Michael Dixon Adventures in Turkey

Finished or almost finished

2011-07-29T03:41:00.000-07:00

Pamukkale (Pam-ook-ka-lay)

2011-07-29T03:29:00.000-07:00

Ancient Toilet

Cemetary... grave robbed and broken open.

I went swimming here... the pools are full of a slimy mud that people rub on their skin.

Pamukkale, meaning "cotton castle" in Turkish, is a natural site in Denizli Province in southwestern Turkey. The city contains hot springs and travertines, terraces of carbonate minerals left by the flowing water. It is located in Turkey's Inner Aegean region, in the River Menderes valley, which has a temperate climate for most of the year.

The ancient Greco-Roman and Byzantine city of Hierapolis was built on top of the white "castle" which is in total about 2,700 metres (8,860 ft) long, 600 m (1,970 ft) wide and 160 m (525 ft) high. It can be seen from the hills on the opposite side of the valley in the town of Denizli, 20 km away.

Tourism is and has been a major industry. People have bathed in its pools for thousands of years. As recently as the mid-20th century, hotels were built over the ruins of Heropolis, causing considerable damage. An approach road was built from the valley over the terraces, and motor bikes were allowed to go up and down the slopes. When the area was declared a World Heritage Site, the hotels were demolished and the road removed and replaced with artificial pools. Wearing shoes in the water is prohibited to protect the deposits.

Pamukkale's terraces are made of travertine, a sedimentary rock deposited by water from the hot springs.

In this area, there are 17 hot water springs in which the temperature ranges from 35 °C (95 °F) to 100 °C (212 °F).^{[citation needed]} The water that emerges from the spring is transported 320 metres (1,050 ft)^{[citation needed]} to the head of the travertine terraces and deposits calcium carbonate on a section 60 to 70 metres (200 to 230 ft) long covering an expanse of 240 metres (790 ft) to 300 metres (980 ft). When the water, supersaturated with calcium carbonate, reaches the surface, carbon dioxide degasses from it, and calcium carbonate is deposited. The depositing continues until the carbon dioxide in the water balances the carbon dioxide in the air.^{[citation needed]} Calcium carbonate is deposited by the water as a soft jelly,^{[citation needed]} but this eventually hardens into travertine.

This reaction is affected by the weather conditions, ambient temperature, and the flow duration. Precipitation continues until the carbon dioxide in the thermal water reaches equilibrium with the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Measurements made at the source of the springs find atmospheric levels of 725 mg/l carbon dioxide, by the time this water flows across the travertines, this figure falls to 145 mg/l. Likewise calcium carbonate falls from 1200 mg/l to 400 mg/l and calcium 576.8 mg/l to 376.6 mg/l. From these results it is calculated that 499.9 mg of CaCO3 is deposited on the travertine for every liter of water. This means that for a flow rate of 1 ı/s of water 43191 grams are deposited daily. The average density of a travertine is 1.48 g/cm3 implying a deposit of 29.2 dm3. Given that the average flow of the water is 465.2 l/s this implies that it can whiten 13,584 square metres (146,220 sq ft) a day, but in practice this area coverage is difficult to attain. These theoretical calculations indicate that up to 4.9 square kilometres (1.9 sq mi) it can be covered with a white deposit of 1 millimetre (0.039 in) thickness.

Driving Around

2011-07-29T03:02:00.001-07:00

Antalya is a city on the Mediterranean coast of southwestern Turkey. With a population 1,001,318 as of 2010.^[1] It is the eighth most populous city in Turkey and country's biggest international sea resort.

I was caught in rush hour traffic in Antalya. People drive crazy here... no real rules. Bikes pass you on both sides!!

There were these little hidden beaches along the road. I stopped and went for a swim.

There were whole cities of green houses. These were everywhere along my travels.

Cool ruins I spotted when I stopped to check out the view.

Just some sights and things while driving around Turkey collecting interviews for the project. Saw 2 accidents and 1 confirmed death while on the road. I traveled East along the coastline toward Antalya. It reminded me of the 101 highway up the coast of CA.

Olympos

2011-07-29T02:43:00.000-07:00

Walked around Olympos. There were amazing ruins being taken back by nature and most people were here to go the beach. So people were vacationing among ruins... crazy!!

(From Wikipedia)

Olympos is an ancient city which is located in a valley at the south coast of Turkey, 90 km southwest of Antalya city near the Town of Kumluca.

