“The world is coming to an end!” Just a few short months ago these words would have prompted us to label the writer as a little ‘out there’ or ‘paranoid’ or ‘conspiracy theorist.’ These days, however, we’re not so sure. With COVID-19 taking over the daily headlines, face-masks becoming the new norm for outerwear and a simple handshake or hug striking fear into our hearts it does seem that strange things are happening in our world, causing us to wonder if maybe, just maybe, the doomsayers are right this time.

A quick glance at history will show that we aren’t the first ones to think that the world might be coming to an end. For centuries Muslims and Christians alike have believed that the signs of the world’s ending include an increase in wars and violence and chaos, culminating in a return of Jesus Christ to judge mankind. Of course, here is where the similarities in these religion’s narratives end, but at various points there have been groups that have interpreted the “signs of the times” to mean that Jesus’ return could be very soon.

Among those groups was a small heretical offshoot of Christianity called Montanism. They arose in the 2nd century, and among their teachings was the belief that the second coming of Jesus was to take place in a plain close to the ancient city of Pepuza in the kingdom of Phrygia (what is now western Turkey). Many of Montanism’s adherents moved to this location to be close to the plain. For awhile it continued to gain credibility throughout the region, but the movement died out around the 5th century.

In modern-day Turkey this site is located in the town of Karahallı, in the Uşak district of the Aegean region of Turkey. Close by is a popular bridge, called the Cilandras (Gee-Lahn-Drahs) Bridge, and a beautiful waterfall. During a trip to see a friend in Uşak we got to visit this site one afternoon.

After a pleasant drive through rural farmland we arrived at the spot. There is a parking lot at the entrance, and it is a short hike down to the picnic area below next to the river. From there a trail leads upwards along the riverbank to the scenic bridge that spans the ravine just above the waterfall’s source.

Though the weather was pleasant, there weren’t very many people there, and we were able to explore at our leisure. Trails led on into the park, and we loved scrambling over rocks and making our way further into the ravine.

We could have gone much further in than we did, but after an initial exploration we decided to find a spot to eat our lunch (priorities you know). We spotted a cave on the other side of the ravine so of course we had to check that out.

Though this area held special spiritual significance for a long time, now the Cilandras Bridge itself is the main attraction of this place. Really it is very picturesque with the waterfalls behind and the rushing river below. The sound of the water is pleasant and relaxing. As we ate our sandwiches and chips (a poor picnic by any Turk’s taste, though that is another story for another day), we talked about what it must have been like for the people who lived in this area, waiting for the end of the world, and it never coming. We wondered if they slowly realized that it wasn’t coming, or if they held out hope to the end that Jesus would come back to this place. Of course there is no way to know for sure, just as we can’t know for sure if these days we are living in are really approaching the end of the world. Maybe so, but the reminder that we aren’t the first ones to question whether or not the world is about to end definitely gives us some good perspective.

Cilandras Bridge: The End of the World

To our friends in the West, keep looking East!

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