The Temple of Artemis or Artemision, also known as the Temple of Diana, was a Greek temple dedicated to an ancient, local form of the goddess Artemis. It was located in Ephesus. It was completely rebuilt twice, once after a devastating flood and three hundred years later after an act of arson, and in its final form was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
By 401 AD it had been ruined or destroyed. Only foundations and fragments of the last temple remain at the site. The earliest version of the temple antedated the Ionic immigration by many years, and dates to the Bronze Age. Callimachus, in his Hymn to Artemis, attributed it to the Amazons. In the 7th century BC, it was destroyed by a flood. Its reconstruction, in more grandiose form, began around 550 BC, under Chersiphron, the Cretan architect, and his son Metagenes.
The project was funded by Croesus of Lydia, and took 10 years to complete. This version of the temple was destroyed in 356 BC by Herostratus in an act of arson. The next, greatest and last form of the temple, funded by the Ephesians themselves, is described in Antipater of Sidon's list of the world's Seven Wonders:
Would you believe this was once one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world
Crazy to me that these ruins are just in the backyards of random Turkish people's houses. Astonishing reall
I recommend visiting this place when you are around.
By 401 AD it had been ruined or destroyed. Only foundations and fragments of the last temple remain at the site. The earliest version of the temple antedated the Ionic immigration by many years, and dates to the Bronze Age. Callimachus, in his Hymn to Artemis, attributed it to the Amazons. In the 7th century BC, it was destroyed by a flood. Its reconstruction, in more grandiose form, began around 550 BC, under Chersiphron, the Cretan architect, and his son Metagenes.
The project was funded by Croesus of Lydia, and took 10 years to complete. This version of the temple was destroyed in 356 BC by Herostratus in an act of arson. The next, greatest and last form of the temple, funded by the Ephesians themselves, is described in Antipater of Sidon's list of the world's Seven Wonders:
Travelers reviews of the temple of artemis
- One will feel small and in awe of the megalithic architecture here when walking on marble floors, surrounded by huge structures. The 'Holy City' Hierapolis, where gods might have once walked... Some of them are in ruins, some in tact. The energy is definitely an exciting step back in time
- There is only one pillar left standing that was reconstructed from whatever was left but it gives you an idea of how massive the temple was. It's free to visit and worth a stop. After all, in the ancient world this was the place to see and be amazed by In the pond you can find thousands of turtles sunbathing.
- We also bought two flutes from a vendor there who hand makes them for 100 TL each, maybe it was a lot but I enjoyed the craftmanship.
- Sadly not much remains of this ancient wonder of the world but it is kind of magic to think about the magnitude of the temple once standing there. There is no entrance fee so you must stop and have a look if you are in the area. You can get there easily by walking in 10 min from the Archeological Museum.
Would you believe this was once one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world
- Today it's really more of a turtle sanctuary The sign posted up next to these columns talked about how this temple was once fantastically huge buuuuuut now it's just a few columns and a ancient mosaic floor (covered in water from the recent rains
- I would imagine this puddle of water is here most of the year because there's a huge turtle population hanging out doing turtle stuff. Even a few gease were hanging out here that my favorite street dog named 305 decided to chase down and give them them the scare of a lifetime hahaha
Crazy to me that these ruins are just in the backyards of random Turkish people's houses. Astonishing reall
- it is a shame and sad that such legendary structure is now being drown in swampland and only several stones (and one mixed "complete" pillar) are left uncovered. Anyway, you can have a very nice walk around the place here, have some rest and so on. It is also very interesting to just think about how many different people from various cultures and ages have been here since the temple was built...
I recommend visiting this place when you are around.
- Temple of Artemis was one of the ancient wonders of the world. Today it does not look that way and there's not much to be explored here. Entry is free and no shops are available to provide some great artifacts. There are few hawkers selling books, bracelets and coins. Don't forget to bargain if you want to buy (you might end up saving some bucks).
- It's close to Isa Bey Cami, St John Basilica and Ephesus Archeological museum. Place is quite famous and by passers can easily help you!Hope you enjoy your visit. Blessings