The former city of Olympos was founded in the Hellenistic period, presumably taking its name from nearby Mount Olympos (Turkish: Tahtalı Dağı, Timber Mountain), one of over twenty mountains with the name Olympos in the Classical world.

From these mountains of the Solymi, according to Homer, the god Poseidon looked out to sea and saw Odysseus sailing away from Calypso's island, and called up a great storm that wrecked him on the shores of the island of Nausicaa. ^[1]

The coins of the city of Olympos date back to the 2nd century BC. It was described by Cicero as an ancient city full of riches and works of art.^[2] The city became one of the six leading cities of the Lycian federation. In the 1st century BC, Olympos was invaded and settled by Cilician pirates. This ended in 78 BC, when the Roman commander Publius Servilius Isauricus, accompanied by the young Julius Caesar, took the city after a victory at sea, and added Olympos to the Roman Empire. The pirate Zenicetes set fire to his own house and perished.^[3] The emperor Hadrian visited the city after which it took the name of Hadrianopolis for a period, in his honour.

The chief deity of Olympos was Hephaestus, god of fire and blacksmiths. Near Olympos, located in the neighbouring village of Çıralı and about 200 meters above sea level, the eternal flames called the Chimaera may be seen issuing from the ground. The fuel source for the flames is natural gas, largely methane, seeping through cracks in the earth. The mythical Chimaera - or Chimera - was a monster with the head of a lion, the body of a goat and the tail of a serpent, who roamed these woods and sprouted fire from her mouth.

In the Middle Ages, Venetians, Genoese and Rhodians built two fortresses along the coast, but by the 15th century Olympos had been abandoned. Today the site attracts tourists, not only for the artifacts that can still be found (though fragmentary and widely scattered), but also for its scenic landscapes supporting wild grapevines, flowering oleander, bay trees, figs and pines.

Butterfly Valley

2011-07-28T07:17:00.000-07:00

Butterfly Valley

This is the valley I was trying to get to... but my timing was off unfortunately. (stolen pic)

Driving back down the mountain.

Driving back down the mountain.

GOATS!!

You can see the George House, where I stayed, from this point... middle of the picture off in the distance.

View from outside my room.

They had a pool. The hike down to the beach took 45-1 hour and I got there too late to hike down to the beach so I took a swim in the pool. I left early in the morning as well.

These were the more modern rooms with a private shower and bath. I stayed in one of these rooms.

They put these bungalows everywhere to rent out to travelers. These ones didn't have a shower or bath but used shared facilities. They also had tree houses.

I stayed at a place called "The George House." It was a property where they farmed most, if not all, of their food.

Up the mountain.

This is going up the mountain to Butterfly Valley. Below is the beach portion of a town called Oludeniz (Oh-loo-deh-nuhz).

Info... stolen from the internet:

Butterfly Valley (Kelebekler Vadisi) is a valley on the Mediterranean Region of Turkey. Access to the coast is only available by boat or via some serious trek.

Some Lycian ruins in the area date from the fourth century, and terraced gardens were prevalent under the different civilizations that lived in the area. In the late sixties, the large fruit trees of traditional agriculture were cut down as part of a process to modernize farming, but the isolation of the area meant that the new system was never properly attended to. Eventually, the area was redesigned as a tourist attraction, emphasizing a back to nature angle with campsites.

New Paintings

2011-07-21T10:42:00.001-07:00

I have been adding new paintings to the "Project Paintings" post. Scroll down to look at any new paintings.

Everyone must check these out!!

2011-07-11T12:22:00.000-07:00

I love this image... I can't stop thinking about it. I have it as my desktop image.
Patricia Coffie - "Daydreams" 2008

Born in Ghana, West Africa, 1975.

Education:
College of New Rochelle, New Rochelle, New York, B.S.N., 1998.
School of Visual Arts, NYC, NY.

Lives in New York City.

My new favorite band... can't stop listening to them!!
Ho-ag, "The Word from Pluto" 2006

Review--

No points were subtracted for the band name. Just in case you think I've got an agenda, let me air it out for you right here: I like bands that remind me of my other favorite bands. Ho-Ag's latest, The Word From Pluto, has plenty of hip touchstones in their blizzard of sound-- Les Savy Fav, Brainiac, Devo-- but played with bravery, balance, and smarts, carrying with it the feel of basement shows rather than arty detachment. You'd be lucky to find a basement with these guys playing in it. I'm lucky to have come across it.

