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Ephesus
is an ancient Greek
city located in Selcuk-Izmir, whose
many structures still stand as
well as they did thousands of
years ago, as if they were built
also for the purpose of stunning
visitors to the city today. The
ruins, rather than being mere
broken columns and pieces of
rubble, have retained much of
the form of the magnificent
buildings they once were, along
with the Roman art and friezes
which adorn their walls. This
city, which is home to the
biggest collection of Roman
structures in the world and is
the best preserved exhibit of
classical Mediterranean
architecture, so you’ll need to
allocate the best part of a day
on your
Turkey holidays to properly
visit this ancient metropolis.
Set in the rolling hills
near the tourist resort
of Kusadasi on the
western coast of Turkey,
Ephesus was founded in
the 10th century B.C. as
an Attic-Ionian colony,
after which it endured
being attacked by
Cimmerians, conquered by
the Lydians, invaded by
Persians and Romans
before being destroyed
by the Goths in 263A.D.
Even afterwards, this
city remained an
important commercial
centre and harbor
throughout the Byzantine
era until the Turks
finally took control in
1304A.D. Even though
this city has seen the
passage of so many
different rulers, most
of the structures still
standing were
constructed or renovated
in the Roman era.
Things to Do & See
in Ephesus
House of the Virgin, Ephesus
It
is recorded that St.John brought
the Virgin Mary to Ephesus after
the death of Christ and that she
spent her last days in a small
house, House of the Virgin
Mary (Meryem Ana Evi) built
for her on Mount Bulbuldagi (Koressos).
Now a popular place for
Christians and Muslims the house
has received the official
sanction of Vatican, and
Christians observe a
commemoration ceremony every
year on August 15th.
Since there are so many striking
ruins in
Ephesus, we’ll tell you
about some of the best and let
you discover the rest yourself.
One of the grandest and most
breath-taking ruins is the Odeion theatre; a semi-circular
structure comprising
predominantly of rising steps
with a capacity of 1400
spectators and which originally
provided coverings from the sun.
Made entirely out of marble, the
Odeion glistens in the sun and
superb views of the city can be
gained from climbing to the
highest seats. This theatre was
also used as a council chamber,
and has a narrow marble podium
just before the stage building.
The
Pollio Fountain is located to
the east of Domitian Square, and
although small, it displays
stunning works of ancient Roman
art along its sides; statues
carved into marble slabs showing
the adventures of Odysseus in
the Aegean following the Trojan
Wars.
The
Gate of Heracles can be found at
the beginning of Curetes Street
and whose two-story high reliefs
of Heracles which are built into
the gate tower over visitors. In
the lower story of this edifice,
a wide-arched passageway has let
countless inhabitants and
visitors into the main Curetes
Street, while the two centrally
located columns on the second
level are the lintels of the
gate, which have the two reliefs
of Heracles wrapped in a Nemea
lion skin.
One
of the most well preserved
structures with the greatest
wealth in art reliefs and
history is the Temple of
Hadrian, built around 138A.D.
during the period of Roman rule.
The doors are fantastically
decorated with motifs of eggs,
strands of pearls and a figure
resembling Medusa amongst
flowers and acanthus leaves. The
four columns surrounding the
front of the temple are fronted
by bases which contain ancient
inscriptions and statues of the
four emperors who shared the
throne of the Roman Empire
between 293A.D. and 305A.D.;
Diocletian, Maximian,
Constantius Chlorus and
Galerius. The friezes along the
remaining parts of this
structure show off scenes from
Roman life and battles.
The
Ephesus Library is one of the
most awe-inspiring edifices
still remaining, its columns,
statues and windows towering
over visitors many stories high.
Completed by the Romans in
117A.D. out of exquisite marble,
its facade is elaborately
decorated with massive
Corinthian columns and statues
of Eros and Nike which are
surrounded by reliefs of
rosettes and garlands.
All of this rests on a
21 meter wide podium
reached by nine marble
steps, and inscriptions
underneath the statues
read ‘Wisdom’ (Sophia),
‘Knowledge’ (Episteme),
‘Intelligence’ (Ennoia)
and ‘Virtue’ (Arete).
The interior, burnt by
the Goths in 262A.D. is
10.92 by 16.72 meters
and covered in marble,
and whose walls are
covered in rows of
niches where scrolls
were kept. This stunning
sight dominates Ephesus
and is one of the best
displays of Roman
architecture and art in
Turkey.
How to Get there?
Ephesus is near a small town
called Selcuk where you’ll need
to travel to for an Ephesus
excursion on your
Marmaris holidays, which is
17km away from the tourist
resort of Kusadasi. If you’re
travelling from Kusadasi, you
can simply get an excursion bus
from the resort to Selcuk. The
nearest airport to Kusadasi is
Izmir Airport, which is small
and domestic, so you’ll have to
get a flight from Istanbul or
elsewhere to reach Izmir. A taxi
fare straight from Izmir Airport
to Selcuk is about 100 Turkish
Lira, although a much cheaper
option is to get a taxi from
Izmir Airport to Gaziemir/Tansas
Supermarket for 10 TL, then a
minibus from Gaziemir to Selcuk
for 7TL.
You
are able to find buses to Izmir
and
Ephesus from
Marmaris bus terminal. Or
you may participate culture
tours to Ephesus.
Distance between Marmaris to
Ephesus (Selcuk) is 200 km and 55 km.
from Ephesus to Izmir.
How to attend to a
Ephesus Tour
from Marmaris?
There are numerous daily
excursions companies
organizing Ephesus Tour in Marmaris.
You are able to
find and see many of them in
about every corner of the
Marmaris streets, beach and sea
fronts with their booking &
information desks. |
