Hi Guys!!!!!
So I'm sure a lot of you enjoyed my post on our trip to the Beach of Momo, especially my beach loving readers, however today I'm telling you guys all about my trip to the Ancient City of Ephesus which is a whole different vibe, but equally as fun.
Before we get into it, I want to give a quick history lesson. Ephesus has been through a number of eras. The earliest traces of life and human settlements in the area reach back to the Chalcolithic period, (late 7th millennium) and until the early 8th century, Ayasoluk - the easily defensible freestanding mound with rocky slopes on three sides was occupied. It also went through a Roman Era when it was bequeathed to the Roman Empire by King Attalos III in 133B.C. Rife with the usual political rivalry that was rampant at the time, Ephesus was home to the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra and her husband Marc Anthony for a winter in 33B.C where they organized their campaign against Octavian who later became Emperor Augustus. Ephesus was also the permanent headquarters of the Roman provincial administration and capital city. Its easy access to the sea made it an economic center of Asia Minor. Apostle Paul who is responsible for several books of the New Testament Bible preached here with help from Timothy who also wrote a couple New Testament Bible books between A.D 52 and A.D 55. He was confronted by an active pagan cult, and the lives Jewish community. Paul however left the city to continue his missionary activities in Corinth, because of a rebellion led by Demetrios the silversmith, whose business selling silver statues of Artemis suffered due to the many Christian converts. St. John and Mary the mother of Jesus also lived in Ephesus after the death of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Ephesus reached it's peak in 2nd Century A.D, but after A.D 230 it went into economic decline caused by a series of earthquakes and gothic raids. It wasn't until 5th Century A.D it recovered. It's Byzanthine Era saw Theodosius I declare Christianity as the official state religion, and a series of splendid churches erected. The Basilica of St. John which became an important pilgrimage center as far back as the 5th Century is still an important historical site that can today be found in the ruins of Ephesus.
I completely enjoyed my trip to the Ancient City of Ephesus, known to the locals as Efes. Ephesus is currently located in the Selçuk belediyesi, in the Izmir province of Turkey. The Ancient city of Ephesus is a prominent historical site with important sights like the Library of Celsus and the Terrace Houses.
Since we were staying in Alaçatı, we found a taxi willing to take us there and back for about 700TL. However, we had to pay parking fees at the car park where we got our tickets, and again at the car park in front of Mother Mary's house that amounted to a total of 150TL. When we got to the car park, we discovered the taxis by the entrance that are allowed to take you around and wait for you as you go through the city, but they charged us 150TL because we were 3, and we thought it exorbitant, especially as we already paid for a taxi to take us there, and assumed he'd be driving us around.
You'll also find a number of souvenir shops and restaurants right by the entrance. There are men selling books that show the history of the city, and what the monuments looked like, before they became ruins. It cost 12 Euros to buy them there, but we got them cheaper for 20TL at the other gate. There's also a PTT (the local Turkish mail service) kiosk in the parking lot as well.
You can also find horse carriages that take you 5km to the Ephesus top gate for 80TL in the parking lot. They don't get to Mother Mary's house however.
We eventually got our taxi to take us to the Ephesus top gate where we could start to see the ruins from. At the gate there are several shops where you can find anything from cold drinks and ice cream to souvenirs, and scarves. We stopped and bought some souvenirs at the shop by the gate, a cheaper guide book, as well as some cold water for the journey.
At the entrance to the ruins, you pay for your tickets. You can get a full ticket to see all the historical sites in Turkey for 550TL, but it costs 100TL to get in the Ephesus Archeological site for tourists. Residents with a permit get to pay 60TL, and students in Turkey pay 30TL. These costs do not include seeing the inside of the Terrace houses, the Museum and the Basilica of St. John.
At the gates, you swipe your ticket, and you shouldn't make the mistake of going back out until you're done seeing all of it, because the ticket only allows a one time entry.
When you first walk in, you're met with the remains of the Baths of Varius. I don’t know what it looked like when it was functional, but right now it’s the perfect introduction to the ruins of Ephesus. Set against the most gorgeous hills of brown grass peppered with trees, the remnant of the baths stand proud and unmoving telling silent stories of time and it’s passing.
The museum shop is in the corner by the gate, along with an outdoor cafe where you can have drinks. There are also boards with information about Ephesus, and it's history.
By the museum shop cafe I found more ruins, and even though I couldn’t figure out what it was supposed to be, I was really fascinated by all the stones, and the broken pillars. As it turns out, those are the remnants of the fountain/water palace in the state Agora. It apparently had a temple dedicated to some lesser Egyptian god. One of the things I noticed about the ancient city of Ephesus is that it had several different temples for several different gods from all places, and also for their Emperors and Leaders.
I found stone pillars everywhere with writing that I believe is greek all over them. It was fascinating, and I wished I knew what it all meant.
I was so excited by the stone pillars, and the intricate work done on them, as well as how they're still standing after all these years. I spent time wondering what the artisans who did them were thinking as they worked, and if they knew that their work would stand this long. Even now it makes me think of the value in being excellent in your work.
