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Wonderful remains of
ancient Ephesus
Ephesus (Efes) is one of Turkey’s best known attractions. The ancient city has been well preserved and archaeological excavations have helped to recreate this important historical centre.
Today’s visitor sees just a little of what still remains below ground but is given an impression of the massive scale of what was once the centre of the Roman Empire in Asia Minor.
Day trips to both Ephesus and to the House of The Virgin Mary are available from all tour operators in the village of Turunç. It is a long day out with an early start and late return but to visit Turkey and to not see Ephesus would be a crime.
Take your camera, a hat, sun creams and perhaps a book (to read on the coach journey to and from the site).
A brief history of Ephesus
Beginning in the Roman Republic, Ephesus was the capital of proconsular Asia which covered the western part of Asia Minor.
The original city was located on low ground, and was completely flooded by the sea. The city was rebuilt by Lysimachus, who destroyed the cities of Lebedos and Colophon in 292 BC and relocated their inhabitants to the new city.
The city bore the title of "the first and greatest metropolis of Asia." It was distinguished for the Temple of Artemis (Diana) which was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Today this wonder is sadly is represented only by one inconspicuous column, owing to the removal of the vast majority of material by the British in the 19th century.
St. John’s Basilica was built in the 6th century AD, under Emperor Justinian 1 over the supposed site of the Apostle's tomb. It is now surrounded by a Turkish town, Selçuk.
The amphitheatre dominates the view down Harbour Street which leads to the harbour (long since silted up). The huge theatre was capable of holding 25,000 spectators. It was, like all ancient theatres, open to the sky and although originally used for drama, gladiatorial combats were also held on its stage during later Roman times.
The Library of Celsus, whose façade has been carefully reconstructed from all original pieces, was built circa 125 BC by Gaius Julius Aquila in memory of his father and once held nearly 12,000 scrolls. It is one of the most recognisable sights in Ephesus today. It was designed with an exaggerated entrance which was apparently to enhance its perceived size. The building faces east so that the reading rooms could make best use of the morning light. The statues in the niches of the columns today are the copies of the originals. The statues symbolize wisdom (Sophia), knowledge (Episteme), intelligence (Ennoia) and virtue (Arete).
The population of Ephesus has been estimated to be in the range of 400,000 to 500,000 inhabitants in the year 100 AD, making it the largest city in Roman Asia and one of the largest cities of the day. Ephesus also had several major bath complexes built at various points while the city was under Roman rule. The city had one of the most advanced aqueduct systems in the ancient world, with multiple aqueducts of various sizes to supply different areas of the city, including 4 major aqueducts. Remains of these are visible today in Selçuk.
Although sacked by the Goths in 263 AD, Ephesus remained the most important city of the Byzantine Empire (after Constantinople) in the 5th and 6th centuries. However, sackings by the Arabs in the year 700 AD and 716 AD prompted a quick decline. The city was largely abandoned when the harbour completely filled in with river silt (despite repeated dredges during the city's history), thus removing its access to the Aegean Sea.
When the Seljuk Turks conquered it in 1090 AD, it was just a small village. The Byzantines resumed control in 1100 AD and kept control of the region until the end of the 13th century. After a short period of flourishing under the new rulers, Ephesus was definitively abandoned in the 15th century.
There are many more impressive remains to be seen in addition to those that are mentioned here (such as the Temple of Hadrian and the Trajan Fountain). Go and see them for yourselves – you will not be disappointed.
Christianity and Ephesus
Ephesus played a significant role in the spread of early Christianity. Saint Paul became embroiled in a dispute with the Ephesians who still worshipped Artemis (and whose livelihood depended on the Temple of Artemis). He wrote the First Epistle to the Corinthians from Ephesus and later wrote to the Christian community at Ephesus in a famous letter.
Saint John and The Virgin Mary also visited Ephesus. Mary settled at Mount Bulbul and the small building that is known as the House of The Virgin Mary is believed by many Christians and Muslims to be her last known resting place. They believe that Mary was taken to this stone house by Saint John after the crucifixion of Jesus. They were both fleeing the Jewish persecution of the Christians in Judea and Mary allegedly lived here until her death.
The story of the discovery of this house is quite interesting. Anne Catherine Emmerich, a German nun, claimed to have had a vision of the House of the Virgin Mary in Ephesus (a city she never visited) and described it in detail to the German writer Clemens Brentano, who later published a book about it. In 1891 Paul, Superior of the Lazarist from Izmir, read about her vision and found a little building which corresponded with her description.
This place was officially declared a shrine of the Roman Catholic Church in 1896. It maintains its holiness for Muslims as well as for the Christian world. People believing in the sanctity of the Virgin Mary come here and drink from the water which flows underneath the building as they believe it to be sacred.
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