Show 6 RU SD or IL si SIA k MINOR Is the stage upon which have been en acted some of the most stupendous events in the history of mankind here the civilizations of the orient and the occident ha hav e ever met and struggled for supremacy the persian and greek roman and kontian byzantine and moslem crusader and saracen turk and mogul each in their turn came upon the scene and were alternately overwhelmed by the vicissitudes of human life fragments of columns arches and temples now stand as silent sentinels over tl e tombs of their empires and cities today to day these mangled ruins present a melan choly picture i et they cannot be viewed d aitho it plea pleasure ure and regret rhe pleasure consists chiefly in recalling the historical associations connected with mith each while the regret is caused by the tact fact that nothing is done to prevent their I 1 arther decay cl and demolition and that in all lity future generations will lay considerable blame upon the age for not having done more toward pre serving these interesting and it v e ru ns from xa V an earlier de cestr action at least than would ably be their destiny if left alone to the silent lapse of time asia minor presents illy a boundless bom bou diess idless field for research and exploration there are remnants of hittite monuments still extant which date from the ear liset dawn of history among the ed greek cities rise many a stately stricture san of ro roi an origin now slowly sink ng into decay from distant hilltops medieval castles some in a fair state of pre er still look down upon the valleys below the few travelers trai elers who visit the interior ot of apia minor to today day are greeted bj bk these grim heritages of a great past they staid as it were the silent cus of treasures and secrets wl ich he lie buried deep beneath mutely appealing to the pre present ent se to bestir itself and rescue before it Is too late these sinking tumuli tumult the receptacles of knowledge which may en lighten and instruct generations of mai laikind kind during the past year 1 1 I have visited the sites of many ancient cities in asia minor many places described are rarely sought out by the tourist and seldom even by the archaeologist I 1 may state that I 1 have visited and inspected all the places herein described and personally pho to graphed tie the views here shown I 1 wish also to state in the beginning that I 1 am not an archago ogist and have had no training on the subject this must account for any inadvertencies which may crop up in the course of ills tl is narrative much is being done at present in the way of excavating the anci ancient nt 1 11 jj e y at of 1 N V I 1 Z A AA 1111 4 BAZ hta A 7 15 cities of ephesus pernamus Per gamus ariene and miletus for a nur number riber of years t the e austrian government has been busy at ephesus and t the e german government is at present carr carrying ving on excavations at pernamus Per gamus and miletus on the whole however little has this tin s jar far been done to un earth the birdied b ined cities of asia minor superficial ecca lations have been made at many points thorough ex cavat ions however such as have characterized the work of the gen ge n ans at ariene chere a whole city has been brought to light are an exception the ruina of ancient aralles are situated upun upon a high of ruins since then the remnants have been used in colstr ct ing mosques and in shap ng afi headstones for graves in turkish cemeteries for many years past the ruined site has been superficially dug and culled for tures and other antiquities and the fragments found Y VV plateau which overlooks the plain of the meander river at the foot of the hills stands the modern MW smog town of aidin the second place of importance in the of smyrna fo day this neighborhood is consid ered the garden spot of asia minor bwy it is the center of the fig district and the olives and wine produced are much prized on account of their ity this is also the region in which the best cotton in abia a minor is grown it is probable that this valley was kept in a much higher state of cut culta ti cation in ancient times when the city surrendered to alexander the great the figs of aralles were cele berated throughout the ancient world and it is a well known fact that at N alft that time the hills along the whole 1 isk 0 extent of the meander were covered with forests which prevented in a mom measure the destructive inundations ons arama gaar wl ich characterize the river to das ancient aralles now lies imbedded Tf 71 afat AT WAP under a vast orchard of olive trees most of these trees are more than years old the ruins extant above the surface of the earth some stand ng erect in the shape of pillars and arches some thickly strewn among the trees present a picturesque and unique scene in 1888 some excavations were made with good results fhe ruins however have suffered much at different times from earthquakes and especially on account of being used as building material for the houses of aidin aldin and some of the finest columns have been removed and set in the public buildings of that town remains of the acropolis stadium and theater may still be seen it was