More on hip: These guys' haircuts are...often inadvisable. More on influence: Put together their CD collections, these five gentlemen probably have the entire Fishbone discography among them. More on why none of that matters: "Paint the Navy" blows out of the gates with metronome-steady rhythms, blaring guitars, and keyboards that seem as if they'll malfunction at any point. "Under the Maps" features greater dynamic leaps, moving from windmill strums to head-bobbing bass and chicken-scratch chords, while singer Mat Parish plays along with whispered croons to megaphone-augmented emoting. "Lemon Juice or Vinegar" makes idle threats over muted guitars and seasick rhythms, but just in case they lost momentum (they didn't), "TDPK" resumes the sputtering chaos where guitars angle, the rhythm section stops and starts, and the synths squeal like pigs getting branded. But for a group that sounds like a science project with a drug stipend, everything's somehow in its right place. It's dance-punk, spazz-rock, rawk-revival, and post-hardcore-- all for a minute at a time at least.

Given that, there's a surprising amount of ebb and flow here, along with generous dollops of melody. No showing off, just demonstrable chops and the desire to write real songs from a more-than-slightly-askew angle. Parish isn't quite the strong personality that the bands name-dropped above have boasted, but he adds coy personality to "Lemon Juice and Vinegar" while still belting out the melodies needed to float the disjointed numbers like "Paint the Navy" and more. A more over-the-top vocalist would only clash with Ho-Ag's controlled chaos.

But as Levar Burton used to tell you in your cereal-and-pajamas days, you don't have to take my word for it. Start with "American Mall" if you get lost, let the keyboards lob you a life preserver while the band spits and seizes around it, and allow momentum-- something The Word From Pluto has in spades-- take you through to "Pinhead", the track that brandishes a 10-ton hook and rocks as hard as any 1970s arena act, except the drummer needs to be sober to pull off the ragged rhythms of the chorus. Some of the most welcome surprises are tacked onto the end of the record ("The Hoodoo Sea" might be the record's best), but you should know by now whether this accessible, prodigious spazz-rock entry isn't for you. If it is, get to work already and find it.

— Jason Crock, October 6, 2006

The cafe that I spend much of my time in...

2011-07-11T12:18:00.001-07:00

I am Skyping with Stacey!! Ha ha

Decent food... free wifi!!

Beverly was curious about this cafe and asked to see pics... so here they are!!

Project paintings

2011-07-11T12:11:00.001-07:00

Started the project today... I will post in progress and finished work here (I think)... so check back here for now for any new images.

Project drawings

2011-07-11T12:08:00.000-07:00

watercolor, gouache, and pencil on paper

pencil on paper

I will post all project drawings here or any drawings related to the project. Check back here for updates.

Practice drawings

2011-07-11T12:06:00.000-07:00

watercolor and gouache on paper

watercolor and gouache on paper

pencil on paper

pencil on paper

These are drawings I am working on while I am here... I will post any new images here... so check again in the future.

Practice paintings

2011-07-11T11:58:00.000-07:00

painting 7
This is the daughter of a guy that works at the school

painting 5

painting 6

painting 4

painting 4

painting 1

painting 3

painting 2

These are the images I worked on while I was waiting to do interviews and take pictures for the project. They served as a starting place and helped me get back into my studio practice. I don't think any of them are finished... so any updates I will post on this original post - "Practice paintings"... so keep a look out.

Watercolors

2011-07-11T11:54:00.001-07:00

Cactus in Datca, outside Utku's parents' house

Blue mosque in Mugla

I am working on these little watercolor landscapes (4"x6")... gave one away already. I will post new images on this original post called "Watercolors"... so keep a look out.

In progress / getting started

2011-06-30T09:07:00.000-07:00

My set up!!

Paintings of Atlas to get me started painting and to get me ready for the project. These are not quite done but almost done. The paintings are not drying quickly, or at all, because I don't have any Liquin... ordered some today. Sucky!

Taking a bus from Datca to Mugla

2011-06-28T09:35:00.000-07:00

On a bus right now back to Mugla... it has AC, a small TV on the back of the seat in front of me, WI-FI, and they serve drinks on the bus as you drive along. Nice!! It will be about a 3 hour bus trip by the time I arrive, but it has been comfortable. I lost my bus ticket and almost had to pay twice. They let me stay on the bus!!

