Day 07 - Pottery Shop, Priene, Didyma, Miletus

We were told that today was going to be an adventure! It was a very rainy and foggy morning but a little weather does not hold us back! Besides, the locals were very happy about the rain, as it was much needed.

Turkey grows an abundance of varied crops, so much so that they do not need to import much to meet their needs. In this local area, the main products are mulberry, fig, pomegranate, artichokes, tobacco, and olives.

Our original itinerary had us visiting Ephesus today but Pastor Ralph changed it so we end the trip there tomorrow. It is so hard to believe tomorrow is our last day of touring!

As we drove to our first location, Gokhan showed us the aftermath of a wildfire they had here in June. They were able to extinguish the fire before it reached the town. But Gokhan told us the story of driving towards it to evacuate his parents from the area and it sounded very scary.

The port town we are staying in, Kusadasi, is a popular docking location for cruise ships and they have had 500 stop here so far this year.

Our first stop this morning was a treat because we got to do some shopping for souvenirs and experience a Turkish art form, pottery.

We walked through the showroom to a comfortable room with couches and seats where we saw a demonstration on how the Turkish pottery is made.  The family that runs this business uses only the the ancient technique of this traditional art form. There is no electric potter’s wheel. They use the same kick wheel mechanism created by the Hittites.

Our host described how they use quartz in the clay for durability. All the painting on the pottery is done freehand so no two pieces are the same. The art work was absolutely stunning.

The quartz also has a special effect in that it makes the pottery glow in darkness. They turned out the lights and showed us this interesting effect, which only lasts a short time because they do not add any chemicals to the glaze.

They showed us an elegantly shaped decanter that was designed by the Hittites that could be worn on the arm to pour the wine.

A modern twist is they have one shape that looked similar to a shofar with a wider mouth that you can put your phone in on the one end and the larger end amplifies the sound to work as a speaker without Bluetooth!

Our potter has worked in this trade for 45 years and learned the art from his father.  It is a skill that is passed through the generations and they are currently teaching their 17 year old daughter.

They asked if anyone wanted to try making a pot and Onilda volunteered. They put her in an apron and she got to make a bowl. Pictures and video are attached to the blog.

After this fascinating demonstration we had an opportunity to shop. As we browsed we were given cups of our favorite apple tea. We all enjoyed viewing and buying the beautiful pieces. The prices ranged from $5 to many thousands of dollars, so there was something for everyone.

One thing that was especiallly cool is that Lonny and Karen found a piece in an original Hittite pattern that they loved and they were able to commission other pieces in that same pattern that the family will make and ship to them.

Pastor Ralph said he wanted to buy the bowl that Onilda made but it wasn’t glazed or fired yet! Melinda was able to get a ceramic cat so she could say she brought home a cat from Turkey:)

When we left the pottery store at 10:00 the rain had stopped and there were glimpses of blue sky through the clouds.

As we drove Gokhan taught us Mary, the mother of Jesus, moved to this area with John and she lived here the remainder of her life.

We had a 45 minute drive to Priene, which is not a biblical site but is a beautiful area. As we drove through the countryside, the rain started up again but stopped just as we were entering the gate.

Priene originally had two ports, but now it is no longer near the sea and is instead surrounded by cotton and sunflower fields. So we had to use our imagination to picture what it would have been like during the Hellenistic time period.

Priene had many adorable kittens but, if you are keeping track of these things, it was the first site with no dogs!

We had the entire location completely to ourselves as we toured the grounds. We visited the theater, which was smaller than others we have seen and sat 6,500. We also saw a small church and a synagogue.

The largest section was the remains of the temple to Athena, which Cruzer renamed the Column Cemetery because it looked like a field of broken column pieces.

We took a group picture and Gokhan taught us that peynir means cheese when we take a picture.

As we sat beneath a tree, the sun came out and we shed some layers of clothes because we were warm from our hike up the mountainside.

Pastor Ralph spoke to us and reminded us that each of the gospel writers wrote with a different audience in mind. Mark wrote with a Roman audience in mind. He asked the question, "How do you tell Rome that Jesus died on a cross because to a Roman, if you died on a cross you had lost?" Pastor Ralph reminded us that, like Paul, Mark used language they identified with and with his opening line to his gospel he had Rome’s full attention.

