We had a wonderful trip to Turkey, and our memorable experience was due to our tour guide, Mutlu Bulut. Mutlu is a licensed tour guide educated in archeology and passionate about it. His knowledge is both wide and deep. We found him through this forum. His email is [email protected].
Our first day touring Turkey was Ephesus. We chose to hire Mutlu as our guide rather than touring it as part of our cruise's included excursions. Great move! We spent the morning in Ephesus focusing on the life of St Paul when he lived there--which was our goal. We also learned about the history of this ancient city, the Roman culture, and the importance of this city to Asia Minor. Also, be sure to see the Terrace Houses--no visit to Ephesus would be complete without it.
We spent time at The Virgin Mary's House. This was a moving experience. Seeing the house gave me a true sense of the care John provided Mary. And when one learns of the visions of the German nun and then tying her visions to the archaeological site, the experience is more than just a visit.
We also saw St John's Basilica, St John's former tomb. We learned that when the modern-day Turks came into the area, they saw the local people walking every August 15 (the feast of the assumption) from St John's Basilica to Mary's House. This is done today. One can imagine how the apostles may have visited Mary while they were in the area, although there is no record of that.
We had a wonderful lunch in Selcuk eating local barbeque. We were the only tourists in the restaurant, everyone else was local.
After our cruise we spent two extra days in Istanbul with Mutlu as our guide. We saw Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Galata Tower, the Grand Bazaar, the Hippodrome, the Spice Bazaar, and the Topkapi Palace. Both the Topkapi Palace and Galata Tower offer stunning views. Check out the shops recommended by RS.
After Istanbul we spent two days in Selcuk, using it as a base to go further east. We spent one day exploring Colossae, Laodicea and Hierapolis. Colossae is unexcavated so it is a large mound about 3 stories high. Although unexcavated, it was nice to be there and see the proximity to Hierapolis and Laodicea. It gives a sense of how far the apostles traveled to establish the church.
Laodicea was impressive. Even in the ruins one can see the wealth of this city in ancient times. Seeing the 4th century church is worth the trip. The mosaics on the floors are beautiful and the attention the archeologists gave to restore this church is inspiring.
Hierapolis was beautiful. We spent most of our time at the amphitheater and the tomb of St Philip. We believe these sights are more impressive than the hot springs. Although the hot springs were nice to see, they are integral to the history of Hierapolis and to the comparison to Laodicea as discussed in the book of Revelation.
The second day out of Selcuk we saw Priene, Miletus and Didyma. Priene is well preserved and displays a 3rd century BC city. Miletus is mentioned in the book of Acts where St Paul wrote to the elders of Ephesus. Didyma is an impressive temple to Apollo. It was never completed and shows the stages of how the temples were erected.
Had we not had Mutlu as our guide, we would just have looked at a bunch of ruins with no meaning. Mutlu's wealth of knowledge brought the sites to life for us. We saw more than if we had traveled on our own or been part of a large group with its attendant logistics. Mutlu also arranged our local travel as well as gave great recommendations for boutique hotels and local restaurants.
We want to go to Turkey again and when we do, we'll go with Mutlu Bulut.
We highly recommend that if you are on a cruise which stops in Kusadasi (Ephesus) and Canakkale (Troy), hire Mutlu rather than take the cruise tour. You'll go deeper into the history, and you will be able to focus in the area of history which interests you the most.
What a wonderful trip!