Turkish wedding Day 2 - Saturday, June 25th

2011-06-28T05:18:00.001-07:00

This was the wedding day. It is more like a wedding you would see in the states. The grooms family came to pick up the bride from her families home. A tradition that happened both days is that family from the bride's side would block the grooms family with their cars, or some of the brides family sat on the dowry chest. Any time that would happen, the grooms father would have to pay them a tip to get out of the way... interesting.

It was a huge event. It was on the beach. There was live music, dancing, drinking, eating... really nice. The food was excellent. It was a big party. There was probably 3+ hundred people!! Huge.

Turkish Wedding Day 1 - Friday, June 24th

2011-06-28T05:18:00.000-07:00

THE HENNA PARTY

The earlier part of the day I have posted in an earlier post. The groom and his friends come and get the dowry of the bride to be. They leave and a party happens in the evening called the "Henna Party." There was live music, dancing, drinks, and snacks. You will see a tray on fire which I believe contains the henna that will be used to paint the hands (I think feet as well) of the bride and groom. The music is a traditional Turkish Music along with some Gypsy Music. There are Turkish Standards that everyone knows. The standards are regional and there are standards that are for the whole country. People were singing the music and dancing. The dance is a traditional dance as well. Very lively and fun!!!

Monday June 27 - Palamutbuku

2011-06-28T01:29:00.000-07:00

This was on the way to Palamutbuku

This was the little bay where we set up shop.

I went to another amazing beach village called Palamutbuku (Pala-moot-boo-koo). I went snorkeling in this amazing bay!! The water is so clear!! The interesting thing is that there wasn't many fish to be seen. Apparently over fishing could be the cause? I am not sure why. It was like looking into this amazing aquarium but without many things in it. More fish might come out in the evening... maybe?

One of my biggest complaints about Turkey so far is that people litter. So there is trash in the most amazing places ever!! It is so beautiful here that you would think people would keep it clean, but... NO!! So while snorkeling, I got to see trash at the bottom of the ocean. A couple of beer cans, plastic wrappers, etc. These things were on the beach as well. Sucky!!

Anyways, the water was cool/cold and it felt so nice to come up on the beach and get warm in the sun, really nice place. It is on the way to Knidos (kah-nee-dos), which is about 30 minutes away from Palamutbuku. I have been told by numerous people that I should go there. Maybe I will get the chance.

See below:

Knidos or Cnidus ( /ˈnaɪdəs/; Ancient Greek: Κνίδος [knidos]) is an ancient settlement located in Turkey. It was an ancient Greek city ofCaria, part of the Dorian Hexapolis. It was situated on the Datça peninsula, which forms the southern side of the Sinus Ceramicus, now known as Gulf of Gökova. By the fourth century BC, Knidos was located at the site of modern Tekir, opposite Triopion Island. But earlier, it was probably at the site of modern Datça (at the half-way point of the peninsula).^[1]
It was built partly on the mainland and partly on the Island of Triopion or Cape Krio. The debate about it being an island or cape is caused by the fact that in ancient times it was connected to the mainland by a causeway and bridge. Today the connection is formed by a narrow sandyisthmus. By means of the causeway the channel between island and mainland was formed into two harbours, of which the larger, or southern, was further enclosed by two strongly built moles that are still in good part entire.
The extreme length of the city was little less than a mile, and the whole intramural area is still thickly strewn with architectural remains. The walls, both of the island and on the mainland, can be traced throughout their whole circuit; and in many places, especially round the acropolis, at the northeast corner of the city, they are remarkably perfect. The first Western knowledge of the site was due to the mission of the Dilettante Society in 1812, and the excavations executed by C. T. Newton in 1857-1858.

Turkish barber

2011-06-24T08:37:00.000-07:00

Okay.... I went to the barber today to get a shave. The barber shaves you with a razor... Awesome... and after the shave gives you a little back/arm message... more Awesome!!!

PS. I hate shaving and the message was a bonus!! I will not personally shave again while in Turkey!!

Turkish Wedding O'boy!!

2011-06-24T08:30:00.000-07:00

Utku's sister, "the Bride"

The groom has the white shirt and goatee

This is a cousin sitting on the "dowry" and the groom has to give her a tip to get off the dowry as part of the tradition.

