Tim Frakes Productions » Turkey

Roman Ruins You Can Climb On

timfrakes — Thu, 22 May 2008 19:11:57 +0000

One of the best things about Turkey is accessibility to Roman ruins. Unlike Greece or Italy, Turkey is blessed with an abundance of ancient treasures that you can actually crawl around on.

Yalvac is the biblical city of Antioch in Psidia. 17 cities once carried the name Antioch. High mountain peaks, snowcapped in winter, surround the ruins of this once bustling town, which features an aqueduct, theater, roads and columns.

The ruins of the Church of St. Paul are located in Yalvac. The Church was built in 325 A.D. on the site of the Synagogue where St. Paul is said to have preached in 46A.D.

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The Rock Churches of Gokyurt, Turkey

timfrakes — Wed, 14 May 2008 01:27:00 +0000

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High on a hilltop in rural Turkey is the ancient village of Gokyurt. It is called Lystra in the Bible. The book of Acts tells us that Paul and Barnabas were hailed as Gods when they healed a lame man here around 64 A.D. Later, the town’s folk turned on them and they were stoned.

Dotting the ridge around the village are limestone rock outcroppings. Nested in the rocks are caves once used as dwellings and early Christian churches.

For the next two hours, two locals showed us around. In the years after Paul and Barnabas, a small Christian community developed here. One cave is a carved rock basilica. Archeologists have excavated other caves; their entrances blocked by iron gates. Some are used to store hay for the sheep. We couldn’t communicate very well with our hosts, but they gave us a grand tour anyway. At the conclusion, we offered to pay them for their time. They refused, shook our hands, waved good-bye and walked back into the village.

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Roman Ruins, Perge Turkey

timfrakes — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 17:51:00 +0000

Perge, Turkey is a world class archeological site. An important Roman shipping port during its heyday, it was abandoned centuries ago. Now, the only visitors come on tour busses from Side. It must have been a large city. The ruins include a stadium, a theater, public baths that still hold water and a colossal arched city gate.

New Testament characters Paul and Barnabas passed through here on the way to Antioch in Pisidia around 50 AD. It was also at this point that Barnabas?s nephew, Mark, decided to turn back. Maybe the sight of a major Roman city and its garrison of soldiers gave him second thoughts? Paul and Barnabas pressed on, so did we.

This footage appears in “The Life of Apostle Paul with Rick Steves.”
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