Ephesus
The best-preserved and most visited ancient city in the eastern Mediterranean — Ephesus (Selçuk District, Izmir Province, Turkey; UNESCO WHS 2015) was one of the great cities of the ancient world (population 200,000-300,000 in the Roman period), the site of the Temple of Artemis (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World), and the location of the Library of Celsus (114 CE), the most photographed ancient building in Turkey.
At a glance
Ephesus (the most precisely EphesusThurkey single Ionian Greek city 10th century BCE Androclus Athenian legendary founder legend Androklos son King Kodros Athens 1000 BCE drove out Leleges Carians indigenous people settled Ionian coast classical period 5th 4th century BCE Artemision Temple Artemis 7th century BCE largest temple Greece largest building world 550 BCE Croesus Lydia 127 columns 20m high Callimachus 7 Wonders World Alexander the Great 334 BCE offered rebuild Artemision Rome 500 BCE richest port city Asia Minor Province Hellenistic Roman 100 000 200 000 inhabitants later 500 CE harbor silted Cayster River Küçük Menderes River silt blocked port city died abandoned harbor now 5 km from coast Ionian marble buildings Library Celsus 114 CE Julian Gate Triple gate Hadrian Church of Virgin Mary first ecumenical council 431 CE Nestorian controversy Nestorius Constantinople patriarch held council Ephesus condemned Nestorianism Mary as Theotokos Mother of God not merely Mother of Christ 3000 visitors per day Austrian Archaeological Institute excavation since 1895 CE UNESCO heritage: the Temple of Artemis (the Artemision at Ephesus: one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (the first Wonder encountered traveling east from Greece); the original temple (7th century BCE; the largest temple in the Greek world); burned by Herostratus on the night Alexander the Great was born (356 BCE) — the most impudent act of pyromania in antiquity (Herostratus confessed to burning the temple “so that his name would be remembered forever”; the Ephesians subsequently passed a law making it illegal to speak his name — which promptly ensured his name is remembered forever); the rebuilt Artemision (350-300 BCE; 127 columns; 20m high; 137m × 69m; the largest building in the Greek world); reduced to a marble quarry in late antiquity; only one column stands today (re-erected in 1972 CE from fragments on the waterlogged site 3 km north of Ephesus city)))) — the most precisely EphesusThurkey single Ionian Greek 10th century BCE Androklos Athens 1000 BCE Artemision 7th century BCE 550 BCE Croesus 127 columns 20m 7 Wonders Herostratus 356 BCE fire arson night Alexander born condemned name never speak paradox remembered Alexander 334 BCE offered rebuild 100000 200000 population harbor silted Cayster Küçük Menderes 5 km from coast dead Library Celsus 114 CE 431 CE First Council Ephesus Nestorian Theotokos Austrian Archaeological Institute 1895 CE UNESCO heritage in any UNESCO world heritage site)).
