Museum Hotel

Sunday 7 November 2021

Hatay province is where Christianity, in the first century CE, became a word. St. Peter's church was built in a cave near Antakya (previously Antioch named after another of Alexander's generals) in fourth or fifth century following Constantine making it the official religion (for political reasons of course.) This ended most persecution. Nevertheless they dug a tunnel through the mountain to escape sudden raids and attacks. Being a Christian back then required one be a bit more spunky than today.

Visited the very large Hatay Archeology Museum, which was nice and had some unique exhibits, but after awhile, for most of us, all the pottery, statues, amphorae and rocks were beginning to look like so much rubble.

Having said that, however, the Museum Hotel in Antakya was built over a section of the ancient city that was discovered after construction had already begun. The redesigned very modern and very beautiful hotel is perched on pillars above the uncovered Necmi Asfuroglu Archeology Museum, which includes a large, multi-room Roman bath, largest single-piece ground mosaic in the world (from a public forum area) and a banquet hall. It was fascinating. Hotel ultimately took eleven years at four times original estimate with half the planned rooms and opened just as it was shuttered for covid. Surprisingly, except for the Presidential suite (over $1300/night), a room can be had for as little as 100. Fortunately for them and archeology lovers everywhere the owners were already rich and could afford the extended payback.

Finally went to Titus Tunnel dug by Romans to divert a river that was silting the harbor at Samandag. No big deal for them as work was actually done by Jewish slaves. All the above reminds us as we marvel at the ancient ruins and imagine their magnificence at the time and the effort and ingenuity that went into them that really, today, we build much better stuff with better materials, at a fragment of the cost, in a fraction of the time with far fewer slaves.

Jack & Jan