- What is Ephesus famous for?
- Where are the ruins of Ephesus?
- Is Ephesus in modern day Turkey?
- Why was Ephesus abandoned?
- Is Ephesus worth visiting?
- What are the 7 churches in Revelation today?
- Who is the Church of Ephesus?
- Where did the church in Ephesus meet?
- When did Paul establish the church in Ephesus?
- What was Jesus message to the church in Laodicea?
These and the answer to all your questions
Turkey Ephesus Ruins information
The Ancient City of Ephesus. called the centre of civilizations, was the capital of the Asian State of the Roman Empire, and was once the most populated city in Anatolia, with a population of 200.000 between the years 100 - 200. Ephesus witnessed many historic events including the efforts of St Paul to spread Christianity, visits by the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra and the Roman Emperor Mark Anthon; and the last days of the Virgin Mar and St John. It is Turkey’s most important cultural heritage site attracting about 1.5 million tourists a year.The history of this most ancient settlement dates back to 6000 B.C. The administration for this magnificent site of ruins falls under the jurisdiction of Selcuk Izmir, which has throughout history played a significant part in the fields of civilization. science and culture.
Legend has it that Androcles. the son of King Kadros founded the city. However, its foundation dates back to a much earlier period, as it was referred to by the Hittlte inscriptions as Apasa. the capital of the Arzawa Country.
The immigrants, who started arriving from the islands in the Aegean Sea from 1000 B.C.. wanted to convert Ephesus into a colony.
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| Turkey ephesus travel |
Ephesus is also home to the largest temple from the Artemis cult, based on the tradition of Kybele. the most ancient goddess in Anatolia. The Temple of Artemis in Ephesus was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World In the Classical Period. The port city of Ephesus where people immigrated by sea and began settling in 1050 B.C. was re-located to the environs of the Temple of Artemis in 560 B.C.
Lysimachus. one of the generals of Alexander the Great, built the Ancient City of Ephesus seen today by tourists, in 300 B.C. Although it experienced Its most glorious times during this time and the Roman Period, the city was no longer a desirable settlement thereafter. The once busy port over time filled with alluvium, and as a result, the city had to be moved to the environs of St John’s Basilica built by Byzantine Emperor Justinian (527 - 56S) on Ayasuluk Hill. Conquered by the Turks in 1330 and converted Into the capital of the Aydinogullari Principality. Ayasuluk began diminishing gradually from the 16th century onwards, adopting Its present name. Selcuk. In 1923.
Excavations in the Ancient City of Ephesus have been ongoing by the Efes Museum and the Austrian Archaeological Institute since 1895. Today, thousands of tourists stroll along the Port Street (Liman Caddesi) every day. They watch the most magnificent artistic performances of the year at the Grand Theatre (Büyük Tiyatro), enjoy the splendour of the breathtaking Ceisus Ubrary. witness Christians paying pilgrimage at the Virgin Mary’s House and are able to appreciate thousands of artefacts from the Mycenaean, Ancient. Classical, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine. Seljuk and Ottoman Periods at the Selçuk Archaeological Museum.
The deeply founded belief that the Virgin Mary and St John once lived in Ephesus has also turned the city into a sacred religious centre.
- Where is Arasta and its Turkish Bath?
Arasta and Bath House Section
This section, which is an integral part of the museum, exhibits commercial life in old Turkish towns, and various handicrafts that face extinction. This area can be found adjacent to the central garden of the museum. The department displays various stages of the cereal grinding process (mills), which played a significant part in agricultural local life as well as various types of copperware and beads produced to avert the evil eye (göz boncuğu). Visitors can also see a 16th century Ottoman Bath, which has been recently restored.
- Where is isa jesus mosque?
Isa Bey Mosque is located on Ayasuluk Hill. on the western slopes of St John’s Basilica.
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| Turkey-ephesus isa bey mosque |
The mosque built by Isa Bey In 1375. is a building from the Seljuk Period. The building is the oldest known example of a typical Turkish mosque with its courtyard and Anatolian columns. With its decorative techniques and its main gate’s monumental height it bears the features of traditional Seljuk architecture.
- Where is St John’s Basilica, how?
According to a Christian tradition emerging at the beginning of the 2nd century, St John, one of Jesus Christ’s disciples, is cited as being one of the authors of the Bible.
