Ephesus library columns
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Ephesus – A Personal View

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Ephesus library columns
The library columns of Ephesus

I hear her whisper to herself – “Isn’t it just beautiful.” And let out a sigh of amazement. I follow her sight line and looked at the columns and ruins. I rub my eyes and try to refocus and free my mind – but I have nothing.

“I can see it, don’t you see it?” she continues staring at the outline of ruins from thousands of years ago. The frustration in me grows as the sun turns up the heat to “Scorching”.  I look around at my fellow travelers who were joyously pondering other worlds and the ancient architecture of thousands of years ago. I try to squint, I try to free my mind, I try, I try, I try – but I just see rocks.

Ephesus ruins
My view of the ruins hasn’t changed much since my visit 12 years ago!
Imagine the column lined promenade
Trying to imagine the column line promenade full of people thousands of years ago

I have a short list of things that I wish I could change about myself – fluency in another language, the ability and enthusiasm for skiing, and an interest in ancient history and ruins. But all of these things continue to elude me. I am in awe of people who have these skills, interests, and abilities though.

So on my 2nd trip to Ephesus, one of the most famous ruins in the world and probably the biggest tour attraction in Turkey, I found myself frustrated yet again. I just see a bunch of columns and rocks scattered around. There is an arch or two still standing, an impressive outline of a building, and if I squint I can see a column-lined road. I try to imagine merchants, villagers, and slaves around this area going about their daily business, but all I see are tourists. Thousands of tourists who literally just got off the boat…the cruise ship.

Instead of focusing on our tour guide, Yenner,  telling us about the life of ancient residents and slaves – I find myself completely distracted by the tourists. They come in large waves dutifully following a man with a numbered paddle and they all wear stickers on their shirts with a matching number as if they are sheep with the marking of their Sheppard. I look at us and Yenner and realize in a way I’m doing the same thing.

Ephesus crowds
The real entertainment – the tour groups!

Instead of examining the columns and ancient markings, I’m examining what the tourists are wearing and how the different people are interacting. A woman expresses disapproval of her husband’s behavior (for spitting). I intently watch a teenager get reprimanded in a language foreign to me for climbing on something she shouldn’t have. I study the look of awe on people’s faces as the sea the library. I analyze the tour guides and wonder how they can do this same talk day after day after day in this oppressive heat herding tourists around. I wonder how much they are paid. I wonder where else these tour groups have been cruising to doing excursions. I wonder where the money for the ticket price goes.

But what I’m clearly NOT focusing on is the ancient ruins, period, and the people who lived in Ephesus. It’s painfully clear to me that I’m not interested in ruins and stories of people I can’t see. I’m more interested in the people I can see and observe and interact with – right here, right now. I enjoy present-day sociology.

It’s time to accept it.

You can’t force yourself to appreciate or love something.  And you certainly shouldn’t like something just because everyone else does or says you should.  So for my second time at Ephesus, I decided to exercise my freedom of choice and when everyone else had free time to go observe the ruins and the hillside houses, I just sat in the shade took some notes, and watched the tourists interact.  Ruins – they just aren’t my thing. But photographing them…well that’s another story…

Temple of Hadrian
Temple of Hadrian
The columns of Celsus Library still stand
The columns of Celsus Library still stand
Library of Celsus wall
The writing’s on the wall – inside the Library of Celsus
The most intact building - Library of Celsus
The most intact building – Library of Celsus
The theater of Ephesus
The theater of Ephesus looks over more rubble

Istanbul neighborhoods – how to choose where to stay

The backside of the facade of the Celsus library
The backside of the facade of the Celsus library

For those people who can appreciate ruins and want to actually learn more about Ephesus and visit it one day, then here’s some more information on Ephesus.

me in front of the library
I sort of look like I’m enjoying it…right?

Disclosure:  I was a guest of Intrepid Travel on my travels through Turkey, but all of the opinions expressed here are my own! 