So... as a tradition... the groom and his family come in and negotiate the dowry. Once the negotiating is done the groom and his guys take the dowry. More to come.

Bodrum then ferry over to Datca

2011-06-24T08:14:00.000-07:00

Utku's sister is getting married this weekend... so we drove to Bodrum (bo-drum, like it is spelled) and took a ferryboat over to Datca (datch-a).

Old Mugla, walked through yesterday!!

2011-06-20T06:29:00.001-07:00

This is a procession for a kid who is getting circumcised or just got circumcised.

They were blowing their horns and it is apparently a big party for the kid. He looked about 8 or 9... ouch!!

Studio Space at Mugla University

2011-06-20T05:42:00.000-07:00

Starting with some images of Atlas. I will give them to my hosts as gifts. Plus it gives me some warm up images to work on.

More practice while I wait for my canvases.

This is the son from my first interview.

Student work

Student work

Drawing I did today

Studio... small box, but no problem. The student work is really good here!! It is interesting because the facilities are not the best, but the students are really cranking out some great work.

Interviews

2011-06-19T03:42:00.000-07:00

Interview 1 went well, it took place out on a small farm outside of Dalaman! Dalaman has a small airport and is one of two airports in the Mugla Province. Mugla is the city I am staying in but is also the name of the province, which is kind of like a state or county.

More to come...

Beach outside of Dalaman

2011-06-19T03:36:00.000-07:00

Really beautiful beach! We came here after my first interview for the project. The sun was on its way out so we didn't get in the water, but what a spectacular beach! So far at all the beaches I have been to there is food and drink service. This beach had a petting zoo where you could go and pet animals. You could rent sail boats. There was a big resort near the beach that looked big and beautiful.

Cars in Turkey

2011-06-16T04:33:00.000-07:00

Back to Akyaka for a swim!

2011-06-16T03:12:00.000-07:00

About 7 young guys came and started jumping off into the water. The water is really deep here.

It was a little sketchy because there were sea urchins along the cliffs so you had to watch where your feet were when getting out of the water.

Atlas!!

Fermented Carrot Juice... Yummy! LOL... tasted like salty watery juice!! Not my favorite.

Went for a swim yesterday in Akyaka. It is about 20-30 min. away, down the mountain. We went into an area that is a park/camp ground. There was a lunar eclipse last night!!

Datca (Dat-cha)

2011-06-13T02:49:00.000-07:00

view from Utku's parent's house

view from Utku's parent's house

Buying fresh bread, we also bought fresh fish, the bazaar's sell fresh produce, and many people have small garden's as well. The food is fresh fresh fresh!! They are doing it right here in Turkey in terms of their diet's. You hardly see fat people around!!

at the beach

beach... boats from Marmaris anchored out in the water

Utku swimming with Atlas

This is where we hung out

You see the little huts to the far right... that is where we were going... you get food and drink service while you chill at the beach!!

Ruins on the side of the road on our way to the beach

a boat being taken somewhere

downtown Datca (Dat-cha)

We are at Utku's parent's house in Datca. Datca is just as fabulous as the other places I have been, Turkey does not disappoint! The water is perfect and the scenery is equally perfect! Utku's parents don't speak English at all, so communicating is a problem. They are very sweet and have been great hosts despite our lack of verbal communication. It has been mostly hand and face gestures. If I added in a few grunts, we would be back to the cave man days.

I will say that loneliness has set in a bit because of the lack of verbal communication. It is very interesting because it is a rare space that I find myself in... loneliness. I think this will subside when I start the painting process, but it comes in waves. It is a space of great humility, and I think it is a great life lesson. I am the outsider wherever I go and the constant fly on the wall. I just think about the many Mexican / other minority groups in the US trying to survive without knowing the language. You are like an island floating in space. This is why immigrant groups clump together in cities... it is the only way to have some normalcy / a safe space. The difference is that Turks have been really patient and nice about me not speaking their language. I have been shown lots of patience. I don't think Americans have this kind of patience.

Anyways... an interesting space to say the least. More to come on this topic I am sure.

At the beach in Akyaka

2011-06-11T05:27:00.000-07:00

Ice cream guy... he made the ice cream, which was stuck on the end of the big metal spoon. He then tried to keep the ice cream away from me... I was getting pissed because I thought he was trying to make an ass out of me... but apparently it is a tradition to harass kids and tourists!!

Mussel guy... awesome!! Mussels with rice around them served in the shell. Awesome!!