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| turkey ephesus st john basilica |
Following his death, a simple grave was built for him on the southern slope of Ayasuluk Hill. A wooden roofed basilica was built on this grave at the beginning of the 5th century, but this structure was replaced by Emperor Justinian in the mid 6th century, with a new domed basilica based on a cross design. Prom the 6th century following the relocation of Ephesians to Ayasuluk. St John’s Basilica became the location of the ancient Bishopric Church, and Ayasuluk Hill was encircled by perimeter walls. From 1974. following fundamental restoration work on the Basilica Its environs have been turned into an archaeological park.
- Where is Ayasuluk Hill and Castle?
This hill was defended by a castle that was constantly fortified throughout the Early Christian. |
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- Where is the Vedius Gymnasium?
Publius Vedius Antonius, a rich native of Ephesus. built the gymnasium in the 2nd century.
- Where is Municipal Palace? (Prytaneion)
Hestia Altar, situated on the right hand side of the building was considered a sacred place in Ephesus. A sacred Are used to burn constantly at this altar. |
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The Prytaneion was the venue for not only politics but also important ceremonies, festivals and receptions. The excavation of two Artemis statues here indicates that the Prytaneion was a place of religious importance as well.
- What is Domitian Temple?
This was the first temple in Ephesus to be built in commemoration of an emperor.
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It is situated in the most centra! section of the city opposite the State Agora. The cult statue and altar from the Temple of Domitian are exhibited at the Efes Museum. From the statue, only the head and the arm have survived to present day.
- Where are Slope Houses ephesus?
From the Celsus library, turning into Curetes Street on the right hand side are the houses on the slopes of Mount Bulbfll.
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These were the dwellings of rich Ephesians. Opened to visitors in 2006. the houses which have recently undergone restoration open straight onto the street with their wide staircases. Their walls are covered with marble decorated with frescoes and mosaics.
- Where is Trajan Fountain in Ephesus?
Trajan Fountain is situated on Curetes Street near the Temple of Hadrian. The statues that decorated the floor of the fountain are exhibited in the Efes Museum.
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| fountain in ephesus |
The fountain had two floors and a pool the size of S.20 x 11.90 m located In front of It. At the point where water flowed into this pool there used to be a large statue of Emperor Trajan.
- Where is Skolastika Bath House in Ephesus?
Skolastika was a rich Roman woman who lived in Ephesus. At the entrance to this building also defined as an extension to the Brothel is a headless statue of Skolastika. It is understood that under her orders the building was repaired. Its date of construction is the st century and it has three floors. |
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The floors and waits of the library, entertainment hall and rest rooms were all covered with marble.
- History of Ephesus
Ephesus owed its prosperity to its position more or less in the middle of the west coast of Anatolia, at the back of a bay sheltered from the north winds, on the mouth of the Cayster (now the Kuchuk Menderes, the Lesser Menderes), one of the rivers that linked the coast of Ionia with the high plateaux of the interior.At some time before the 1st millennium B.C., one of those rather obscure peoples known as Carians and Leleges settled in the surroundings of the future Artemision, a little way from the sea in the plain between the present Hill of Ayasoluk and Mount Pion (now Panayir Dag). Here they worshipped the great goddess of fertility, who was venerated for millennia in Anatolia and some of whose attributes were transmitted to the Hellenic Artemis.
It was not untilca. 1000 B.C. that the Ionians fleeing from the Greek mainland before the Dorian invaders led by King Androclus settled on the shores of the bay and on the lower slopes of Mount Pion (to the north and west of the future stadium).
The town soon began to flourish thanks to its trade with neighbouring countries, notably Meonia (the future Lydia) for which it provided the outlet to the sea. Throughout its history Ephesus was more anxious to get on with powerful states than to resist them. Towards the middle of the 8th century B.C. it was compelled to resist the incursions of the Cimmerians and in this campaign it was spurred on by the war songs of the poet Callinus. Its bankers foreshadowing the Fuggers of Augsburg lent money to the Lydian princes, backed them in their intrigues, and married their daughters. Its political development, influenced by social upheavals, followed the same lines as that of most Greek cities: monarchy until the 7th century B.C., then oligarchy and tyranny. A little before 550, King Croesus of Lydia who had completed the subjection of the Greek cities of Ionia started by his ancestor Gyges, compelled the Ephesians to recognize his sovereignty and to leave their fortified town near the port and settle to the south and south-west of the Artemision. At the same time, however, he generously helped them with the reconstruction of the temple of the goddess. Aristarchus, an Athenian, was invited to give the city moderate democratic institutions.
