Elegant mosaic floors, marble columns and painted walls hint to the extravagance that was once enjoyed by the wealthy elites of Ephesus. The Terrace Houses, and in fact many of the sites in the ancient city of Ephesus, had us staring in awe at their artistry and grandeur.
Ephesus
First established as a Greek city, Ephesus really began to flourish under the Romans in the 2nd century BCE. Its location near the meeting of Kaystos River with the Aegean Sea, made it a prosperous port and trading city. Today the archeological site is great example of the opulence and splendor that was enjoyed by the wealthy of the Roman Empire.
Standing at the end of Arcadian Street, the stunning Grand Theatre captured our attention and hogged most of the view. Having seen many Greco-Roman theatres in the past we thought we knew what to expect, but the one in Ephesus is so much more impressive than any of the others. Arcadian Street, also called Harbour Street, runs from the harbour to the theatre. That means that the first building visitors to the city would see was the theatre. What an awe-inspiring first impression of the city that would have been.
At three stories high, the 25,000 capacity building was the largest theatre in the ancient world. Originally built in 3rd century BCE by the Greeks, the theatre was expanded by the Romans a few centuries later. At the front of the grand building are the remains of what was no doubt a gorgeous wall decorated with elaborate marble reliefs.
Not far away is one of the most beautiful libraries we have ever seen. Our first sighting of it left us speechless. Now only the skeleton of the 2nd century AD Library of Celcus remains, but what a façade it is. Two levels of marble pillars with statues of Greek goddesses between show the decadence that this city once had.
The library was built by the son of the city’s governor Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus. It was not only the governor’s memorial, but also his mausoleum. Like many of the buildings in Ephesus, the library was damaged by a combination of invasions and earthquakes. Parts of the façade have been reconstructed from original pieces.
Not to be outdone, beside the library is the elegantly designed 2nd century BCE South Gate that led to the commercial agora. It was the main market for people from outside the city to sell their wares so it was a very busy place. Today the market behind is mostly an empty yard making it difficult to imagine how it once looked.
One of the most spectacular sites in Ephesus are the Terrace Houses. An open, elevated walkway allows you to walk above the six connected homes and see their layout and design features.
For homes that were lived in from the 1st to 7th centuries, we were surprised at how luxurious they are. The owners of these homes lived in style. Most of the walls had paintings of gods, animals and portraits. Marble was used for decorative columns and fountains.
Beautiful mosaic tiles covered many of the floors. They included geometric designs as well as images of lions, goddesses, gods and mythical creatures. Even after all these centuries you can see that they were laid by skilled artisans.
In addition to these design elements, the houses had running water for fountains, private toiles and even heated floors.
Note – A separate ticket is required to see the houses.
One of the funniest scenes in Ephesus is the 2nd century public latrines. Toilet holes were lined up along the walls of the building with no privacy in between. A canal running underneath acted as continually flushing toilets. The latrines were only for men and since they wore togas, the need for walls was unnecessary, I guess. Women were only allowed to use them after the 3rd century when a women’s only space was built.
In addition to these main sites, the large city has many examples of its former glamour with columned streets, a covered theatre, temples, baths and fountains. Many of these still show the elaborate details that went into their designs.
Kaystos River provided good access to the sea but it often filled with silt which made this spot less and less ideal. Eventually an earthquake in the 6th century AD almost completely closed the river off and the city was finally abandoned in the 7th century. The earthquakes also caused mud slides that covered many of the buildings. The benefit is that the mud acted to preserve the structures so that today we can still see many of the fine details from centuries ago.
Tip – We had read to come early or late because tour buses start arriving at 10am. We actually found that noon was the least busy time between the morning and afternoon arrivals.
Entrance fee – 700 TRY ($23 USD) plus Terrace Houses 320 TRY ($10.40 USD) (As of Autumn 2023); Opening Hours – 8am -8pm
Getting to Ephesus
If you’re tavelling by air, the closest airport is Izmir ‘s Adnan Menderes Airport. Trains and buses travel between Izmir and Selçuk.
If you’re not travelling by air, we suggest using Kuşadası as your hub for visiting Ephesus. Kuşadası is well connected to major centres by bus. Minibuses leave Kuşadası for Selçuk every 15 min and only accept cash. If you ask, the bus driver will shout “Efes” when you reach the Lower Gate. Efes is the Turkish word for Ephesus.
Our Guesthouse owner told us that there are plans to dredge Kaystos River so that boats can again travel up river the visit the site. That would be a fantastic way to arrive at this ancient city.
House of The Virgin Mary
A shrine to the Virgin Mary is located on a hill above the Upper Gate of Ephesus. It is said that in the days leading up to his crucifixion, Jesus asked John to take care of his mother, Mary. Apparently, John brought her to this site where she lived until her death. That original building is gone but a 6th century building on the site has been converted to a shrine. It is a very popular pilgrimage destination for Christians and Muslims.