This is a small town down the mountain from Mugla. The town is called Akyaka and the beach we were on is called ağacı, which means oak. Beautiful place, as you can see! Clear water... there was a natural fresh water spring that emptied into the ocean. Little fish and turtles were swimming in the fresh water.

Cute town, Akyaka, it has different architecture than I have seen around. Apparently there is a large English population living there and some Germans.

Driving vids

2011-06-11T04:44:00.000-07:00

Didam (Dee-dim)

2011-06-10T05:47:00.000-07:00

We stopped here on our way down from Izmir. Rasheeda and Utku have an American friend that is married to a Turk that lives in this small town. We hung out and went swimming.

Sitting in Marmaris

2011-06-09T02:48:00.000-07:00

Marmaris is a touristy place

Lots of restaurants/bars

This is where I sat to get cooled off and have a drink

Lots of big beautiful yachts

Boardwalk

Beautiful scenery

Beautiful scenery

Beautiful scenery

I am sitting here in Marmaris enjoying an Efes (Turkish Pilser). Utku had some business to do down here, so I came along for the ride. It is a tourist destination so there is lots of shopping, restaurants, bars, etc. I left my camera cord otherwise I would upload some photos, that will come later. It is probably about 45 minutes away from where I am staying. Mugla is 2100 feet up in the mountains... so you drive down the mountains to get to Marmaris, which is at sea level. We had some amazing baklava and ice cream on the way down the mountain. The ice cream I think is made from goats milk... really creamy and tasty, but different than American ice cream. If you like goat cheese you would like it!! I liked it.

The weather is hot!! The town is up against a beautiful bay with tons of big beautiful yachts. REALLY NICE AND BEAUTIFUL!!!!

That is all for now. I will have more later.

Arrived in MUGLA

2011-06-08T02:53:00.000-07:00

Rasheeda... the guy in the distance was staring at us, they have maybe a handful of "black" people in town!!

This part of the mountain gets lit up at night.

We are up in the old part of Mugla looking down at the town.

Same as above.

Elections are about to happen, so all these flags are everywhere for the different parties.

I am here in Mugla (moo-lah)... I have been having a hard time with the internet. I am trying to resolve my issues and hope to have them resolved soon.

I am going to check into buying a bike today to have some wheels. Where I am staying and the downtown are probably 2-5 miles apart?? Mugla is a mountain town... hot and arid... but nice.

I will have more very soon.

Stay cool!

Ephesus

2011-06-06T00:16:00.000-07:00

Resting on ancient ruins... escaping the heat of the sun... end of the day... end of the tour.

Stone carving at the base of the something, patterns, amazing how these are so consistent and standardized in the stones.

Behind me was a bathing room and gym

Ancient Theater

These gates were to the right of the library and lead out to a shopping area. You walk through the shopping area to the theater. The gates were donated and paid for by two rich merchants who were once slaves and won enough in the gladiator fights to buy their freedom.

Me out in front of the senators meeting place, for the record... I hate visors... but it is the only thing that fits around my hair!!!

Ancient Library

Only remnants of the Byzantine Empire... Christian... notice the crosses

Looking back... this was the residential area... the temple to the left... this goes up towards the senators offices.

This is before Artemis Gate and Hercules Gate... just passed the senators offices... this long stretch of road was covered and passes through a residential area and slopes down toward the library.

Ancient toilets

Temple

The Hadrian Temple

Hercules Gate

Artemis Gate

Senators offices

Ancient Backgammon board

Govt. meeting place... senators and the like

Waiting to go into Ephesus... hot day.

Ephesus (Ancient Greek Ἔφεσος, Ephesos; Turkish Efes) was an ancient Greek city, and later a major Roman city, on the west coast of Asia Minor, near present-day Selçuk, Izmir Province, Turkey. It was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League during the Classical Greek era. In the Roman period, it was for many years the second largest city of the Roman Empire; ranking behind Rome, the empire's capital.^[1]^[2] Ephesus had a population of more than 250,000 in the 1st century BC, which also made it the second largest city in the world.^[2]

The city was famed for the Temple of Artemis (completed around 550 BC), one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The temple was destroyed in 401 AD by a mob led by St. John Chrysostom.^[3] Emperor Constantine I rebuilt much of the city and erected new public baths. The town was again partially destroyed by an earthquake in 614 AD. The city's importance as a commercial center declined as the harbor was slowly silted up by the Cayster River (Küçük Menderes).