Round about 546, after the fall of the Lydian kingdom, Ephesus was taken in its turn by the troops of Cyrus and in corporated in the satrapy of Ionia. Situated on the Aegean, at the end of the royal road from Persia, Ephesus benefited from the trade of the Achaemenids. It also benefited from the destruction of its rebellious rival Miletus by Darius in 494. The philosopher Heraclius, a descendant of Androclus, was one of the most brilliant representatives of the intellectual life of the city. After the victories of the Greeks over Xerxes and the Persians at Salamis (480 B.C.), at Plataea, and at Cape Mycale (479), Ephesus joined the League of Delos. But it was opposed to Athenian claims to predominance and took the part of Sparta and Persia in the Peloponnesian War, contributing to the defeat of the Athenian fleet at Aigos Potamoi. In 396 and the years that followed it was used as a base by King Agesilaus of Sparta and by other generals in their struggle against the Persians satraps, but after the treaty of Antalcidas (386) it came again under Achaemenid rule. The town at that time was governed by an oligarchy.
During the Hellenistic period Ephesus experienced a new age of greatness. In 336 it was taken by the corps of 10 000 Macedonians whom Philip anticipating the expedition of Alexander had launched on an attack on Asia Minor. Memnon of Rhodes, a mercenary in the service of the Achaemenids, put Ephesus again under the rule of the Great King but the town was liberated by Alexander soon after his victory at the Granicus (334). The conqueror established a democratic government in the city.
Lysimachus, the king of Macedonia and the western and central regions of Asia Minor, grasping the potentialities of its site, decided to make Ephesus the main port of Anatolia and part of the Hellenic world. In the bay itself and in the hollow between the Pion and the Coressus (now Bulbul Dag) he built a new town which he ringed with powerful ramparts, about 9 km long and going up to the crests of the mountain. There he trans ferred not without meeting some resistance the population of the old city beside the Artemision, and to this he added the inhabitants of Colophon and of Lebedus which he had just conquered. Lysimachus named this foundation Arsinoeia after his wife, but the old name had become too famous to be supplanted by the new one. Ephesus supported now one, now another, of the Hellenistic princes as its interest dictated, but by an error of judgment it sided with King Antiochus of Syria (223-187) against the Romans. After the defeat of the king at Magnesia ad Sipylum (190 B.C.) it was given to Pergamum. Thus, in 133 B.C., it was bequeathed to the Romans by Attalus III, the last king of Pergamum, together with all his other states.
The taxes levied by the new masters roused the discontent of the Ephesians, and when King Mithridates Eupator of Pontus (111-63) called on the East to rebel and entered Ephesus in 88 B.C., the statues of eminent Romans were knocked down and the Roman residents in the town massacred (these were the “Ephesian Vespers”). After the first set-backs of Mithridates in Greece, Ephesus saw which way the wind was blowing and in 86 rose against him, again siding with the Romans. In 85 B.C., Sulla settled in the town to reorganize the Roman administration in Asia Minor, on which he levied crushing taxes as a punishment for its revolt.
Ephesus became the capital of the province of Asia one of the richest in the Roman Empire and entered on a period of great splendour. After Alexandria, Antioch on the Orontes and Seleucia on the Tigris, it was the largest town in the Hellenistic East. Its peak period like that of most cities in Asia Minor came in the 2nd century A.D. when the Empire experienced a time of peace and of intense commercial activity. Sumptuous buildings, mostly erected by rich citizens, sprang up. Most of the ruins we see today date back to this period. Trajan and Hadrian took measures to prevent the silting-up of the harbour.
Christianity came to Ephesus at an early stage. Paul went there during his third missionary journey, round 54 A.D. and for two years he preached the Gospel there daily. He finally had to flee during riots sparked off by the goldsmiths and silver smiths who manufactured votive reliefs for the Temple of Artemis and were afraid that the progress of the new religion would deprive them of their living. There is a tradition that Saint John the Apostle settled at Ephesus and died there at a very old age. The Christian community of Ephesus became one of the most powerful in the East.
It was inevitable that Ephesus should feel the effects of the crisis through which the Roman Empire passed in the 3rd century A.D. In 263 the Goths devastated and sacked the Artemision which was subsequently restored. But in common with the other pagan shrines the temple became increasingly deserted. The worship of Artemis had to give way to the worship of Mary, the Mother of God.
