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Ephesus

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Ephesus Map
Our detailed, interactive city map of Ephesus, plus hand-picked links to the best Ephesus map elsewhere.

History of Ephesus
The most important commercial center of the western Anatolia in the 1st century BC.  and  one of the highlights of Turkey. Ephesus was an ancient Greek city, and later a major Roman city. Ephesus was biblically very important.

Ephesus Museum
In ancient times it was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, but today the Temple of Artemis is represented by a single column standing in a swamp.

House of the Virgin Mary
House of Mary discovered in a vision by a bedridden German nun in 1812, this stone building is believed by many Catholics and Muslims to be where the Virgin Mary lived her last years. There is also a healing fountain.

Temple of Artemis
In ancient times it was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, but today the Temple of Artemis is represented by a single column standing in a swamp.

Basilica of St. John
The Basilica of St. John was built by Emperor Justinian in the 6th century over the traditional tomb of John the Evangelist. The site became a major pilgrimage destination in the Early Middle Ages.

Cave of the Seven Sleepers
According to legend, seven Christian boys were locked in this cave by the Romans in c.250 AD, fell asleep, and woke up in the 5th century. It became a place of burial and pilgrimage.

Isa Bey Mosque
The Isabey Mosque was built in 1375 at the direction of the Emir of Aydin. It incorporates columns and stones recycled from the ruins of Ephesus and the Temple of Artemis.

Library of Celsus

The facade of the Library of Celsus is one of the most spectacular sights in Ephesus. Built by a Roman in memory of his father, it faces east so the reading rooms receive the morning light.

Ephesus Theater
This magnificent classical theater is considered an important biblical site: the probable place where Paul preached to the pagans in Acts. It is still in use and can seat thousands.

Prytaneion
A very important civic building where the sacred fire of Hestia was tended, official visitors were received by civic and religious dignitaries, and where two statues of the Ephesian Artemis were found.

Temple of Hadrian
This attractive Roman imperial temple was constructed in 118 AD and reconstructed in the fifth century. Its tympanum bears an interesting frieze that may depict Medusa.

Synagogue
Foundations of a basilica-like building that may have been one of several synagogues known to exist in ancient Ephesus. A Jewish lamp was found on the site.

Brothel and Latrine
The brothel and public latrine of ancient Ephesus are located directly across Marble Street from the Library of Celsus. Both date from the 1st century AD.

 

Curetes Street
Once lined with shops and inns, Curetes Street was a main city street and an important processional route in the cult of Artemis.

 

Terrace Houses
Ephesus terrace houses are located on the hill, opposite the Hadrian Temple, also known as the houses of the rich.

 

Theater Gymnasium
This was the building located at the beginning of the Harbour Street near the Theatre. The excavation is not completed. Gymnasium had a great number of rooms which were used as classrooms, dormitories and libraries.

 

The Vedius Gymnasium
According to an inscription discovered in excavations this gymnasium was built by P. Vedius Antonius from the Vedius who were a well known family of Ephesus and his wife Flavia Papiana.

 

Gate of Hadrian’s
The gate faced the Marble Street more than the Curetes Street and provided a passage, besides the Ortygia road, also to another road climbing up towards the Terrace Houses. It had three gateways and three storeys.

Domitian Square
Domitian Square was an important commercial centre. The existence in Ephesus ruins of shops of a density which would not be seen in other old cities is related to the overseas trade of Ephesus

Hercules Gate
The gate was named after two reliefs on these lintels which showed Hercules draped in a lion skin. The gate was constructed with two tiers of columns.

Marble Street
The part of the Sacred road running between the Library of Celsus and the Grand Theatre is called the Marble Street. The street was paved with large blocks of marble and had herring bone slopes.

Fountain of Trajan
The partially repaired fountain on the right side of the Curetes Street was dedicated to the Emperor Trajan at the beginning of the 2nd century AD. The dedicatory inscription is today on the cornice near the structure.

The Basilica
Basilica of Ephesus is located between the Odeum and the State Agora. It had three naves and a two ridged gable roof. The roof was made of wood and no trace of it has been found.

Magnesia Gate & City Walls
The most important places of defense in a city are certainly its walls and gates. Until the period which we call the Roman Peace (Pax Romana) (the 2nd-3rd centuries AD)

Domed Building
The last monumental tombs found in the district of Ephesus, it belongs to the end of the 14th and the beginning of the 15th centuries, hence to the period of the Principality of Aydınoğulları. It is not known to whom it belonged.

East Gymnasium
In the 6th century a church was built at the corner of the building near the Magnesia Gate so, that corner was already destroyed by then.

The Octagon
The building following this is a Byzantine fountain conctructed on top of a monumental tomb which lay in the same place. The outer side of the walls of the fountain’s pool have lozenge shaped decorations with crosses in the middle, a most significant element of the Byzantine period.

Memmius Monument
On the fragment of the architrave lying today near the building is written “Caius Memmius, the Saviour, son of Caicus, grandson of Cornelius Sulla”. The monument was built in the 1st century AD.

Temple of Domitian
It is famous for being the first temple built for an emperor in Ephesus. In the Roman period the building of temples for emperors was made a matter of honour among similar cities.

Temple of Serapis
The Temple of serapis consisting of a naos and a pronaos was in the form of a typical prostyle. It was built of large blocks of marble of which the weight would be 40-50 tons at first sight. This is a most significant particularity of Egyptian religious buildings.

