Glenn Maffia
To put it mildly I was incandescent with irritation that the ‘Apollon Workshop’ was veiled to become, to all intents and purposes, a ‘Closed Shop’. This was something that I needed to be within and hear the proposals (if there were any) espoused.
I informed a Turkish archaeologist friend of mine, who was also eager to attend, and he rang round to all the local and national authorities to ascertain the venue(s) to absolutely no avail.
Aydin Belediye said they would get back to him, though needless to say, they did not. Therefore it appears that public service is as inept as so many others in this area. Pathetic.
Nonetheless the “veiled” discussions proceeded without the view of critical eyes, who may have voiced an opinion upon its direction. Was Dr. Helga Bumke, really there, I thought that she had returned to Germany?
As it stands the most important and, without a shadow of doubt, the most influential to long term prosperity in this town is the Temple of Apollo and its immediate environs.
As I keep reiterating; the archaeologists have uncovered a Roman Bath Complex, a Theatre, Byzantine Chapels and, most spectacularly, another temple which most consider to be that dedicated to Artemis.
Surely, I cannot be the only person in town (or country) who believes there is so much more beneath our feet. Certainly not to the extent of Ephesus, where the surface has merely been scratched even now, or Miletus which was even grander and mightier than afore mentioned Roman capital of Asia Minor.
In the meantime, according to the press releases last week, we have had our mayor calling for “realistic steps”, which means what exactly?
Then Deniz pledges that that “whatever needs to be done to improve the area would be done within the law, regulations and plans”.
Ok, let’s take these one at a time. Firstly the law. Are we not seeing all the illegal dwellings and businesses which are choking the Temple? Why has nothing been done to remedy this pitiful state of merely turning a blind eye to what these criminals are doing??
Are you, Deniz, not aware of the thieving of historical artefacts which is constantly being perpetrated?
Some of the German archaeologists were telling me that they have been shown articles ‘found’ by local people, the like of which they have never unearthed.
A bronze dagger of excellent craftsmanship had the archaeologists drooling, though the thief ignored their protestations to “please hand it in to the correct authorities”.
He would not even tell them the location where he ‘retrieved’ it. So, let us be honest, there is not much law, in my view.
Obviously regulations pertain to the law and as in the case of all the illegal buildings which proliferate each and every year they are not being enforced, let alone rigorously.
The traffic is allowed to do what it so desires for there is no police presence in evidence; and even when they are they appear not to care.
Tractors, delivery lorries, off duty buses, and more and more, merely take advantage when someone leaves the traffic bollards down rather than be responsible in their actions and take the route around the Temple which takes no more than an extra two minutes of their time.
I’ve seen people (09 car number plates only, for they know) driving down the side of the Temple by the Oracle Otel, precisely adjacent to the Theatre down there. Now that is abject laziness for it is far easier to drive around.
And finally to ‘plans’. Well, one may prudently ask: “What plans? Whose plans? And when were these plans decided upon, and by whom?” I think it would be interesting to many people what these plans entail.
As I’ve written innumerable times previously, the Temple belongs to the whole of humankind.