Turkey, So Far

I arrived in Istanbul yeseterday and crossed the river as the late afternoon sun cast shadows on the spires. We'll return later in the week to see the city. But this morning we had a 3 AM wake-up call and caught an early flight to the interior.

First we went to the tell at Colossae. It amazes me that no one has yet excavated that ancient city. But it's in a gorgeous, fertile valley with vineyards and the sound of a stream running behind us. The mountains towered in the background, and I had a new appreciation for the apostle Paul's description in Colossians 1 of Jesus Christ as the Creator of all. The Colossians were surrounded by breathtaking creation.

Then we moved on to Laodicea. It is the only city mentioned in Revelation 2-3 to which Christ had nothing positive to say. Everywhere in the ruins we saw the remains of structures related to water. Roman baths. Aquaducts. A huge fountain with statues.

Hot water came to Laodicea from nearby springs. Cold water came from different springs. But by the time both got to the city, the water was lukewarm and brackish. Jesus told the Christians in Laodicea that He wished they were either hot or cold, but because they were lukewarm, He would spew them out of His mouth. When I got back to the bus after walking in the heat, I took a big swig of water from my bottle and guess what--it was lukewarm and I wanted to spew it! Cold water refreshes. Hot water--love it every morning for my coffee. But lukewarm water, the tepid stuff, makes me want to hurl. God too, apparently.

The city was quite rich in its day. It suffered two major earthquakes in the first century, and when Rome offered to send in government help, they refused. Didn't need it. They could handle it on their own. Jesus tells these people through John's revelation that, though they are rich, they are really poor.

I was amazed at how extensive the excavation was in Laodicea. The past ten years have seen incredible strides in what's been uncovered, and the city left us with dropped jaws.

The best of all, though, was ancient Hierapolis. Huge calcium deposits make it like the Cliffs of Dover in the middle of the valley. Picture Mammoth Hot Springs (near Yellowstone) without the sulphur smell and multiply it several times over in terms of scale, and you get the picture.

The city also had a temple to Apollo, is where Philip was reportedly martyred, and has the best-preserved theater I have ever seen. You can see it behind us in the shot above.

More when I have e-access again.