries ago, it became abandoned. We visited the second smaller temple of Apollo, part of the long pilgrimmage to Didim’s oracle. Some the worlds great thinkers lived and studied here as we learnt in the tiny museum. Really quite modern thinking – going beyond superstition or the gods to explain weather patterns.
Priene: An aristocratic society
Not much is left but flowers and a great view but such an interesting legacy to the world…..
Next up we see the ancient city of Ephesus – with toilet clubs, posing cats, and real fake watches!Stay tuned!!Jade & Greg x
Subscribe to Jade & Greg Travel and get them sent to you!
We promise to send you only great monthly emails. Unsubscribe at any time.