After the recovery of the Empire under Diocletian and Constantine, Ephesus which played a leading role in the maritime relations between Constantinople, Greece, and Asia Minor again became prosperous. The Byzantine basilei, continuing the work of the Roman emperors, put up large buildings especially churches in the town and repaired the streets. The fame of the shrines of the Virgin and of Saint John equalled that of the ancient Artemision. In 431, the third Oecumenical Council met in the Church of the Virgin and condemned the Nestorian heresy that subordinated the Divine Nature of Christ to His human nature; it defined the Christian dogma of the union of the two natures in a single person and restored to the Virgin Mary the epithet of Theotocus, Mother of God. In 449 another, tumultuous Council met at Ephesus. The violence that accompanied it earned it the name of “Brigandage of Ephesus”. Its decisions condemning the distinction between the two natures of Christ were annulled by the Fourth Oecumenical Council held at Chalcedon in 451.
Ephesus remained a rich city until, at the end of the 7th century, it began to suffer from the crisis caused throughout the Byzantine Empire by the Slav and Arab invasions. It was even directly affected by Moslem incursions. In 688 it was pillaged by the troops of the Omeyyad Caliph Moawiya who was returning from his abortive siege of Constantinople. Maslama, the commander-in-chief of the Caliph Soliman, stopped to winter in Ephesus in 716-717 after a fruitless expedition against Constantinople. To be armed against such attacks in the future, the Ephesians built a rampart in the plain, though on a much smaller scale than that of the Hellenistic period. The harbour was no longer kept in repair and became an unhealthy marsh where no boat could possibly anchor. The town withdrew trom the sea that had brought it prosperity to the height on which stood the Church of Saint John. It took the name of Haghios Theologos which was changed by the Italians into Alto Lugo and to Ayasoluk by the Turks. It became the capital of the Byzantine Theme of Thracesion. From 1090 to 1097 the Seljuk Turks occupied Ephesus but it was restored to the Byzantines during the First Crusade. In 1304, the redoubtable Company of Catalan Mercenaries which Andronicus II Palaeologus had called to his help, attempted unsuccessfully to snatch it from the grasp of the Turks. Ephesus became part of the Emirate of Sasan which comprised also the neighbouring towns of Priene, Miletus and Magnesia ad Maeandrum. It then fell into the hands of the emirs of Aydin (the ancient Tralles) and regained a measure of prosperity as is shown by the mosques built during that period and by travellers’ accounts. In 1390 Ayasoluk was taken by the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I. In 1403 it was subjected to the incursions of Tamerlane’s Mongols. Restored to the Ottoman Empire by Murat II in 1426, it was demoted from its place as main town of the region in favour of Aydin of which it became a dependency, declining into a country town. In 1914 it took the name of Selchuk by which it is generally known today, then that of Akincilar which never really came into general use. It now is an important market town for agricultural produce.
Ephesus ancient city notes of a traveler's friend
When you say the word "Turkey" what pops into your mind?. What thoughts are conjured up? For the typical American the response would most definitely be Thanksgiving. The next thought after an American holiday would hopefully be some country near Europe. If I were to ask you to describe the location of the country Turkey the response might be the middle East. Turkey is actually located on both the European and Asian continents and has been the center of religion and politics for thousands of years. If you are up on your world religions you probably know that Turkey is an Islamic country but at one time was the home of the Roman Catholic church. If you say the word "Islam" you will probably have visions of terrorism, deserts, oil and camels. I asked these questions of myself and I was guilty of being an ignorant American who knew nothing about the Islamic faith and had obviously not paid attention in World History class. I ,of course, knew that Muslims worship a God named Allah but I had no idea who this God was or what part religion played in every day life. After our visit to Turkey I realized that stereotypes and too little knowledge can be a really bad thing.
Our first encounter with an Islamic country was Malaysia and for the most part we really enjoyed ourselves and the people were super nice. We felt that Malaysia was a travel discovery because we had not heard anything about it from other travelers. Turkey was a different story because we had only heard great things about Turkey as a travel destination. At the beginning of our trip I was guilty of relying on stereotypes and felt the best way to see Turkey was from the comfort of a cruise or organized tour. I was a little scared that showing up in an airport and traveling on our own would be difficult and dangerous. The answer was found in a cruise from Athens, Greece to Istanbul, Turkey and it would be a great way to travel with Karen's parents. The cruise was on the Marco Polo ship and included four days in the Greek islands visiting archeological ruins, followed by a two stops in Turkey. We spent four days in the Greek Islands and it was time for our first port of call in Turkey. For some reason we would be stopping at a place named Kusadasi and going to see some ruins called Ephesus.
