Last week we took the bus to Ulus, the oldest section of Ankara, and visited the Roman ruins there. The area isn’t well restored, but it is very large, especially the tepidorium and caldarium (the warm and hot water areas of the baths), because the winters are so cold here. The area had once been surrounded by many Corinthian columns, so there were a great number of broken pieces lying around, just sort of laid out in rows all over the area, some in better condition than others. There were also grave markers, mostly with Latin and Greek inscriptions. The baths flourished in about 200 AD when Ancyra, as the city was called by the Romans, was a crossroads and the capital of Galatia.
Not too f
ar away are two other Roman ruins: a column built to honor the Roman emperor Julian who visited in AD 362 and a wall of the temple of Augustus, built in 20 BC by the king of Galatia to honor a visit by the great Roman emperor. The temple became a Byzantine church in the 4th century and then a mosque was built on the site in 1425. (In the picture of the column, perhaps you can see a stork’s nest on top.)
We are constantly reminded of how long this area has been a center of civilization. The Hittites were here in Old Testament times, and there were several civilizations before them. Although the modern Republic is only 85 years old, the Turks have been here much longer. We regularly walk past the headquarters of the Air Force and Navy. The Air Force insignia shows it was started in 1911. We were astonished to see the date on the Navy insignia: established in 1081!
Not too f
ar away are two other Roman ruins: a column built to honor the Roman emperor Julian who visited in AD 362 and a wall of the temple of Augustus, built in 20 BC by the king of Galatia to honor a visit by the great Roman emperor. The temple became a Byzantine church in the 4th century and then a mosque was built on the site in 1425. (In the picture of the column, perhaps you can see a stork’s nest on top.)
We are constantly reminded of how long this area has been a center of civilization. The Hittites were here in Old Testament times, and there were several civilizations before them. Although the modern Republic is only 85 years old, the Turks have been here much longer. We regularly walk past the headquarters of the Air Force and Navy. The Air Force insignia shows it was started in 1911. We were astonished to see the date on the Navy insignia: established in 1081!
It really is hard to wrap my mind around the fact that so many civilizations have been there. we are studying about Paul in our Seminary class and these are the places he would have visited. Just awesome.
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