We learned about the Roman Triumph, which started many years before Christ to celebrate the returning Roman general and later the emperor. Pastor Ralph compared it to the 3 pm parade in Magic Kingdom. It was held at the temple of Jupiter and Caesar would wear a purple robe and golden wreath and paint his face red and and parade for hours through the streets of Rome. They would also kill prisoners as part of the procession. They would lay flowers and spray perfume so there would be a good smell when Caesar came by. The ceremony would end at Capitoline Hill, a very sacred place where a head was found. They would celebrate and sacrifice a bull. All of Rome knew this celebration would take place. Mark was writing to these people and he told Rome details that other gospel writers don’t tell us. He spoke of bringing Jesus into the praetorium with the Roman soldiers, he spoke of them putting the purple robe and crown of thorns on him to mock him, while saying, “All hail, king of the Jews.” Mark described it as the triumphal march of Jesus through the crowd to Golgotha, the place of the skull. Only Mark talks about these details because he was highlighting them for the Romans to show that Jesus is the true king, not Caesar. Mark wrote that the Roman centurion said “Surely this man was the son of God.” Mark was telling Rome in their own language that the death of Jesus was not a defeat, it was the triumph of all triumphs and that death was defeated at the cross. When we read scripture with this understanding it literally makes you catch your breath.

Pastor Ralph made us laugh by saying, “One more scripture and then we will go look at some more rocks.”

He became emotional as he shared 2 Corinthians 2:14-15, which says: “But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” This verse means so much more now that we know the background of the Roman Triumph.

Our next stop was lunch. We all talk about how much food there is on these trips, but after a pretty active morning going up and down the mountain, we were hungry! It started raining again as we headed to the restaurant.

We had lunch in a lovely setting with greenery and floor to ceiling windows on one side where we could see and hear the rain falling. Riley showed her expertise in filleting and deboning a whole fish in under 5 seconds!

The restaurant was in walking distance to the ruins of the Temple of Apollo and the Oracle in Didyma. As we walked in the rain, we saw our first dog of the day.

The Oracle acted as a medium for the message from the gods. If you asked a question you would receive a written answer in rhyme.

We carefully walked around the grounds as the marble was very slick. Gokhan taught us the history as we walked and then we huddled beneath the Daphne tree as Pastor Ralph spoke about how he is both a shepherd and a teacher; as a teacher he wants us to forever understand what Paul and the other early Christians were walking into to spread the Word. We’ve seen it in every location we have been into on this trip and now we can understand what they faced. Here at Didyma, they faced divination and false prophesy.

Millions of people came from everywhere to consult the Oracle and even now people seek fortune tellers and palm readers. Even Christians will say, “God told me that you should do this.” We have to be careful.

Our final stop was our only biblical stop of the day, Miletus. The rain continued as we drove there. But, as I said earlier, rain does not stop us!

We walked up the stairs into the Roman theater that held 10,000. We sat in a covered staircase, safe from the rain, and listened to a talk by Steve about Paul’s third journey as shown in Acts 20.

Paul sailed into the port of Miletus on his way from Greece to return to Jerusalem by Pentecost. He asked for the elders of the church of Ephesus to meet him here in Miletus to give them a final word of encouragement.

Steve reminded us that the church is not the building, it’s the people. Paul speaking to the elders of the Ephesian church would have been like him speaking to us. Steve read us Paul’s words and we imagined them being said directly to our group.

Just as Paul knelt and prayed to the Ephesian elders, Steve knelt and prayed for us. It was a powerful and emotional moment.

We finished exploring the theater and remains of the city and then headed for the bus.

We learned our sunset cruise on the Aegean Sea had to be cancelled due to the poor weather. There is a chance we will still be able to do it tomorrow.

The ride back to the hotel took about an hour and it was nearly dinner time when we arrived. A few had spa treatments scheduled, some wanted a hot shower and bed and a few visited Starbucks and the hotel shop, which sells the apple tea that we have all enjoyed.

Tomorrow is another exciting day as we get to end our trip in Ephesus. Please be in prayer for better weather for our final location. We did great in the rain today, but it does make the hikes a bit more treacherous and difficult. As always, we appreciate your prayers!