Our next stop after the Artemis Temple was Meryama OR House of Virgin Mary where Virgin Mary had spent the last years of her life in the the Ephesus area. It is known that crucified Jesus has asked St John the Evangelist to look after his mother Mary and it was John who brought Mary to Ephesus around 37 AD where she spent the last few years of her life at the place known as Meryama which is 8 kilometres from Ephesus. The shrine is located at Mount Pion or Bulbul Mountain where it is believed that Mary lived until the age of 64 and died around 46 AD. This place was declared a place of pilgrimage around 1892 by the Archbishop of Izmir after the house was discovered in 1812 by a German nun - Sister Emmerich, who had never moved from her home as she was an invalid. However, one day she awoke in a trance and described Mary's house in detail which was recorded by a writer named Brentano, who was at her bedside. The German nun went on to say that the Virgin Mary died at the age of 64 and was buried in a cave near her house. When her coffin was opened soon after, however, the coffin and burial shroud were empty. The house was then turned into a chapel. Years after Emmerich's vision, a French clergyman read Brentano's account and later travelled to Ephesus to find the House of the Virgin where he found a house matching the nun's description and sent word to the bishops of Paris and Rome who did not respond to his observation.

Later in 1891, two Lazarist preists and two Catholic officials set out to Ephesus to see the house. They found a small chapel in ruins with a damaged statue of the Virgin. They returned to Izmir with their report, and more priests and specialists were sent out to the site. Since 1892 the House of the Virgin has been an official Catholic pilgrimage site. It was restored by 1897 and a shelter for visitors was set up. The Meryama was later visited by Popes Paul VI and John Paul II, who verified its authenticity. On August 15 (the Feast of the Assumption of Mary) each year, Orthodox and Muslim clergy conduct a service together at the shrine which is indeed rare in any part of the world. The House of the Virgin is a sacred site for both Christians and Muslims (Muslims also believe in the virgin birth and honour Mary as the mother of the Prophet Jesus). The spring that runs under the Virgin's House is believed to have healing properties, and many miracles have been reported. Inside the house are crutches and canes said to be left behind by those who were healed by the sacred spring.

The house itself is a one-domed building and at the entrance, there is a small front hall and at the back is an elongated chamber with an altar, which is a prayer room. This place of pilgrimage is visited by thousands of tourists each year and people believing in godly qualities of Virgin Mary come here and drink from the spring water believed to be sacred and make their wishes. Very recently in November 2006, Pope Benedict XVI celebrated a mass at the House of Virgin Mary and was the third Pope to visit this holy place of pilgrimage. Along the shrine there is a prayer wall where you have hundreds of pieces of cloth hanged up with wishes from pilgrims who frequent the place every year.

After spending some time at the holy place and experiencing the mystic beauty we headed back to Kusadasi. The next day was a day long tour to the region of Heirapolis and the cotton terraces of Pamukkale - one of the spectacular places worth visiting during your stay in Turkey. As you drive around the Aegean coast from Kusadasi, you turn inland towards Denizli to reach Pamukkale also know as the Cotton Castle. It takes about 3 hours from Kusadasi to reach the UNESCO town of Heirapolis-Pamukkale. Here, thermal spring waters laden with calcium run off the plateau's edge, creating a cascade of petrified basins - an extraordinary work of art created by nature. The ancient city of Heirapolis is located around 19 kilometres north of Denizli and is at an altitude of 100 metres above the Meander excavations. During the Hellenistic era, the thermal springs at Heirapolis made it a very popular spa and today the ruins of Heirapolis has many visitors not only for its history but also to swim in its mineral rich pools and see the terraces of Pamukkale.

The ancient city of Hierapolis itself was known as the Holy City in archeological literature because of the abundance of temples and various other religious structures in the area. The city was founded by Eumenes II, King of Pergamum and it was an importance centre during the Roman and Byzantine periods and a centre of Christianity since the 4th Century. It derives its name from Heira which means sacred city because of the religious events that took place here. There is a large cemetery area in this region and therefore it is also known as the Necropolis or the city of the dead. People used to come here to soothe their healings in the hot spa which were in existence here since 2nd Century BC and many of them retired and died here. The great baths were constructed with huge stone blocks without the use of plaster, and consisted of various closed or open sections linked together. There are deep niches in the inner section of the bath, library, gymnasium and other closed or open locations. The complex, constitutes a good example of vault-type architecture. The complex is now an Archaeological Museum.

The city of Heirapolis has statues and shops around, underneath which passed canals. The road had a base covered with stone blocks with two huge doors which were constructed at the end of the 1st Century and left outside the city walls. The Byzantine Gate was later constructed in the 6th Century. In the year 17 A.D. an earthquake destroyed the city, which was rebuilt. In the year 1534, another earthquake destroyed the remains of the ancient city. After the formation of the large white limestone, the hot springs became famous in the 20th century as the tourist attraction, known as Pamukkale. The city of Hierapolis along with Pamukkale was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1988. The ancient city was rediscovered, but also partially destroyed by hotels that were built there. These buildings were removed again in recent years. The hot water pool of one hotel was retained, and, for a fee, it is possible to swim amongst ancient stone remains.

Pamukkale is one of Turkey's most popular and photographed sights and the terraces form when the water from the hot springs loses it carbon dioxide as it flows down the slopes which in turn leaves deposits of limestone, creating layers of white calcium carbonate formation. These formations are built up in steps on the plateau and that is probably how it has earned its name Pamukkale or cotton castle. The ancient city of Heirapolis was built on top of the white "castle" which is about 2700 meters long and 160m high. As you drive into the region, you can see the white terraces from a distance, as you drive uphill into Heirapolis. The region enjoys a temperate climate all year round.

The spring water which fill into these white terraces are at 350oC and forms an extraordinary phenomenon with their travertine deposits of calcium carbonate. The waters here are believed to have been used by Emperors who came here for various treatments such as cardiovascular disorders, blood pressure anamolies, skin eruptions as well as disorders of the digestive system. In fact the Turkish people call Pamukkale the 8th wonder of the world for its amazing beauty and fantastic formations of stalactities and basins. One of the popular stops is a swim at the Cleopatra Pool which is supposed to have strong healing powers as it is littered with fragments of marble columns which are associated with the Temple of Apollo. It costs about 10 Euros to bathe in the pool as this is the only place where bathing is allowed as it is forbidden to bathe in the cotton terraces.

However, at Pamukkale who find a lot of tourists coming in their swim suits to soak in the sun and dip their feet in the water of the white terraces, which has rich calcium deposits. Ideally, it is worth to stay one night in Pamukkale and Heirapolis to explore the region extensively. However, due to paucity of time, I had to head back to Kusadasi the same evening after completing the last leg of my tour to Turkey. The following day, I flew from Izmir into Istanbul and thereafter to take my connecting flight to Mumbai, after having visited one of the most fascinating countries, which has a unique influence of two continents - Asia and Europe. For those who are still planning a holiday this April or May, Turkey is a must visit destination, as you can stay at a cave hotel in Cappadocia, admire the natural beauty of the amazing cotton castle at Pamukkale or experience rich history and cruise along the Bosphorus in Istanbul, the only city in the world which is located in two continents and with direct flights from Mumbai to Istanbul, on Turkish Airlines, there is no reason why you should not be visiting this wonderful country. Compact Travels has some very unique itineraries to make your visit to Turkey one of your most memorable holiday experiences.

(Concluded)