Our tour group was the first off the boat at 7:00 AM and our bus was the first to arrive at the ancient ruins. So far we had spent every day in the Greek islands visiting archeological ruins and for the most part I was very impressed with the Greek and Roman structures. None of the ancient ruins or history was a complete surprise because I had heard it before in school or had seen it in some movie version of Hercules. It turns out that Turkey was once part of the Roman Empire and Ephesus was a major trade port to the Far East. It even turns out that the Temple of Artemis an ancient wonder of the world was located here but only one column remains standing today. Apparently, the British decided that the ancient wonder would be better preserved if the columns were located in a British museum.
The ancient city of Ephesus was located on the coast of Turkey next to a major river. The ancient wonder Temple of Artemis was located at the edge of the ocean and as a structure was four times larger than the Parthenon in Athens. The river created a problem for the ships because the water washed soil into the harbor creating sand bars which made navigation difficult. The free standing water from the river also created a Malaria problem and it was decided that the entire city should be abandoned in the six century AD. This allowed the river to continue its destructive work and after 1200 years the once coastal city of Ephesus is now located four miles from the coastline. The city of Ephesus was buried and forgotten only to be discovered again this century. What remains today are probably the best preserved ruins of the ancient world.
I really did not know what to expect when we arrived at the front gate but I knew we were the first tourists of the morning and I quickly went ahead of the group in the hope of getting some really good pictures without tourist heads in every shot. As I walked into the main square following the same path once used by the citizens of Ephesus I couldn't believe how little has changed. On the edge of the main street you are surrounded by shops, public bathrooms, a huge library and a large theater for concerts and plays. Only thirty percent of the city has been excavated but you could tell it was an impressive city.
One of the most interesting features of the city was running water into the buildings delivered by an underground plumbing system. It is also the first known location of public toilets which had seating for at least thirty people. The bathroom was a large room and along the walls were stone benches with a keyhole cutout for sitting and reading the newspaper. At that time the newspaper had not been invented so the locals spent their time sitting together discussing politics and the business of the day. The setup was very modern because the bathroom planners installed running water underneath each of the seats to carry away the waste. They even provided running water at your feet for a quick wash of the hands. Two-ply toilet paper had also not been invented.
The library was located in the main square and is the most completely restored structure at Ephesus. It is a complete two story facade with statues and the classic roman look. The library consisted of a series of rooms that stored hand written copies of the literature of the day. The rooms were designed to control the humidity and preserve the quality of the paper. It is an impressive structure.
The final ten minutes of the tour of Ephesus is spent in the middle of the field at the Church of Mary. The structure is quite large but has had no restoration work performed. It is believed that Ephesus was the final home of Mary the mother of Jesus. This is a difficult historical subject for the Turkish government to deal with because Turkey is an Islamic country. After asking numerous questions about the Islamic religion I learned that this subject is what separates the Islamic religion from Christianity. The Islamic religion believes in the Old testament and that Jesus was a prophet like Noah and Moses. What they do not believe, like the Jewish religion, is that Jesus was the son of God. So it appears that the restoration of the church built in honor of Mary, the Mother of the son of God is a low priority. It is such a low priority that they do not even have a sign pointing you to the proper abandon field. It was at this point that I began to realize the history and religious significance of Turkey.
The next stop was another empty field that was once the home of an ancient wonder of the world. Only one column remains of the Temple of Artemis and it is left standing in the middle of an empty field. The Temple of Artemis was a holy site that drew pilgrims from around the ancient world. The temple must of been an impressive structure because it was four times larger than the Parthenon in Athens and located on beach front property. The temple was built in the 7th century BC and greatly expanded by King Croesus who had the temple redone in marble. It was then burnt down by a disgruntled worshiper in 356 BC. The ruins were then stripped for materials to build Istanbul's Hagia Sophia Church and Seluck's Basilica of St. John. The Basilica of St. John is located a mile from the Temple of Artemis. Istanbul's Hagia Sophia was the first of the grand Catholic churches which was later converted to a Mosque when the Romans left Istanbul. The conversion to a Mosque was performed by adding tall Minarets on the four corners of the church. This domed church and surrounding Minarets is the style of all Mosques built around the world.
Our day was well spent in Kusadasi but it was time to get back on the Marco Polo and head to our final destination of Istanbul. Kusadasi has an impressive shopping district and an oddly high percentage of Irish bars which appeared to be doing a brisk amount of business.