Ancient Cities

July 19

Burak came to pick us up in Assos early in the morning. He had been staying at his parent’s place for the few days we were here. I was glad that I was feeling better. I seemed to have come down with something last night. I think it must have been heat stroke. It was incredibly hot and although I thought I was drinking enough water and we’d been swimming in the lovely cool ocean, I became very listless and weak feeling and my stomach was doing weird things. I ended up going to bed quite early with cold wet towels and sleeping it off, thankfully.

Our first stop was the ancient city of Pergamum. One of the seven churches from Revelations is here. This church has served as a Roman temple, a Christian church and now still a part of it is being used as a mosque. I think there’s a cool factor in that.

Pergamum was incredibly hot, high up on a hill difficult to access. Why people would want to settle there is beyond me but then as was pointed out it does make a good defence for the invaders (like Galatians for example!) The view and the ruins were stunning.


We also viewed the medical centre of the town, or what remains of it. It was interesting to hear how patients would be sent to walk dark, quiet tunnels and doctors would call words of healing into holes in the roof making the patients believe that the God’s were talking to them. Power of suggestion I suppose.


Patients would also bathe in the healing waters and drink from the spring. We drank from the spring too. The water was soft. I went back later to wet my head and wash my face to help me cool down. And old, old man who had been hacking away at some bushes earlier was sitting under the tree. He desperately wanted me to drink and clean my face and something with eyes too somehow, he was motioning. Of course we were only communicating with hand gestures since the only Turkish I’ve managed to pick up is how to say thank you. In the end he had me stay while he went to the garbage, got out an empty water bottle, cleaned and filled it up for me to take with me. It seems the locals are still convinced of its healing qualities. We used some of it later again to wash up.

We made a couple of stops here and there ??? before arriving in Ephesus.