In the second installment of my Aegean tour of the Turkish coastline, I head up mount Pion to the House of Virgin Mary.
The structure, which can be described as a modest chapel was discovered in the 19th century and is categorized as a Catholic shrine. The site is about 7 km from Ephesus and is believed to be where Mary, the mother of Jesus lived her finals days, she was brought there by Saint John. It has been visited by Popes Paul VI, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI. Today it sees a steady flow of pilgrimages and tourists.
To the exterior there are extensive gardens and event spaces where sermons which are often held. There is also a "wishing wall" where visitors can write what they endeavor to accomplish on paper or fabric. This is a long routed tradition which has been observed across Anatolia.
After the house of Virgin Mary, enroute to Bodrum in my Alfa Romeo Stelvio I encounter the Ancient and very well-preserved city of Euromos.
This ancient city in Caria is believed to date back to the 6th century BC. The almost perfectly preserved ruins contain numerous interesting buildings including the impressive temple of Zeus Lepsinos from the reign of Emperor Hadrian.
To see it in person is as good as travelling back in time to antiquity…