Just after the Baths of Varius I found ruins of gorgeous stone pillars, and my research tells me that they’re the Basilica. I didn’t know that as I was walking the streets, but I knew that they were very pretty.
My next stop was The Odeon (Bouleterion) which is right next to the Basilica, and is in the shape of a theater. Also called the Little Theater, it was built in the 1st Century A.D and was a meeting venue and concert hall for the people of Ephesus. Meetings to discuss daily problems as well as other more serious matters were held here by the two councils that handled administration in the city of Ephesus - The Council Chamber (Boule) and the Popular Chamber (Demos).
I'm a little scared of heights, but I conquered that fear during this holiday. I climbed all the way to the top, and when I got scared while trying to come down, I got help from a friend I made on the steps, who also took my photos.
After I got past the Odeon, I reached the Domitian square and temple. From the boards, I gathered that the temple served the imperial cult and was dedicated to the Emperor Domitian who ruled in 81A.D - 96 A.D. During the Roman Empire it was a privilege for a city to have a temple dedicated to its emperor. Ephesus however jumped on that bandwagon late. Domitian was assasinated by his servant and declared cursed to the point that his name was erased from many monuments, so after his death, the temple was dedicated the Flavian family. However after the victory of Christianity, it was torn down to its foundations and has almost completely disappeared today.
In the corner of the Domitian square, I came to find the Monumental Gateway of Memmius which has statues of his father, Caius and his grand father, Sulla the dictator dressed in togas. The monument was built to remind the citizens of Ephesus of the conquer of Mithridates led by Sulla in 87B.C that brought security to Ephesus.
After the monument I passed by several interesting things on the way, and I stopped to take a few photos.
I soon came to The Curetes Street which is the stretch of road between the Domitian square and the Celsius Library. The Curetes were a religious brotherhood that served artemis the Greek goddess. The street had porticoes, marble paving and a sewer channel that ran underneath it. Behind the porticoes were shops where artisans, tradesmen and innkeepers offered their services. Along the street, severeal marble or bronze statues stood which honored the good deeds of citizens and benefactors on its bases. You can still find some of them there today.
On Curates street, you’ll also find the Fountain of Trajan which was dedicated to the Emperor Trojan (97-117 A.D).
On the other side of the road, you’ll find the shops where the rich people of Ephesus did their shopping for all sorts of finished products including choice of material, and the Terrace Houses which are dated back to the 1st century B.C and were also called the houses of the rich, because they were very luxurious homes.They required an extra fee to get in, and since I didn’t exactly have the trip to Ephesus in my budget, and I had already gone over budget, I decided to see it the next time I visit.
Opposite the Terrace Houses, you’ll find the temple of hadrian. From my research, it was built before 138 A.D and dedicated to the Emperor Hadrian, who was one of the Five of Good Emperors. The Five Good Emperors is a term that refers to five consecutive emperors of the Roman Empire— Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius. The term is first coined by the political philosopher, Niccolò Machiavelli in 1532.
The end of Curates street opens out to a square that faces the Library of Celsus. To its right stands the brothel, and on its left, a fountain dating back to the Byzantine Era. There also is a street leading off it that heads towards the Grand Theater, and it is called the Marble Road.
The Celcius Library was built in 117 A.D., and was a monumental tomb for Gaius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, the governor of the province of Asia; from his son Galius Julius Aquila. The grave of Celsus was beneath the ground floor, across the entrance and there was a statue of Athena over it.
The capacity of the library was more than 12,000 scrolls. It was the third richest library in ancient times after the Alexandra and Pergamum.
I think it will be doing the library a great injustice if I do not post multiple photos of it, as it is one of the best sights in the entire city. An architectural wonder, as it employed several tricks to manage the space it had been given. The originals of the statues symbolizing Wisdom, Fortune, Science and Virtue that are built into its columns can be found in the Ephesus Museum in Vienna.
Right beside the Library of Celsus is the gate of Mazeus and Mithridetes. Mazeus and Mithridetes were two slaves who served Emperor Augustus. They built it after they were freed. It is a monument dedicated to victory, and so it has 3 passages. On the gate is written in Latin: “That gate built by Mazeus and Mithridetes and the people, is dedicated to the Emperor Augustus, the great Pontiff, son of Caesar, 12 times Consul, 6 times Tribune and to his wife, Livia; dedicated also to the Emperor Marcus Agrippa, father of Lucius, 3 times Consul, 6 times Tribune, and to Julia, daughter of Augustus.”
The gates led into the agora, but I didn’t go in them. I instead stopped to relax under the shade in a little kiosk by the Library of Celsus. When I tell you that the sun over there is hot? Believe me! I don’t know how many degrees it was considering that my visit was in September, but it was still crazy hot. The sun was burning.
I soon left them again to find the Toilet system, and the footprint on the Marble road, because someone had said we should check them out. I found a lovely man who used to work in the city at the entrance to the Terrace houses, and he was so lovely and kind, he took me to not only see the footprint, but the Scholastica baths, the toilets, and the harem/brothel as well as gave me a little history about it all.
