Ephesus Ancient City – Selçuk, İzmir
Ephesus (Ephesos) is an ancient city on the west coast of Anatolia, near the modern town of Selçuk in İzmir Province. Lying about 3 km southwest of Selçuk, it developed from a Greek polis of Ionia into one of the principal harbour cities of the Roman province of Asia. In 2015, the “Ephesus” property – comprising Çukuriçi Höyük, Ayasuluk Hill (Selçuk Castle, Basilica of St. John, İsa Bey Mosque and Bath, Artemision), the ancient city of Ephesus and the House of the Virgin Mary – was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
(Source: Visit Izmir – Ephesus Ancient City
UNESCO World Heritage Centre – Ephesus)
Archaeological evidence from Çukuriçi Höyük shows continuous occupation of the area since around 6000 BC. In Classical times Ephesus was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League, flourishing as a trading port at the mouth of the Cayster (Küçük Menderes) River. The Hellenistic refoundation by Lysimachus in the early 3rd century BC gave the city its street grid and fortifications; under Roman rule it grew into a metropolis and de facto capital of Roman Asia, with a population probably exceeding 150,000 at its peak.
(Source: Visit Izmir – Ephesus Ancient City
Wikipedia – Ephesus)
Just outside the main archaeological site stood the famous Temple of Artemis, counted among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World; today only the foundations and a reconstructed column are visible, while sculpture and architectural fragments are displayed in museums. Within the city itself the most iconic structures include the Library of Celsus, the Great Theatre with seating for about 24–25,000 spectators, the colonnaded Harbour (Arcadiane) Street, Curetes Street, the Temple of Hadrian, Trajan Fountain, the Terrace Houses with lavish wall-paintings and mosaics, the commercial and state agoras, and the Church of Mary where a major church council met in Late Antiquity.
(Source: UNESCO – Ephesus
Ephesus.us – Ephesus Theatre
Wikipedia – Ephesus – Main sites)
Ephesus also plays a central role in early Christian history. The city is closely linked with the missionary journeys of St. Paul, who preached in the Great Theatre, and with St. John and the tradition of the nearby House of the Virgin Mary. The Council of Ephesus held in 431 AD at the Church of Mary was a key milestone in the development of Christian doctrine. Even after the harbour silted up and the city declined in the Byzantine and medieval periods, these religious associations kept the area an important pilgrimage centre.
(Source: UNESCO – Ephesus
Wikipedia – Ephesus – History)
Today, Ephesus is one of Türkiye’s best-preserved and most visited archaeological sites, attracting millions of visitors each year. Walking along its marble streets between the Great Theatre and the Library of Celsus gives a vivid sense of scale and urban life in a major Greco-Roman city on the Aegean coast.
(Source: UNESCO Türkiye – Ephesus
Ephesus.us – Ephesus UNESCO World Heritage)