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| Ephesus on the Aegean Sea |
Situated at the edge of the Bulbul and Panayir Mountain areas, Ephesus is one of the best-protected historic cities in Western Asia. The city is the most famous of the Ionic settlements in Turkey. It was used as an export harbor, as well as the western starting point of a trade route leading from the Kaystros Valley across Iran into Asia.
It became an Ionic colony in the 10th century BC under the rule of Lydia and was rescued from Persian domination by Alexander the Great. Ephesus had its "hay day" or golden period during the time it was a Roman city starting in 133 BC. Most of the excavated structures are from this period. It was also during this time Christianity was growing in the region. The St. Paul came to the city in 54 AD. St. John wrote his Gospel here and after the death of Jesus, Mary fled to Ephesus to escape Christian persecution (I also visited Mary's house and have pics later in the post.) Because of all these events throughout ancient history, Ephesus is an important religious center. It's probably the reason so many excavations have been and are continuing to be done in this center of civilization.
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| Roman decorations along Marble Street |
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| Parts of a Roman Statue on Marble Street |
Entrance to the city was by two avenues: The gates of the Virgin Mary and the Kusadasi Road. The gymnasium stood at the Kusadasi entrance and was built in the 2nd century dedicated to Artemis.
Marble Street begins at the west end of the Gymnasium leading to the Celsus Library. The library was erected in honor of a Roman lord of Ephesus. It was a two-story structure with four female statues in niches in the front of the building representing "Virtue", "Science", "Destiny", and "Knowledge", the original statues are now in Austria. It is difficult to see them in this pic but I have a close up of one in the "Other Photos" section.
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Celsus Library
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Immediately to the left of the library is the major excavation of the Houses on the Slope built in the 1st century AD. These houses belonged to the city's wealthier residents; the restoration of two of the houses is completed and I was able to take a separate tour. The first house is the largest and was two stories. It had a bathroom, kitchen, theatre room (yep!), and a fountain in the entry. The frescoes and mosaics are amazing. It was definitely a highlight for me to see.
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| House #1; 900 square meters with a second floor |
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| Just one of the many mosaics in the house |
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| Beautiful fresco |
Opposite the "Houses on the Slope" is Harbour Road. This road ran from the harbour to the front of the theatre and was built in the late Hellenistic period, around 408 AD. Beneath the road ran the sewage canal, while fresh water canals were built under the small shops lining both sides of the road. Different symbols were imbedded into the road to signify buildings. I have a pic of one of the symbols below.
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| Harbour Road to the Great Theatre |
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A foot with a heart (upper left) means this is the way to a brothel
The theatre was the largest structure in Ephesus and had a capacity for seating 25,000 people. It had three floors with 22 stairs on each floor. Not all of the theatre has been excavated. The theatre was first constructed during the Hellenistic period but the remains seen today are from the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. In 54 AD St. Paul was attacked by the people of Ephesus when he tried to stop them from worshipping Artemis. After this confrontation Paul left Ephesus.
Virgin Mary's House
After the death of Jesus, Mary and John fled to Ephesus. This church is now known as the Virgin Mary's House and dates back to the 6th century. The structure was originally found in ruins and has been restored. During excavations, pieces of coal belonging to the 1st century were found. Five daily prayers as in Islam are performed here, because the Virgin Mary is also sacred to Moslems.
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The gardens around the house are quite lovely and many Christians sojourn to this place to offer prayers.
Other Sites Near Ephesus
Artemis Temple was considered one of the "Wonders of the World" in ancient times. The only ruin left is one column. The temple was actually built five times with the fourth constructed temple built during the rein of King Kroissos of Lydia in 550 BC. Check out the birds nest on top. As you can see the land around this temple column and the other ruins is quite marshy and as a result malaria outbreaks were frequent.
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| Relief statue - Celsus Library |
Other photos
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Fountain of Trajan
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| House on the Slope pots for cooking |
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Temple of Hadrian built in 138 AD
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