fiam the latter that strabo claimed that he could look across the plain of the me ale ander and see the people sitting in the theater of mag nesia on the edge of the plateau still stand three enor archways which are eitl er a part of a greek gym or roman bath the slabs of marble which or lamented namen ted these arches have long since been removed generally speaking aralles would be an easy city i to excavate there is no rock formation of a serious character the earth covers the ruins rums loosely and could aas ly be removed the olive orchard with the roots 0 of f the trees efte ding in every enery d deep into the mound would form the greatest obstacle not only from tl e point of digging but as an item of expense tor for th reason that thee fruit trees i have to be pur chase I 1 outright from their owners beaole be ng de tie str tr ved bialles was one of the most important cities in asia minor its position half way between the ports of ephe us and miletus Ali letus on t e coast and the it 11 tenor cities of lie tie co artry mut ngu been favorable always to tran ran alel t corn commerce merce it renowned tor for tie wealth of its nl ab til tai ts it was mas repeatedly destio ed by earthquakes and fires tires and as ofte i rebuilt t about tie ti e thirteenth endur when tin UIL last e left the city a mass show that they belong to the best period of art on the roads approaching aidin there are many fountains we troughs of which have been hollowed out of the base of columns from the temple of asci laps at present there Is a lime kiln in operation among the ruins and many men are employed in digging up columns of porphyry and grid slabs of maible with greek inscriptions which are all being ground into lime for building purposes the turkish governor of Aldin Aidin in formed n e that he had made a futile attempt to stop this work but that it was being conducted by the null tary authorities over which he had no juried action in plowing among the olive trees the peasants still up innumerable coins which tl ey sell at trifling r rices mai mal y val able pieces of taken from aralles may also be been seen in the houses househ of the better cla class clas s of djoi ie in aldin but these agelas are as nothing corn com pared to the number sent to various museums in eu rope and what aralles has yet given to the world in the way may of art treasures is as nothing compared with what ifill reman s entombed for the city itself lies ies be neath the bartl Hier apolis is probably the most interesting spot in asia mil alit or it has always been one of tl if e abst fasci bating places in the orient As the ancients were at toward it on account of the matchless mineral springs spring and awe inspiring plutonium so to day the stray traveler seeks it out in order to feast his eyes upon the most perfect ruino I 1 city in the world it is indeed a marvelous city to the strident of history it is an object lesson unparalleled elsewhere to the philosopher it is an mine of contemplation conten to the ignorant nomad who wanders in these parts it Is an actual ex ample of the power pomer of magic to the archaeologist it means nothing at least that which is visible to the eye for the reason that what nhat he seeks lieh u beneath a calca r jl I 1 t ell lo 10 N X 0 W amsy J ay 4 0 adl 1 0 q VA JA I reous incrustation which paves the whole plateau and belongs to a far anterior period than the t present ruins ruin Hiera pois is a verita veritable ble city of q 4 wa r t te V I H 7 0 ar A 14 ra for commercial and military enterprises of communication by the armies of xerxes alexander th being in turn ruin the great frederick barbarossa nar barossa and many mariy others of laodicea lie upon a comm commanding anding elevation which givel 1 at eight mile milet surrounding country lc a fine view of the while al with flow white distant stands mount cadmus that is left of colossal Colos sae rests at its base fertile valley of the I 1 you yen the on the other hand beyond in the sunlight the huge casca cascade def be seen may where the city of the plateau over which plunge situated nestling at the foot ot of the hill upon which th is 13 acropolis once stood is the little village of gondell mountain range of baba daft with the to the south away in the background bick ground is the larger turkish town of from th built been practically both of these thebe places hale hane of I 1 lodicea ruins ard slopes abou in the spring of the year the alleys and the surrounding coun with ve verdure ordure lio licea ire green not un viewed from the ruins presents a picture ag try tc U the fields are cultivated up friendie fri endl endi to the eye in fact which bi bt t within the city limits the walls of the city there is not enouf enough miles ably cover an ar area ea two square it is a scene of desola feed a hungry goat vegetation t to ci tion where only snakes shards turtles ind prowling tomb jack the aig 1 now beek seek in subterranean caverns occasional stone cutter from Is a regular visitor wending its way slowly a camel caravan in may ay be seen through the ruined streets but otherwise it is a long of former 9 great reat since rejected and shorn of every symbol ness