Ephesus | The Ancient City of Wonders

Do you want to visit an ancient city that was built almost three millenniums ago? Do you want to experience two and a half thousand years old structures, a temple that is one of the seven wonders of the ancient world? Or perhaps you may want to visit the sacred temple where parts of the bible were written. Did you know that thousands of Greeks used to spectate gladiator fights from modern stadium-like structures even in ancient times? Do ancient Greek civilization, their beliefs, and their way of life fascinate you? How about seeing some Roman writings on thousands of years old stone columns, or statues of Greek gods? And what if you could have all of those in one place?

Ephesus Famousness

Welcome to Ephesus. A city built in the 10th century BC and a city that today serves as one of the most attractive tourist spots in the world, especially for history and archeology lovers. It was a city in ancient Greece situated at the bank of Ionia, which today goes by Selçuk in the Izmir province in Turkey. It was built by Attık and Ionian Greek colonies at a place where once the capital city of the Arzawan kingdom, Apasa used to stand. The city went on to be a very important religious site.

"Ephesus Entrance"

Ephesus is the city that holds one of the 'Seven Churches of Asia' also known as 'The seven Churches of Apocalypse' as mentioned in the New Testament. It should also be mentioned that the other six churches mentioned in the Bible are also situated in modern-day Turkey. Ephesus was the recipient of one of the scrolls written by John the Patmos who was ordered by the Christian prophet Jesus (PBUH). Thus it is believed that Ephesus is where the Gospel of John might have been written. Thus giving this place incredible value to devoted Christians.

Ephesus one of the 7 Wonders

Ephesus is located near one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the Temple of Artemis. Also known as the Temple of Diana, it was a local Greek goddess. The temple was first built during the 7th century and was destroyed several times. Every time it was rebuilt with even more grandeur. The first destruction was caused by a flood and reconstruction was done in 550 BC. It took years to complete the reconstruction project. But this grand building was also destroyed by fire, this time deliberately by arsonists.

History of Ephesus

This mishap occurred in 356 BC but paved the road for an even grander rebuild, this time funded by the Ephesians themselves. The temple got listed in the Antipator of Sidon's list of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Unfortunately by the year 401 AD, the whole temple had been destroyed and only the foundation and fragments remained. Nobody knew the whereabouts of the temple until its rediscovery in 1869. Today, people visiting Ephesus can visit the site where one of the seven wonders of the ancient wonders used to stand and try to procreate its immense historical value.

"Ephesus Theature"

Another sight to behold in Ephesus is the Library of Celsus. Commissioned in the year 110 AD, this building is considered to be an architectural marvel. It was commissioned by a consul of the Roman Republic to honor Julius Celsus. The library of Celsus is the only remaining example of the great libraries of the ancient world and the third largest library of the Greko-Roman world and believed to have held around twelve thousand scrolls. A fire or perhaps an invasion is believed to have destroyed the contents of the library and the front portion of the library was rebuilt only around 1970-1978 by archeologists.

There are two Roman Epitheatres in the city of Ephesus. A large one and a relatively smaller one, the larger one being able to host twenty-six thousand spectators at a time and believed to be the largest of its time. Originally built for staging drama by the Greeks, the Romans used to arrange gladiatorial fights on the stage as well. The smaller theater was an indoor theater while the leather one was an open-air theater.

Other than these, Ephesus was a fully functional city for more than a millennium with churches, basilicas, castles, and bathing facilities. Six aqueducts of various sizes that had the latest technology of the time supplied water to the bathing centers. In 2015, UNESCO declared the ruins of Ephesus a world heritage site. People from all over the world flock to experience this ancient city first and to try to understand the lifestyle, philosophy, and technology those people possess.

You can also experience this amazing ancient city with great accommodation and transportation facilities, and knowledgeable tour guides with various language skills, just by contacting Ottoman Tours and Travels.