Key facts
- Paul in Ephesus and the riot in the Great Theatre: the most precisely EphesusThurkey single Paul of Tarsus Ephesus 52 56 CE Acts Apostles 19:23 40 Demetrius silversmith guild Artemis shrines silver religious tourists industry threatened Paul Christian converts stop buying idols Demetrius called meeting craftsmen workers marched Great Theatre capacity 24000 25000 filled chanted Great is Artemis Ephesians two hours riot Acts 19:29 Gaius Aristarchus Paul companions dragged grabbed Theatre Town clerk Secretary Asiarch calmed crowd dismissed UNESCO heritage — the best-documented public riot of the ancient world: Paul of Tarsus (the Apostle Paul) spent approximately 3 years in Ephesus (52-55 CE; Acts 19); his preaching converted enough people away from the cult of Artemis that the silversmiths’ guild (who made their livelihood selling silver miniature Artemis shrines to pilgrims) saw their business threatened; Demetrius (the silversmith guild leader; Acts 19:24) called a meeting of the craftsmen and workers: “you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus… There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited”; the crowd marched to the Great Theatre and chanted “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” for two hours (Acts 19:34); it was ended by the Town Clerk (the city secretary) who dispersed the crowd
- GPS: 37.9397° N, 27.3416° E
History
From Ionian foundation to Roman metropolis to Byzantine ghost city (the most precisely EphesusThurkey single Ionian Greek 10th century BCE Androklos 1000 BCE Artemision 7th century BCE Lydian Croesus 560 BCE 550 BCE 127 columns built Artemis Herostratus 356 BCE fire rebuilt 350 300 BCE larger 137m × 69m Alexander 334 BCE offered fund rebuild declined Ephesians Lysimachus Macedonian general 294 BCE moved city higher ground fortified walls harbor improvements Attalid Kings Pergamon 188 BCE Roman control 133 BCE Province Asia capital proconsul Mithridates VI Pontus massacre 88 BCE killed 80000 Romans Sulla Ephesus sided Mithridates recaptured 84 BCE Roman Augustus 27 BCE largest city Asia Minor 250000 inhabitants Hadrian 117 138 CE building boom Temple Hadrian Celsus Library Gate Augustus Harbor Road Arcadian Way Paul 52 56 CE Acts riot silversmith theatre Christianity Ephesus Council 431 CE Theotokos harbor silted late Roman early Byzantine 5th 6th century CE population decline 614 CE Persian sack 654 CE Arab raids 700 CE population 2000 only earthquake plague abandoned medieval John Wood 1863 CE rediscovered Temple Artemis 1 column Austrian Archaeological Institute 1895 CE excavation ongoing UNESCO 2015 heritage: the council of Ephesus (431 CE; the third ecumenical council of the Christian church: the council was called by the Emperor Theodosius II to resolve the Nestorian controversy (Nestorius, Archbishop of Constantinople, taught that the Virgin Mary was the “Mother of Christ” but not the “Mother of God/Theotokos”; the distinction seems subtle but has enormous theological implications for the nature of Christ)); the council was held in the Basilica of Mary (the first church dedicated to the Virgin Mary); the council condemned Nestorianism and declared Mary to be Theotokos (God-bearer / Mother of God); the Nestorians split from the main church and formed the Church of the East (the Assyrian Church), which spread Christianity across Asia to China; Marco Polo encountered Nestorian Christians in China in the 13th century CE)) — the most precisely EphesusThurkey single Ionian 10th century BCE 1000 BCE Croesus 550 BCE 127 columns Herostratus 356 BCE fire rebuilt 350 300 BCE Alexander 334 BCE Lysimachus 294 BCE Roman 133 BCE Province Asia capital 250000 population 88 BCE Mithridates 80000 massacred Sulla 84 BCE Hadrian 117 138 CE Temple Library Gate harbor Paul 52 56 CE riot 431 CE Council Ephesus Nestorius Theotokos harbor silted 5th 6th century CE 614 CE Persian 654 CE Arab Wood 1863 CE Temple Austrian 1895 CE UNESCO 2015 heritage in any UNESCO world heritage site)).