the chief emporium of central siet ket laodicea was once asia minor it was mas the seat of one of the seven churches this city was deemed ci one tie ol 01 for something like 1400 1 years not only from a 3 the most important to possess point of view but also from the standpoint stand point of the sinew citizens of lao wherewith remith to conduct war the opulent dicea often fell a prey to the greed pt pf roman tartar and turkish conquerors in times of peace the hardships caused by ear were mere felt as severe severely ay as was the pestilent lenc I 1 t f war mar I 1 et tle people were so attached to their city ahti they rebuilt it repeatedly out of their own means mean s andea and ea I 1 t time in greater a splendor alend r than before it was only when tamerlane scarcely left one stone upon the oti oil er and when the turks about 1230 1220 A D slaughtered or sold the inh bt tants into slavery that the city became what it la is to day one vast held field studded with heaps of ruins considering the ravages age caused by earthquakes tim unit and war laodicea however even at present is still in a remarkable otate of preservation the stadium is almost in the sides of a hill which coiras intact 1 ahe he steps repose a natural base for tl it is 18 monument the plan of the gyana slum la is so well preserved that almost the entire building cin be seen fao theaters 0 one no of which was devoted to music are practically lv complete scattered over the field of entangled ruins are no end of temilda lea with in one mass the base of columns still in pla place ce the ancient aqueduct is partially preserved and shows clearly how the vater water was conducted aiom a long distance upon the hydrostatic prin c pie of its seeking its own level tl TI e aqueduct Is not a lofty archway such as cl those of koman roman origin throughout asia minor and italy but is built close to the ground and the water mater was mas conducted to the city in massive hill and down from a distant mountain range stor toi e pipes u up p in the bed of the little river of stand the broken piera piers of a bridge which once led to a christian cemetery on a neighboring hill opposite the city the ancient pagan necropolis was situated just hutst outside de the city limits near where the tillage village of condell now stands many interesting have been fluid foul d and removed to various mu laodicea once had three gateways which pierced the solid walls which extended around the circumference 7 7 A SA 1 Z TO 39 4 AW tz p ia the dead outside the wk N walls there 91 are no less 41 than four i in manse n e e ro fa all aises in a 1 a p I 1 bendid state of p r e serva tion natu rally every 77 ar 7 17 1 DI D AP ff in aus and sarcophagus I 1 ai u I 1 ten cen opened and plundered cen tunes ago but it wab was done in s ch a manner that the tombs were mere not destroyed and they may be inspected to day IB ii exactly the same condition and place of repose s they occupied nearly 2000 2 years ago there were two main entrances to the city the ruined city of Hier apolis may be reached from laodicea after abo it five hours horseback ride in an chent times a splendid roadway connected the two cities the only traces however now extant being the but tre tresses seq of a bridge which once spanned the lycus the cascades ca cades of lie tie city are visible from a long ais dis tance and as one approaches ipp roaches the mole moie impressive the become at a d stance of two miles they have the ap pear nce nee of some I 1 uge cataract not that of 0 ni agara and it if seen in april when the grass is green upon the slope sloped the whole presents a a vonc erful picture ahe now deserted deber ted city of I 1 laodice ei was mas situated in inc ent times upon the great grace graec roman poman highway which led from sard a in lydia ahr gh tie tte heart ot of aan A 1 i mil or to tie ti e confines of syria this flits roadway sup pose I 1 to be of persian origin was once the chief means of ane plateau the of one are still well preserved but the base u lies deeply burled buried in the earth ot of the great double gateway which opened upon the road leading to Hie rapolla nothing but the buttresses which supported it on either et ther side of nf the deep ravine which formed the approach to the city may still indistinctly be traced As yet nothing has been done by the arch archaeologist ae in the way of exciNa ting lodicea Lodl cea this Is surprising when ve me take irto consideration that of a all 11 the old cities in asia minor none has tas been or could be excavated with greater ease 1 he debris aid eat eaith th which coi cover er the city could be easily carted ariy and dumped at the toot foot of 0 the hills probably no ancient city would repay the et ef fort in re than this one Is a at ephesus an excavation would probably reveal various of architecture each built upon tl tie e other ertain it Is that the build ings which now stand above the earths surface are gioie or less of late dreel creel oi 01 itoman roman origin certain it Is also blat the I 1 aich abich was founded 3 ainu nu ophus 11 II some 20 24 years before christ C I 1 irist was wa a erected i pon the site of a much older city |