Description: Ephesus is well-known as one of the most stunning ruins of Ancient Turkey. They are one of the most popular tourist attractions in the area and we visited on a cruise after docking at the nearby port of Kusadasi.
Although Ephesus is now several miles inland it used it to be a thriving port and at one point was the commercial capital of Asia Minor. It was one of the "Seven Cities of Asia" that St John mentions in the Book of Revelation. Both Mary, the mother of Jesus, and John the Evangelist were supposed to have lived in Ephesus at some time.
The earlier you arrive at Ephesus the better as it gets very busy but it is also a very exposed site so it gets very hot. We visited during the height f the summer and there was very little shade and the temperatures were staggeringly high. There is nowhere within the site to buy any sort of refreshments so ensure you have plenty of water before you start your visit.
We took a guided tour using earphones and radio so that we could hear our guide. This was pretty much essential as it was so buy it was hard to catch what anyone was saying if they were more than a yard or so away from you.
I was surprised when we first entered the site as we arrived in a field that was basically covered in boulders. Our guide pointed out several arches that we could see in the distance and explained that they were the first hospital that is known about. We could see an arena to our right but we did not get to visit this section which was a disappointment.
We continued across the field and then suddenly found ourselves on what was obviously an ancient road with ruins of buildings on either side. This area was thronging with people and there was certainly lots to see.
The Temples of Hadrian and Domitian had impressive carvings over the entranceways and the familiar face of Medusa, so often seen on the Starbucks coffee cups was staring out at us. Spotting trademarks was easy and we also saw the Nike Swoosh in the folds of the gown worn by the Goddess Nike in another carving.
Walking down the street you were immediately impressed by the Library of Celsus which could be seen at the bottom. This towering, pillared facade is the part of Ephesus that everyone recognises. The front has been carefully restored but unfortunately there is no trace of interior and it is hard to imagine what it looked like when it was home to over 12000 scrolls which were stored in niches in the cool walls to prevent damage from humidity. Our guide was telling us tales of how there were secret tunnels from the Library to local house of ill-repute but I am not certain how true those rumours are.
After viewing the Library we walked down Harbor Street which was lined with colonnades. This then took us to a wonderful open area which was great for photographs as the end of the road is roped off so there is no-one to get in your shot. The opposite end of the road houses the Great Theatre, this is still used occasionally today for concerts but our guide suggested that we photographed it from where we were as there were a lot of cranes about and there was a lot of work being done on it and he said we couldn’t get too close.
Coming out of the site meant we had to run the gauntlet of hundreds of market stalls which all seemed to be selling "Fake Genuine" watches! If you want to any Turkish delight never agree a price, just walk away and you will find the price usually drops through the floor.
Overall I did enjoy my visit to Ephesus but the heat made it hard to really explore and our guide was not particularly good. We didn’t get to go in either theatre, we never saw the famous toilets and I believe there is also a ruined house that is interesting to see around. I feel we missed quite a bit but after visiting Pompeii Ephesus just seemed like the poor relation as it was so hard to visualise in its former glory.
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