The synagogue of Sardis

After warm goodbyes to Soykan, we pedal along the highway, on the side of which many shops and even motels can easily be found. Our next stop is the more than 35 centuries old city of Sardis, ancient capital of the 7th and 6th century BCE Lydian kings — including Craesus, famous for his riches (“riche comme Crésus” is a popular French expression). The Roman bath establishment was located next to a 12 metre wide road, which has remained a major highway for over 3000 years. It was certainly prosperous! You can see where there were shops, a large town entrance and the pools at three different temperatures.

Probably the most unique part of the visit is the large synagogue, dating from the 3rd century. The local governor had sent an invitation across the Roman Empire to all Jews, to come and settle in his town, to enlarge and enrich it. The synagogue seems to be the largest in the western diaspora. What remains are the restored walls and floor of a large building that was beside the baths, with columns, mosaic floors and remarkable interior decorations. University groups from Columbia (New York), Harvard (Massachusetts) and Istanbul collaborate in the discovery, excavation and preservation.

We continue our route on a small road in the vineyards, along a scenic range of mountains. Clouds and sunshine, patches of rain and fog among hills, peaks and cliffs, create for us a free show of natural beauty. A few kilometres before Alasehir, our destination, a large number of pipes seem to emerge from the hills into the vineyards, some converging into large fuming cooling towers. We guess that these are geothermal installations collecting the heat from the tectonic terrain. This is confirmed by Soykan via WhatsApp: locals use the energy for heating and electricity.Read more