Ephesus Turkey Travel Guide A Vagabond Life
Ephesus Turkey Travel Guide
Ephesus Turkey is one of the largest Roman archaeological sites in the eastern Mediterranean and is pretty jolly impressive. Situated 3 km from the town of Selcuk on the Ionia Coast, Ephesus was built in the 10th century BC by Attic and Ionian Greek colonists. During the Classical Greek era it was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League. The city flourished after it came under the control of the Roman Republic in 129 BC.
The city was destroyed by the Goths in 263, and although rebuilt, the city’s importance as a commercial centre declined as the harbor was slowly silted up by the Küçükmenderes River. It was partially destroyed by an earthquake in 614 AD.
Today Ephesus Turkey is a popular tourist destination so plan on getting there early to miss the bus tour crowds.
Tckets can be purchased at the gate.
Table of Contents
Ephesus Turkey Map
Selcuk/Ephesus Turkey
Things To See & Do In Ephesus Turkey
The Library of Celsus
The Library of Celsus
The Library of Celsus of Ephesus Turkey was built in honour of the Roman Senator Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus and completed between circa 114–117 A.D. The library was “one of the most impressive buildings in the Roman Empire” and built to store 12,000 scrolls and to serve as a mausoleum for Celsus, who is buried in a crypt beneath the library in a decorated marble sarcophagus.
The Temple of Hadrian
The Temple of Hadrian
The Temple of Hadrian is a firm favourite with visitors and dates from the 2nd century, it has been re erected from the surviving architectural fragments. The reliefs in the upper sections are casts, the originals now being exhibited in the Ephesus Turkey Archaeological Museum.
The Temple of Artemis
The Temple of Artemis
The Temple of Artemis was once one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, once boasted 127 marble columns. The temple took 120 years to build but today is now one lonely column sitting in an empty field.
The Odeon
The Odeon
The Odeon was a small roofed theatre constructed by Publius Vedius Antoninus and his wife around 150 AD. It was a small salon for plays and concerts, seating about 1,500 people. The upper part of the theatre was decorated with red granite pillars in the Corinthian style. The entrances were at both sides of the stage and reached by a few steps.
The Temple of Domitian
The Temple of Domitian
The Temple of Domitian, dedicated to the Flavian dynasty, was one of the largest temples in the city. It was erected on a pseudodipteral plan with 8 × 13 columns. The temple and its statue are some of the few remains connected with Domitian.
The Great Theatre
The Great Theatre
The Great Theatre was built on the foot of Panayir mountain and its facade faced the Harbour street, in the first century AD and later on it was renovated by several Roman Emperors. It is considered to be the most imposing and the most impressive structure of Ephesus city. It could host up to 25,000 spectators.
Curetes Street
Curetes Street
Curetes Street is one of the three main streets of Ephesus between The Hercules Gate till to the Celsus Library and incredibly impressive. in its hey day the street had fountains, monuments, statues and shops on the sides of the street. Over the years many earthquakes hit Ephesus damaging the structures, which were replaced and restored as such the street now has its appearance from the 4th century.
Map Of Ephesus
Turkey Travel Guides
Turkey Travel Stories
24 Hours In Istanbul
24 Hours In Istanbul Turkey Istanbul | 24 Hours In Istanbul Turkey We were in Istanbul 10 years ago and I really did not like
The Dogu Express Across Turkey
The Dogu Express Across Turkey The Dogu Express Across Turkey Catching The Dogu Express From Kars To Ankara When I was researching the easiest way
Turkey
Turkey Turkey: We landed by in Turkey at the town of Ayvalik and hiked to couple of kms into town looking for the bus station