Harbour
Harbour of Ephesus which has today turned into a very small lake. In the Hellenistic period and at the beginning of the Roman period the harbour was the best protected mercantile port of the Mediterranean.

Harbour Street
The street constructed in the 1st century BC was repaired and widened by the Eastern Roman Emperor Arcadius (395-408) and made into a true ceremonial street.

Harbour Bath
It was constructed together with the buildings around it during the reconstruction of that part of the city under the reign of the Emperor Hadrian (117-138). Next to the Verulanus sports ground was the Harbour Gymnasium.

House of Love
The building following the Temple of Hadrian is a house with a peristyle known as the House of Love. The statue of Priapus, called the god Bes, on display in the Museum of Ephesus was found in this house.

The State Agora
There are two agoras in Ephesus,  the State Agora and the Trade Agora. The Trade Agora lies to the west of the city near the Celsus Library.

The Stadium
This structure lies at the entrance of the city in the Kusadası direction. A good example of the stadiums of the period, it is 230 metres long and 30 metres wide. Its entrance is on the west.

Mercantile Agora & Gate of Mazeus
Standing near the library provided entrance to the Mercantile Agora of Ephesus and was known by the name of Mazeus Mithradates and Mithradates who were slaves under the Emperor Augustus were given their liberty

The Odeum
The Odeum had the aspect of a small theatre. Its difference from a theatre was that it was once covered. The seating section of the building of which restoration is at present going on, was reached by stepped side streets covered by vaults on two sides

Scholastikia Baths
Scholastikia Baths are one of the important buildings of the Curetes Street, located in the city centre, it must have been a bath where the distinguished famillies of the city, rather than ordinary people, washed and cleaned themselves and then talked about daily matters.

Baths of Varius
The vestiges to the east of the Odeum belong to the building called the Varius Baths. The excavation of all the parts of the baths except the cold room has been done, however no restoration has yet been undertaken.

Izmir
Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.95 million as of 2010,making the city third most populous in Turkey.

Sirince Village
Sirince was settled when Ephesus was abandoned in the 15th century but most of what one sees today dates from the 19th century.

Selcuk
Selcuk is one of the most visited touristic destinations within Turkey, known for its closeness to the ancient city of Ephesus, House of the Virgin Mary and Seljuk works of art.

Kusadasi
Kusadası is a resort town on Turkey’s Aegean coast, Kuşadası caters to tourists, arriving by land, and as the port for cruise ship passengers heading to Ephesus.
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Rating: +28099 (from 28099 votes)
Ephesus, 100% based on 28099 ratings
1,525 Reviews
  1. caroleng
    4:09 pm on January 12, 2000

    This is a lovely place to visit, just a pity it is not open to the public yet. They have been working on it for a couple of years now, but still don;t have it open. We managed to slip in one day while they were working on it and spent a couple of hours looking around. Would love it…

    Reply
  2. Sheldon K
    1:09 pm on January 23, 2000

    There is a plaque at St john's Cathedral that explains the significance of the mosque. You can view it from the grounds of St. John.

    Reply
  3. mouseHerts
    6:53 am on January 26, 2000

    This has been so well designed for the visitor to see everything that has been discovered. There are a lot of steps but it is well worth the climb. You can see intact mosaic floors and frescoes on the walls. It gives a fascinating insight into the life of the rich in Ephesus.

    Reply
  4. Guest654321
    9:20 pm on January 26, 2000

    Great place to visit! It is impressive to see how they were building in the old times! I enjoyed every step in Ephesus.

    Reply
  5. joy-2001
    6:53 pm on February 3, 2000

    I wasn't sure what to expect, but was blown away from what I saw. These buildings were extremely well preserved and it was neat to see some of the restorers at work on the frescoes. The area is enclosed to help preserve it and you are able to walk on a glass staircase throughout the ruins. The frescoes and mosaics…

    Reply
  6. GIlberto E
    9:59 pm on February 5, 2000

    It's a great site. Dont miss the library and the theatre.
    I recomend to visit the houses, you have to pay na extra fee.
    But it worth the stop. Please look the marble puzzle restoration.

    Reply
  7. mascotty02
    9:23 am on February 10, 2000

    very high climb to the top but when you get there its breathtaking and well worth it, comng down was easier

    Reply
  8. leelajp
    9:10 pm on February 11, 2000

    It was surreal, calm, and peaceful. must visit…

    Reply
  9. sayan g
    1:04 pm on February 14, 2000

    wonderful place very intersting

    Reply
  10. Andy.Dimas
    11:20 pm on February 15, 2000

    It sounds insulting to say something of this historic importance is anything less than Excellent. However, I am writing these reviews from the perspective of someone who visited many sites over a two week period. I know most people are approaching their tour plans from the same place I am. You want to fit in as much as you can…

    Reply
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ephesus tours

The big tip is to try and go completely private. Many of the large tour companies offer private tour and they are going to charge a significant amount of money for the tour guide. However, many locations offer self-guided tours and therefore you have the ability to supply your own tour guide. Easily Book your guided private Ephesus tours, to see all the treasures of Ephesus Turkey. It's often said that Turkey has more ancient cities and classical ruins than does Greece. Well, it's true, and the Aegean coast holds a great number of sites, including Ephesus, the grandest and best-preserved of them all.

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