Ephesus was one of the seven churches of Asia that are cited in the Book of Revelation.^[4] The Gospel of John may have been written here.^[5] The city was the site of several 5th century Christian Councils, see Council of Ephesus. It is also the site of a large gladiators' graveyard.

Today's archaeological site lies 3 kilometers southwest of the town of Selçuk, in the Selçuk district of İzmir Province, Turkey. The ruins of Ephesus are a favorite international and local tourist attraction, partly owing to their easy access from Adnan Menderes Airport and via the port of Kuşadası.

Izmir Bazaar

2011-06-04T16:31:00.000-07:00

Me in the Izmir (iz-meer) Bazaar with a dumb look on my face

We found a Turkish Coffee patio in the older part of the bazaar.

This was an open boardwalk kind of place near the bazaar

old mosque

The Clock Tower of Izmir, a symbol of the city

cooking meat!!!!

Turkish Coffee with some Turkish Delight

older part of bazaar

ceremonial clothes for when boys get circumcised

Izmir Bazaar

Spent the day at the bazaar in Izmir. Big, lots of smells, shopping... miles of shopping... huge! Izmir is a big city. It is on the West coast of Turkey. The bazaar is close to the water. We walked around, ate some food, and looked at all the stuff for sale. I didn't buy anything, it is a little too soon for souvenir shopping.

The weather was warm but bearable with a little breeze. We went in to eat and the place was warm on the inside. Once we went back outside it was fine with a little shade and a nice breeze.

Time is slowed down here. There isn't quite the hustle and bustle of America at work here. The days are long.

In Turkey, people come and pinch, hold, kiss, or touch your baby. Rasheeda and Utku (my hosts) have a small son (2yr old Atlas... pictures coming), and people were all over him today in the Bazaar. There isn't the same kind of space restrictions as in the US. It is interesting. It is more communal... I like it... it is different... more open.

Day 3 - Jet Lag

2011-06-04T03:49:00.001-07:00

Today I got up about 12 noon or so... and didn't want to. I am tired!! I am feeling the jet lag! Nice sunny day today again!! More to come...

Day 2 - Cesme

2011-06-04T03:36:00.000-07:00

Turkish Bizarre... kind of a cross between a farmers market and a swap meet.

BBQ

Perge is a German beer brewed in Turkey.

Cesme

Cesme

Cesme

Cesme

Cesme

Spent the day yesterday at the beach... in a town called Cesme (Cheshme). It was a bit windy, but not bad, the water was perfect and the sun was perfect. A cross between the warmth of the water in the Gulf of Mexico and a sunny day in San Diego. The sun was warm but not too hot. Awesome!

After the beach, we went to a BBQ at a couples house who are both pharmacists. The house was a mansion! Reminded me of Al Pacino's house in Scarface!! Really nice people... almost no one spoke English. It was a bit lonely in that regard, but humbling. I sat there and watched people have conversations around me. I can now relate a bit better to what it must be like for people in America who don't speak English.

We had an amazing Ping Pong match... I was the weak link on my team and the other guys beat us 3 games in a row. I was playing with a German guy who I am staying with in Izmir. The Turks were excited to beat a German and an American. What fun!!!

Izmir

2011-06-03T03:03:00.000-07:00

Breakfast

The "Wal-Mart" of Izmir

Izmir

Arrived Safely

2011-06-03T00:52:00.001-07:00

I am here in Izmir. I will be here for 4 days and then on to Mugla (moo-lah). Travels were long, but I am finally here. Can't wait to get painting. Will take a couple of weeks probably to settle in and start interviewing people, but then on to work in the studio!

Izmir reminds me of San Diego, California (rolling hills, nice weather).

Photo's coming.

Going to Turkey!!

2011-05-26T13:00:00.000-07:00

I will be in Turkey working on an art project from June 1st to August 28th. I will post images and my experiences on this blog often. Below is a description of the project.

The project “Shared Histories” will involve creating thirty (50”x40”) painted portraits that explore the bi-racial and bi-cultural identity of Afro-Turkish people living in southwestern Turkey, culminating in four collaborative exhibitions and community dialogue around UNESCO’s International Day of Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. The paintings will also serve as examples for a series of community arts workshops (from mid-July through early August) on using art to explore the complex subject of identity.