THE ANCIENT CITY OF EPHESUS

You should definitely add this ancient city, which is on the Unesco World Heritage List, to your Izmir tour. This amazing beauty will allow you to spend a culturally and historically intense day. Ephesus, which made an architectural difference in its time, has the title of the second capital of the Roman Empire. It was accepted as a pilgrimage center for Christians and used as a religious center for centuries.

We are talking about an ancient city that will allow you to take interesting photos that will make you feel like you are on a photo plateau in the ancient concept. Let’s get started!

Brief History of the Ancient City of Ephesus

While Ephesus was an ordinary city in 8000 BC, it became the capital of the period as a port city in 6000 BC. There are findings from the Hittites, Rome, Hellenistic period and Bronze Age in the ancient city.

Ephesus, which was famous as Apasas during the Hittite period, was moved around the Temple of Artemis in 560 BC. It took its present form in 300 BC by General Lysimakhos. During the Great Roman Empire, it became a trade center and became the capital of the province of Asia.

The rapidly increasing population of the city brought transportation, infrastructure, accommodation and commercial problems, causing the city to lose its old charm, and the city, which was damaged by major earthquakes in history, was completely abandoned after various invasions.

How to get here?

Ephesus Ancient City is an archaeological site in Selçuk district of Izmir province. It is possible to get here with 2 different alternatives other than taxi and private vehicles. First, you can go to Selçuk by Izban and from there you can reach the ancient city by Ephesus minibuses.

Another transportation method is to take a minibus from Gaziemir district to the very front of the ruins. If you want to use a taxi and if we accept Adnan Menderes Airport as your starting point, the distance you will travel will be approximately 66 kilometers.

This means that you will pay a very high fee. The most logical way of transportation we can recommend is to rent a car or to reach the ancient city directly by minibus from Gaziemir.

What are the Working Hours and Entrance Fees of the Ruins?

The ancient city of Ephesus is open from 08:00-19:00 during the summer period and 08:30-18:00 during the winter period. The fastest tour takes an average of 2 or 3 hours. However, if you want a detailed tour, you need to allocate an average of 5 hours.

You can get a museum card to enter the city or you can pay cash at the box office. If you are not a Turkish citizen, you cannot benefit from the museum card application.

The cash entrance fee is 700 Turkish Liras. If you buy a combined ticket, the price you will pay will be 1250 Turkish Liras. With a combined ticket, you can enter the Ephesus Ruins, Ephesus Museum, Yamaçevler and St. Jean Ruins in Ayasuluk, 10 minutes away from Ephesus.

Ephesus Maps and Points to Visit

We will prepare a guide for an average 2-3 hour tour, but every point is worth visiting and seeing. You can see all the points in the ruins on the map below.

Celsus Library

The library of Celsus was built in honor of Celsus between 105-135 AD. This library built by Gaius J. Aquila is one of the most magnificent buildings of Ephesus. It served the people of Ephesus as a public library in the Roman Empire. Some of the originals of the sculptures exhibited in the Celsus library are exhibited in the Vienna Museum today.

We recommend you to visit this magnificent building not only during the day but also in the evening. This structure, which has a tremendous lighting, will make you fall in love with its evening view.

Harbor Street

This street, which connects the city center and the ancient port, will give you the feeling of traveling through history with the ancient columns around it. In ancient times, religious rituals and ceremonies were organized in this street accompanied by magnificent columns, and ceremonies were organized for important guests of the city.

Ancient Open Air Theater

This 24,000-seat ancient theater was used as an open-air theater as well as for gladiator fights, artistic events and religious services. St. Paul, an important clergyman for Christianity, used to deliver his sermons here. Unfortunately, the theater stage has not been preserved until today. Do not pass to the next point without going to the top of the stairs and seeing the magnificent hill view of the theater.

Commercial Agora Square (Bazaar Place)

Founded by Augustus in the 3rd century BC, the market place is the commercial center of the city of Ephesus. When Ephesus was a large port city, commercial activities were carried out in the Agora square. The sine qua non of trade at that time were spice varieties and animals.

Ancient Restrooms

The ancient toilets serving the users of the Bath of Varius served many people with constantly flowing water. Unlike today, ancient toilets were one of the socializing points of that period.

House of Love (Brothel)

There is not much information about the street of Kuretler and the house of love that connects the marble street. It is only believed that there is a connection to the love house through secret underground passages in the city. There is a footprint on the marble floor where the love house is located. Unfortunately, there is no clear information about who this footprint belongs to.

Kuretler Street

The street starting from the ancient library and ending at Heracles Gate was damaged by the great earthquake in the 4th century AD. Most of the buildings were destroyed and other columns were added from within the city. The difference between the columns can be easily recognized even today. The remains of Hercules are also located on this street.

Other Sites in the Ancient City of Ephesus

– Mazeus Gate

– Marble Street

– Latrina

– Scholastic Baths

– Mosaic Pavement

– Temple of Hadrian

– Trajan Fountain

– Hercules Gate

– Memmiyus Monument

– Domitian Tabernacle

– Sunak

– Curetes

– Freshwater Pipes

– Pollio Fountain

– Prytaneion

– Odeon

– Stage Agora

– Varius Baths

Other Ruins of Ancient Ephesus

– The Seven Sleepers

– Temple of Artemis

– House of Virgin Mary

– Church of St. Jean

And finally, if you have a limited number of days to stay in Izmir and have a fast route, we recommend you to add Sirince Village to your route on the same day.

You can start your Ephesus tour early in the morning and then have lunch and dinner with local wines in Sirince Village. We will talk about Sirince Village in another article. You can use the search box in greatripguide.com for Sirince.