Forever Indebted to Greenewalt and Ekolof
Just by co-existing we affect our environment. It will be naive to assume that in order to protect environment every development effort must be stopped or rejected. World population is increasing, recession is on our doorstep, so there will be an increasing pressure to exploit natural resources and habitats. Hence, an optimum has to be sought by all environmentalists. Investment and property development may adversely affect nature but so does unemployment, hunger and poverty.
A few minutes ago I read Greenewalt’s and Ekolof’s names have been given to the meeting room and the main restaurant of Lydia Sardes Hotel which will serve as a thermal resort and congress center in Salihli, Manisa.
Professor Crawford H. Greenewalt is still directing the archaeological research and the digging of course in the ancient city of Sardes and he is not informed of the gesture, yet. Sufi poet Gunnar Ekolof on the other hand, was deeply in love with Sardes. His “Divan for Prince of Emgion” (published in 1965) was written in Sard, the ancient city of Sardes. After his death on 16 March 1968, his ashes were flown over the Sard river near Artemis Temple as per his will.
Although accepting guests since March 2008, the hotel will officially be opened in the Fall of this year and a “guest of honor” card will be given to Prof. Greenewalt (American). A ceremony for Swedish poet Ekolof will also be held in the event.
I consider most if not all of these as marketing pranks, but I have not seen the place, yet. If the management is as half considerate as in their selection of names, I expect something good. It will definitely be on my check list. Until then, I can only thank them for remembering Greenewalt and Ekolof.