Entrance Fee – 250 TRY ($8 USD) (As of Autumn 2023); Opening Hours – 8 am to 6 pm
Selçuk
Not to be overshadowed by its illustrious neighbour Ephesus, the town of Selçuk has its own set of important historical structures.
Basilica of St. John
St. John the Apostle was buried on this site and in 6th century, Byzantine Emperor Justinian erected a large, six domed church on top of his grave. Unfortunately, reliefs that once adorned the walls of Basilica of St. John were taken by the British in 1812. Apparently they now hang in AR Woburn Abbey Gallery. Even without them though, you can see how fabulous this church once was. A gorgeous triple arched brick gate still stands between a row of marble columns. Their capitals and a few damaged reliefs are scattered on the ground.
The baptistry has lovely marble baseboards around the edge of the rounded nooks. During its prime, these marble slabs would have covered the walls.
The basilica was converted to mosque in the 1300s but was damaged soon after by an earthquake and then it was abandoned.
Entrance Fee -130 TRY ($4.20 USD) (As of Autumn 2023); Opening Hours – 8 am to 5:30 pm
Ayasuluk Fortress
Above the basilica are the remains of a 6th century Byzantine built fortress. There’s not much left inside the walls of the castle now except an Ottoman mosque. We met an Orthodox priest walking from the castle to the basilica and he was kind enough to pose for a picture.
Temple of Artemis
On the outskirts of Selçuk are the remains of what was the most important temple in Ephesus. The 6th century BCE Greek temple to Artemis was twice the size of the Parthenon, built of marble and covered in gold. Because of its magnificent design, it is considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
The temple was dedicated to the Greek goddess, Artemis who was the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sister of Apollo. Today there is nothing left of the grand building except one of the original 127 columns. The temple was destroyed the first time by fire in 356 BC. The man who burned it down claimed he did it to be famous. The temple was rebuilt, but was ultimately destroyed by a Christian mob in the 4th century.
Entry is free
Şirince Village
Climbing the slopes of the surrounding mountains, the old Greek Town Şirince is a popular day trip from Selçuk. The village’s name was originally Çirkince, meaning ugly. Town folk used the name because they didn’t want visitors. Eventually word got out and they changed the name to Şirince, which means cute.
Today too much word got out and its nothing but a tourist trap. The lower half of the village has become crowded with vendors selling junky knickknacks and restaurants for tour buses. There are so many stalls that you can’t see any of the cute buildings. If you climb up a little higher in the village though, it is much quieter and you can actually see the heritage homes.
We’re glad we found this part of town so we can see the original cuteness. We’re also glad that most tourists don’t bother to explore further than the first couple of streets.
How to get to Şirince
Teal minibuses leave every 40 minutes from Selçuk bus station for Şirince (25 TRY/80¢ USD). The minibuses only take cash.
Kuşadası
We used the port city of Kuşadası as our base to explore Ephesus and surrounding sites and really enjoyed our time in the city. Even though huge cruise ships dock in the port, the city doesn’t feel too touristy. It has maintained the right balance between tourist convenience and local authenticity.
The city has a lovely long boardwalk on the edge of the Aegean Sea. It is busy at night with both locals and tourists going for walks and eating corn on the cob or ice cream.
At one end is Pigeon Island (Güvercin Ada) with the remains of a 16th century fortress. Surrounded by a small park, the fortress is a nice feature on the city’s shoreline.
As we were eating dinner in one of the many seaside restaurants, we noticed that a different cruise ship pulled up to the harbour everyday. It took us a while to realize that they were bringing at least a thousand people a day to Ephesus. These passengers were quickly whisked away from the boat and don’t get to see this lovely city at all.
The city’s Old Town is a mix of restored and run down 200-300 year old buildings. There are a couple of reminders of the Seljuk Dynasty similar to what we saw in Erzurum. A central, clean pedestrian mall runs between them and is filled with restaurants and shops. Some are touristy, but many of the patrons are locals.
Dilek Peninsula National Park
Not far from the city is a large national park. The interior is mountainous with dense forests and a few hiking trails. At first we had intended on hiking, but realized there would be very few views so instead we walked along the coast to enjoy the spectacular scenery in this wild park. At one beach we were startled to see a wild boar, but it passed by us almost without noticing we were there.
Near the park entrance is Zeus Cave where Zeus and even the Virgin Mary are rumoured to have once swum. It was formed by a natural karstic spring and was being enjoyed by a few locals when we were there.
If you have extra time the park has lovely coastal views, but it isn’t a ‘must-see’ place.
Getting to Dilek National Park
The Güzelçamlı-bound dolmuş leaves from Friday market in Kuşadası and drops you off at Icemeler Beach near the park gates.
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Coming Next – Pamukkale Thermal Pools
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