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17 Comments

  1. Sherry, your pictures are breathtaking and one would never know you didn’t love this place as much as I did. I didn’t love it because I could imagine how it looked whole and in it’s glory. I loved the yellow light against the old library which contrasted against the lush green grass sprinkled with poppie, and the wildflowers popping up in random and surprising places. I just wish my pictures were as magnificent as your’s. I’ll get back there some day and take a few decent pictures.

  2. I definitely understand your perspective on this. I don’t love going to history museums as much as I used to and thought it meant I wasn’t as cultured as I supposed myself to be. Maybe I just didn’t “get” it. Then I realized that people-watching is all about observing location-specific socio-cultural norms and oddities, watching history happen, as it were, in real time.

    And then I felt better about myself. 🙂 Great post.

  3. Ths prayer my help you see more clearly. Remember, O most compassionate Virgin Mary that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your assistance, or sought your intercession, was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, we fly unto you, O Virgin of Virgins, our Mother; to you we come; before you we kneel sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not our petitions, but in your clemency hear and answer them. Amen
    Love your images and follow your FB pages
    Cheers
    John

  4. Hi Sherry, I love ruins and ancient history but I appreciate your personal view on them and how you connect more with the present moment. I think that’s more important ability than to be able to connect only with the past. Amazing photos as usual.

  5. Sherry,

    Your statement: “And you certainly shouldn’t like something just because everyone else does or says you should”, does not often make one popular in a group that is made up of everyone else. Maybe that is why like to go my own way as much as I do. I understand your position!!!

    DAD

  6. I know the feeling well; not because I suffer the same ruin fatigue as you but because my wife does. Your photographs are great so do keep visiting ruins if only to photograph them for our enjoyment. Thanks for a great post

  7. Sherry,
    An archaeologist can look at a few foundations and pot shards and can produce vivid pictures of what life was like 2000 years ago. Guess you aren’t really interested in history. Stick to your interests.

    Must say I’m a little puzzled that on the one hand you are unmoved by ruins and then go on to take such evocative photos of them.

    I’m sure most of us have sat down and watched tour groups and their guides in action. I’ve heard all sorts of stories told and of course the obligatory “Just hang upside down through this wall and kiss this wall and…” The guides get lots of free entertainment from their clients. They don’t even tell stick to the same script.

    1. I’m not sure why I am just not into the history but love to take photos. I think it has something to do with the fact that photography to me is about light, composition, angles, shadows and I love composing those shots. The subject doesn’t matter as much. The only ruins which I really loved was Petra for some reason. I also enjoyed Machuu Picchu but that also had to do with the fact that I had to hike 3 days to get there…so it was much more than simply looking at ruins.

  8. Aaahhh, the tour groups remind me of Egypt. I do like to envisage what a place may have looked like in its pomp and what that would have meant to the people. Ephesus must have been some city in history…

  9. Every time I read a post about Ephesus I want to go there a little more. The ruins look really well preserved. It must be an interesting place to walk around.

  10. Sherry, I appreciate your honesty in admitting that ruins aren’t your thing when it comes to travel. You still photographed them in a way that makes those of us who like archaeology want to visit.

  11. I’ve been to Ephesus twice as well and you’re right – it is very hard to imagine and appreciate the city that was once a metropolitan center. What helped me was that our guide had pictures of each place (like the Library and the main theater) of what these places looked like during their more “lively” days. The pictures definitely helped me to visualize Ephesus and appreciate it more. Also – really great photographs!

  12. I feel you. I don’t usually bother visiting ruins because I usually also see them as just a pile of old rocks… I loved Ephesus though! It’s probably the only ruins I’ve visited that I’ve actually been able to appreciate.

  13. I’m with you on this. Ruins work for me if they’re relatively well-preserved and make good photography objects. I like Ephesus, though, ‘coz I’m a sucker for ancient Greek architecture.

  14. You like travel to destinations in the present.
    Have you considered time travel?
    Next time you get to some ruins imagine living in that time – the other people milling about would be wearing togas and admonishing slaves etc.
    Give it a try.
    I have no handy hints for sking!

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