The ancient toilet system was fascinating as it actually seemed a little more sophisticated than the pit latrines found in Africa. It had deep gutters covered with marble slabs that had key shaped holes in them. A lot of it has been renovated, but I found a slab with the original marble used. In the center of the room was a large pool, which I believe was for washing up after.
Something fascinating I learned on my research is that in the days of the Roman Empire, the baths were public. In fact the traditional Turkish bath today comes from a long history of those Roman baths. All around the city of Ephesus such baths are scattered and are said to be places where information was shared, and socializing was done. They had cold water pools, which were customarily for refreshing oneself, before leaving the pool, warm water rooms, and hot water rooms all engineered by clay hot air pipes. I wonder if that’s where the history of Saunas and Spas emanated from.
The baths of Scholastica are named so, because they were renovated by a rich Christian woman named Scholastica. It was a 3 storey edifice that was a typical example of Roman baths.
Adjacent the Library of Celsus, you’ll find the ruins of harem/brothel called the House of Love. Self explanatory, I don’t think I need to say much on this one.
My friend who showed me the footprint on the Marble road told me that it was used as a measurement for who was old enough to get into the brothel. I don’t know how true that is, but research says that it was a signboard for the brothel. The heart patterns that surround a woman’s head and the left footprint apparently mean “A little bit on the left, there are beautiful women who in spite of their broken heart would give you love.” The House of love was built between 98-117A.D under the reign of Trajan.
My next stop was the amazing Great Theater. Now I thought the little theater was high, but when I tell you I was speaking in tongues and holding onto the rope ‘banister’ when I had to climb back down this one, I’m not joking.
The Great Theater has a seating capacity of almost 24,000, and is the largest theater of Asia Minor. Facing the theater is Harbour Street which led to the habour, and so the theater was the first construction travelers coming to Ephesus through the Harbour would see. It was built to impress and surprise visitors. Still impressive even today, the grand theater was rebuilt by the Emperor Claudius, (31-42A.D) and took 70 years to complete due to modifications necessary at the time. It is said that when Apostle Paul visited Ephesus, the work on the theater was not yet completed. The first theater was dated back to the Hellenistic period.
I made some new friends here like Aneta and her husband - a lovely couple from Poland, and Abbas and Enrico from Germany. One of the best parts of this trip to Ephesus was meeting people from different countries and having conversations with them And exchanging contacts.
After the Grand theater, I stopped to see the sarcophagi of Ephesus which was done in their own special way. They produced half finished sarcophagi with garland. The ones arranged here are some of those excavated around the area.
Next to the sarcophagi, you’ll find the milestones. The milestones were laid on the roadside to indicate distances between cities in Ancient times. Local stones were mostly used, but there are rare instances of marble stones. The measurement unit for them is stadia 185m. The first Roman milestones in the republican period had the measurement unit of milla passuum (thousand steps). During the Roman Empire, the names of emperors were also included on the stones.
After the milestones, we came back to the gate where we found the taxis, and discovered we had not been to the house of Virgin Mary. We stopped for ice cream and cold drinks, and then our taxi drove us down to her house. The views of that drive were some of the most beautiful I’ve ever encountered in my life.
The house of Virgin Mary is regarded as sacred ground especially by Catholics. It is a very important and historical site for them. As such, dressing is important, and you’ll find signboards all around letting you know that.
There’s a little cafeteria, and a souvenir shop just by the entrance where you can eat lunch, and buy a few things. It was closed, so we couldn’t get any food, but my friends got some souvenirs.
We came to a number of fountains with statues depicting, Mary, Baby Jesus and Joseph.
We also found the Ancient water cistern that is now completely dried out, and out of use.
There’s a little church outside I believe where mass is held.
The home of the Virgin Mother herself is a little very well preserved brick building with one entrance and another exit at the back. Photos and videos are not allowed in the inner building, but can be taken of the exit points.
In the building you can get candles that you light outside and say a prayer with. It’s catholic tradition to say a prayer to Mother Mary for help. I did light a candle for my dad who's a devout catholic, and I eventually said a prayer for myself as well, because he persuaded me to.
The house of Virgin Mary is very well preserved. The grounds are beautifully nutured and kept. If you’re an avid reader of my blog, you know I love flowers, so I was delighted to see a couple on the grounds.
The last thing to see at the Virgin Mother’s house is the spring source. It’s easy to miss if you’re not looking out for it, as it’s very close to the grove, and kind of hidden.
I throughly enjoyed my trip to Ephesus, and even though I didn’t see everything there is to see over there, I did see a lot of the most important sites, and I learned a great deal writing this post. I hope the history buffs are well fed, and I hope everyone plans a trip to the Ancient City of Ephesus after reading this.
Do leave a comment and let me know if you learned something new. Also look out for my next post on our road trip to Fethiye, and the hotel we stayed at on Çalış beach.
Love, Yoma.
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