Vol. XX, No. i WASHINGTON January, 1909 



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THE BURIED CITIES OF ASIA MINOR 



By Ernest L. Harris 

 American Consul General to Smyrna 



This is the third and last article by Mr Harris describing some of the i uined cities 

 oj Asia Minor. The first and second articles were published in the November aiid De- 

 cember, 1908, 7271771 bers of this Magazi7ic. 



THE ancient roadway to Colophon 

 was a sacred way, and on either 

 side, at the base of the hills, 

 were erected mausoleums as receptacles 

 for the dead. Today there are no traces 

 of this roadway to be found, but of tombs 

 and temples the signs are plentiful on 

 every hand. In many parts of the val- 

 ley one stumbles upon rows of columns 

 projecting out of the earth. This valley 

 is an archeologist's paradise. I can fully 

 appreciate what Sir William Ramsay 

 said about this particular district a few 

 years ago: 



"If I could afford it, and might choose 

 where and how I would spend the rest 

 of my life, I would choose to camp on 

 the site of old Colophon, and live out my 

 remaining days digging among its old 

 ruins." 



The inclinations, temperament, likes, 

 and dislikes of people are different. 

 Some enjoy hunting big game and seek 

 it in the jungle, brake, or trackless for- 

 est; others climb steep mountain ranges, 

 while some like yachting; but give me 

 the horse that can respond to the wishes 

 of its rider and a camera for a true com- 



panion ; then give me Asia Minor, with 

 its ruined cities, to explore, and I have 

 a sport which, in my judgment at least, 

 surpasses in novelty and charm any- 

 thing offered by those above mentioned. 



WHERE NIOBE LIVED 



Magnesia ad Sipylum, now called Ma- 

 nisa, is a real Turkish town. The mod- 

 ern city, with a population of about 

 35,000, has no less than twenty mosques, 

 each one having from one to three min- 

 arets. The view of the town, with the 

 steep cliffs of Mount Sipylus in the back- 

 ground, which is always covered with 

 snow until about the first of May each 

 year, is exceptionally picturesque. The 

 dwelling-houses, too, are all in accord 

 with the dreamy, sleepy life of the old 

 place. In some of the narrow streets 

 one can scarcely see the sky above, for 

 the reason that the second and third 

 stories project out beyond each other in 

 the form of balconies with latticed win- 

 dows, so that the houses on either side 

 of the street almost meet in the middle. 

 In this respect they are even more unique 

 than some of the houses in certain streets 



