Mom and I were really excited about visiting Ephesus. Mom wanted to see one of the world’s largest archeological sites (13% of the original Ephesus is reconstructed), and I was excited to visit Asia for the first time! Our ship ported at Kuşadası (pronounced “koo-SHAH-dah-suh”), which means “bird island.” I didn’t notice anything different about the birds, but maybe they were significant at one point.
Our tour guide, Emre, was a proud Turkish man who led the day with energy, humor, and amazing stories. The tour included walking through the ancient city of Ephesus and exploring an authentic, Turkish rug-making business.
We had fun taking photos throughout the ruins. The slideshow below includes photos of the Nike, the goddess of victory, a cat at the toilet ruins, the library of Celsius, me next to the statue of Sophia, and an amphitheater where St. Paul was sentenced to prison for not worshipping their goddess, Diana.
At the rug-making business, the owner guided us through the entire process of making a double-knotted Turkish carpet. First, we saw how threads are pulled from silkworms and woven into threads. Then, the thread is dyed different colors and left to dry until it’s ready to be knotted into a rug. We saw a woman sitting at a loom and tying knot after knot- her fingers worked so quickly! The weavers only work a few hours a day because the process takes a toll on their fingers and vision.
The owner offered our group Turkish tea, wine, and liquor (Raki) while we watched the employees roll out at least 25 different rugs in front of us. The rugs were soft, beautiful, and durable, and could last up to seven generations. One couple in our tour group bought a rug, and it was $25,000! The higher the price, the higher the number of knots in the rug.
Next up, a visit to a few Greek islands!
kira vesta 