What you see
Library of Celsus, Great Theatre, and the marble street (the most precisely EphesusThurkey single south gate Magnesia Gate north entrance Museum walk 1.7 km marble paved Curetes Street upper agora State Agora Prytaneion fountain Pollio Odeon small theatre 1500 covered roof Trajan Fountain 104 CE Domitian Temple Sebasteion Temple Domitian first temple Emperor Asia Curetes Street brothel Scholastica bath complex 4th century CE small rooms changing rooms latrine heated floors Library Celsus 114 CE lower agora Tetragonos Agora Gate Mazaeus Mithridates arch 4 3 BCE 25000 volumes books capacity third largest library antiquity Alexandria Pergamon facade restored 1966 1978 CE Austrian 4 niches statues Sophia Arete Ennoia Episteme replicas originals Vienna Museum Gate of Augustus south entrance triple arches Memmius Monument Julian Column Julian Gate Harbour Road Arcadian Way 530m marble columns colonnades lights Harbour Theatre Great Theatre 24000 25000 capacity 3 story stage skene Paul riot UNESCO heritage: the visitor circuit: enter via the upper (southern) entrance (Magnesia Gate / Museum Gate) and walk downhill; the upper Agora complex (the State Agora; the Prytaneion (the civic hearth; the cult fire of Hestia (city mother goddess) was kept burning here; the statues of Artemis (4 discovered; 2 in Ephesus Museum Selçuk; 2 in Vienna) were found here)); Curetes Street (the main marble-paved street of Roman Ephesus; 1 km from upper to lower city); the Hadrian Temple (118 CE; the most ornate Corinthian temple on Curetes Street; the four-column facade; the Medusa head keystone in the arch; the relief copies in situ (originals in the Ephesus Museum)); the Library of Celsus (the most photogenic building in Ephesus; 114-117 CE; the two-storey facade; the four niches; the sarcophagus of Celsus is in the barrel-vault below ground level at the back of the reading room); the Great Theatre (capacity 24,000-25,000; the best-preserved of all ancient theatres in Turkey; the site of Paul’s riot; the upper rows (koilon) give the best view of the Harbour Road stretching to the ancient coastline)))) — the most precisely EphesusThurkey single Magnesia Gate north Museum south 1.7 km Curetes Street State Agora Prytaneion Hestia fire Artemis statues 4 found Vienna Ephesus Museum Hadrian Temple 118 CE 4 columns Medusa keystone Scholastica baths 4th century CE Library Celsus 114 117 CE 114 CE 2 storey 4 niches Sophia Arete Ennoia Episteme replicas Vienna originals sarcophagus Celsus below ground Great Theatre 24000 25000 Paul riot harbour road marble UNESCO heritage in any UNESCO world heritage site)).
Practical information
- Getting there: fly to Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport (ADB; connections from Istanbul; Turkish Airlines + Pegasus direct Istanbul to Izmir; many European charters to Izmir); from Izmir city center, take the TCDD suburban train (Izmir → Selçuk: 1h; approximately ₺15/€0.45)); or from Kusadasi resort (18 km south; taxi or dolmuş minibus); the Ephesus archaeological site is 3 km west of Selçuk (taxi from Selçuk ₺50/€1.50; or walk 40 min via the Temple of Artemis); the entry ticket (₺750/€22 in 2024 CE); the visiting time (minimum 2h for the highlights; best to allow 3-4h); the two entrances (the south/upper entrance at the Magnesia Gate (Museum entrance); the north/lower entrance at the Harbour Road; the classic route is top-to-bottom: enter at the upper gate, walk downhill through the city to the lower gate near the Great Theatre and Harbour Road))
Getting there
Izmir (ADB) → TCDD train → Selçuk (1h, ₺15/€0.45). Site 3 km from Selçuk (taxi ₺50/€1.50). Entry ₺750/€22. Walk top-to-bottom (upper Magnesia Gate → Library → Great Theatre → lower entrance). Allow 3-4h. GPS: 37.9397, 27.3416.
Nearby
- Temple of Artemis (Artemision) — 2 km north of Ephesus (one column standing (re-erected 1972 CE from fragments); the site of the original Wonder of the Ancient World; the marble foundation blocks are visible in the waterlogged excavation site; the Ephesus Museum in Selçuk displays the two great Artemis statues found in the Prytaneion)
- Hierapolis-Pamukkale — 190 km east (UNESCO WHS 1988; the white calcium carbonate terraces (travertine pools) of Pamukkale (the most photographed geological phenomenon in Turkey); the ancient Greco-Roman city of Hierapolis at the top of the cliffs (founded 190 BCE; the necropolis (the largest ancient burial ground in Turkey); the Plutonium (the cave with CO₂ emissions that the ancients believed was the gateway to the underworld; the priests of Cybele were immune to its effects because they held their breath while killing animals at the cave mouth)); the Antique Pool (swimming pool in the ruins of Hierapolis with genuine ancient marble columns lying on the bottom))
Sources
- Wikipedia, Ephesus; Library of Celsus; Temple of Artemis; Acts 19, accessed June 2026
- UNESCO, Ephesus, WHS reference 1369, inscribed 2015
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