A day in the ancient world.

This is a back blip

Left our hotel on the Anatolian coast in heavy rain. Unfortunately it continued till we reached the ancient city of Sardis or Sart as it is now known. It is at the foot of the Tmolos mountains and in the 6th century was the prosperous capital of the kingdom of Lydia. The most famous King was Croesus renowned for his wealth. (It was said that the river here flowed over golden sand!)

We saw a gymnasium and the remains of one of the oldest synagogues complete with floor and wall mosaics. Nearby was the Temple of Artemis surrounded by misty mountains - see extra.

On the journey we went through a broad valley between mountains and saw miles and miles of vines grown for raisins. Turkish raisins are second only to California in terms of numbers produced. We also passed the mountains where the first tulips were found.

After lunch the sun returned and we visited Laodicea, just above Pammukale, in the late afternoon sunshine.

In the bible's New Testament  (Revelation) John sent messages to both the community of Sardis and Laodicea. I didn't know this and think there is a lot more I should read to learn about Turkey's ancient sites and cities.

There is a link here to my Flickr album of this holiday if you are interested