ON TO THE LAND OF FAITH

Growing up and attending years of Sunday School and Bible Studies....I don't know where I picked up the idea that the sites of the Bible were mostly located in Israel and Jordan. Never did I think that Turkey would figure in to that map of ancient Roman/Judeo Christian belief.

We left Istanbul (called Constantinopel in the days of the Ottoman Empire)and headed south along the turquoise coast past WWI bunkers, olive groves and orange trees.
Turkey is located just south of mainland Europe and East of Iran and Irag. It is a magical mixture of East and West and a prime crossroads between both areas...thus the reason for the bunkers. Turkey was a strategic crossroads between waring fronts throughout its history.

It is a beautiful area where Europeans now come to vacation alongside of historic ruins. Here, the "7 churches of the Apocalypse" from the book of Revelations in the New Testament are located. Called Anatolia it is here that St. John played an important role in the expansion of early Christianity. It was John who promoted the westward march of this religion from the Holy Land.

He located his church near Ephesus and even brought along Mary, the mother of the cruicified Jesus to live out her last days. Her home, now a shrine, is visited daily by many religions of the world. Mary was venerated by the Muslims as well and was honored thorughout their religious art that acknowledged the virgin birth and her role as the holy mother of a man that all religions considered sacred.

We visited the large city of Izmir (formerly known as Smyrna),now called the Pearl of the Agean and then the seaside resort of Kusudasi. Then we continued inland past the ruins of Troy, Pergamum and Philadelphia and on to what is now Pamukkale formerly Hierapolis where early Christians as well as Roman royalty went to enjoy the mineral springs. On and on into religous history in this land where over 95% of the population is Muslem.

Turkey...the land of the Early Christians, Gladiators, the Ottomons, Sultans and World Wars. Now a mixing pot of east and west as it was in the early days....brining business and commerce and tourism up to date.