The ancient biblical city of Ephesus

When I had booked the tour for Ephesus, I didn't really know what I was getting into. Nevertheless, I went with the flow and boy, was I pleasantly surprised! I had definitely heard of Ephesus from the various biblical references but I didn't quite make the connection till the tour.

Not only did I make a new friend - Douglas Freitas - from Sao Paulo, Brazil but I also visited the House of the Virgin Mary.

The tour began at the Isa Bey mosque which was quite beautiful and then carried on to the House of the Virgin Mary, followed by a walk through the ancient city of Ephesus which was famous for its library and currently for the amphitheatre, a visit to the museum and finally the visit to the site of the ancient wonder of the world - The Temple of Artemis.

Ephesus was an ancient Greek city, and later a major Roman city, on the west coast of Asia Minor, near present-day Selçuk, Izmir Province, Turkey. It was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League during the Classical Greek era. In the Roman period, Ephesus had a population of more than 250,000 in the 1st century BC, which also made it one of the largest cities in the Mediterranean world.

The city was famed for the Temple of Artemis (completed around 550 BC), one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Emperor Constantine I rebuilt much of the city and erected new public baths. Following the Edict of Thessalonica from Emperor Theodosius I, the temple was destroyed in 401 AD by a mob. The town was partially destroyed by an earthquake in 614 AD. The city's importance as a commercial center declined as the harbor was slowly silted up by the Cayster River.

Ephesus was one of the seven churches of Asia that are cited in the Book of Revelation. The Gospel of John may have been written here. 

The beautiful Isabey Mosque was constructed in 1374-1375 and is one of the oldest and most impressive works of architectural art remaining from the Anatolian beyliks.

It is said that St John the apostle moved to Ephesus after Jesus' crucifixion and since Mary, the Mother of Jesus, was entrusted into his care by Jesus himself, it is assumed she moved with him. The house was discovered in the 19th century by following the descriptions in the reported visions of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774–1824), a Roman Catholic nun and visionary who had never even visited Turkey. 3 recent popes have visited this place even though the Roman Catholic Church has not endorsed it.

The House of the Virgin Mary

The wall of intentions and prayers

The Odeon is a small roofed theatre that was built in 150 AD for plays and concerts. It could seat 1500 people.

Odeon

The main street

The Godess Nike

Temple of Hadrian

The Library of Celsus dates back to 125 AD when it was built in memory of Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, an Ancient Greek who served as governor of Roman Asia (105–107) in the Roman Empire. Its façade has been carefully reconstructed from all original pieces. Celsus paid for the construction of the library with his own personal wealth and is buried in a sarcophagus beneath it. The library once held nearly 12,000 scrolls, making it the 3rd largest in the ancient world. It was designed with an exaggerated entrance in order to enhance its perceived size and faces east so that the reading rooms could make best use of the morning light.

 

The library of Celsus which was the 3rd largest of the ancient world

Gate of Augustus

The amphitheatre which today still hosts music concerts with the world's best artists.

The Godess Artemis

Artemis the Goddess of fertility

The Temple of Artemis was one of the wonders of the ancient world. Today only one column remains leaving us to imagine its glory.

 

The ruins of The Temple of Artemis

One of the 7 wonders of the ancient world.