Ephesus your travel destination in Turkey

If you are a traveler that likes sightseeing instead of sitting around the pool, then Turkey is a wealth of historical sites of which most will completely amaze you. A lot of the historical sites in Turkey date back to the Roman periods and one that you must definitely see is Ephesus. It is on the Aegean coast and visited by tourists from all over the world. Very often cruise ships will dock in at the nearby port of Kusadasi and transports their guests to Ephesus for the day.

I have been three times to Ephesus and each time, it still manages to come to life and makes you feel that you are walking through an actual Roman city. When Ephesus was at it’s prime, it was the second largest Roman city in the world. Rome was the first. It was also a major trading port. Excavations of Ephesus actually started in the 1970’s however Ephesus was that big that you will still see work being carried out today.

In one of my earlier posts, I mentioned the village of Sirince and it is said, that this village was started by slaves who had escaped from Ephesus. Apparently Roman rules stated that if a slave worked for thirty years, they could have their freedom so I am hazarding a guess that the slaves did not want to wait thirty years.

My top tip when it comes to Ephesus, is to go around on a guided tour. I am not normally in favor of these guided tours however the city does come to life when you have a guide explaining the layout of the city and how it would have looked in Roman times.

For instance there are signs all over Ephesus, if you are not with a guide you would just think that someone carved them in the rock. However with a guide you learn that these signs were secret signs that the Christians made to direct worshipers to the next meeting.

You won’t actually walk round Ephesus, you start at one end and come out at the other. Along the way, you will see houses where people used to live, the local toilets where men used to gather and chat, also the Celsius library which is one of the most photographed places in the world.

Celsius Library

You will also see the amazing amphitheater which used to seat 25,000 people. It is quite easy to imagine this amphitheater alive with warriors fighting it out to the cheers of the crowd.

Ephesus Amphitheatre

In the 90’s the amphitheater was used for concerts as the acoustics were that fine, you could hear a pin drop if you were sitting on the back row. Tom Jones and Pavorotti both played here. Unfortunately it was stopped as historical associations said the concerts were damaging the foundations.

How do you get to Ephesus? You need to head to the nearby town of Selcuk and it is very near. Alternatively go on a guided tour. If you decide not to go on a guided tour then be sure to buy one of the walk round audio guides from the entrance. Ephesus really does come alive when you know the history and meaning of the city and its people.

Alternatively, you can also make an extended trip. Stay in a hotel in the nearby town of Selcuk and visit the other attractions after you have been to Ephesus.
-    The town of Sirince
-    The Ephesus museum
-    The virgin Mary’s house
-    The nearby resort of Kusadasi.

Many thanks to my friend Gareth Kerr for letting me steal his pictures off him!

Top tip is to take bottles of water with you. It is a long walk round Ephesus and under the mid day sun, you will get very hot.

Did you know? The bible makes several referrals to the ancient city of Ephesus. Read the Book of Revelation and you will find Ephesus is refereed to as one of the seven churches of Asia.