The ancient ancient city of Ephesus (Efes) is the largest archaeological complex in Turkey, an open-air museum where many temples and other attractions have been preserved. Here once stood the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. In 2015, Ephesus was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. According to Masha Pasha, the ruins of Ephesus are one of the most impressive ancient buildings, after Roman Colosseum and Forum, among those that have survived to this day.

Where is the city of Ephesus?

The city of Ephesus is located in western Turkey, an hour’s drive south of the city of Izmir, next to the large Turkish Kusadasi beach resort Aegean Sea. The closest settlement to Ephesus is the small town of Selcuk, located just 4 km away. from the ancient ruins of Ephesus. By the way, in Selcuk there is a museum in which most of the finds from excavations on the territory of Ephesus are exhibited.

Once upon a time, Ephesus was located at the mouth of the Caistre River (Small Menderes) at its confluence with the Aegean Sea. Now this river has become shallow and looks like a swamp, and the ancient city is several kilometers from the sea coast… Where Ephesus is located on the map today can be seen at the bottom of our article.

How to get to Ephesus

If you are coming from Izmir or from Izmir Airport, you will first need to get to Selcuk or Kusadasi. You can read about how to get here in our separate article: From Izmir airport to Kusadasi. How to get to the resort? Here we’ll just write that you can get to Selcuk from Izmir by bus, train or taxi in about 40-50 minutes.

In Selcuk, at the bus station you will need to take a bus (dolmus) going in the direction of Kusadasi or Pamucak Beach. You will need to get off in about 5 minutes right on the highway, from where it is still about 10 minutes of leisurely walking to the entrance ticket office of Ephesus. If you are going to Ephesus from Kusadasi, then you will need to take a dolmus going in the direction of Selcuk and also get off on the highway a little before reaching the final stop. Travel time from Kusadasi to Ephesus is about 30 minutes. Bus tickets are inexpensive (about 6 liras), buses run frequently (about once every half hour). But if you are traveling with a group of people, it will be more convenient to take a taxi.

History of Ephesus

The city of Ephesus was founded by Greek settlers from Athens about 3 thousand years ago. According to legend, the leader of the Greeks Androcles fell in love with the local Amazon Ephesia, after whom he named the new city. Initially, Ephesus was a typical ancient Greek city. There was an Acropolis, a Forum, and an Agora. In the 6th century BC, when the Persians captured the city, construction began here of the Temple of Artemis, in the future one of the seven wonders of the world. This temple brought Ephesus worldwide fame already in those days.

In the 2nd century BC. Ephesus was taken under Roman control. These were the years of the city’s greatest growth. Most of the attractions are being built during this time. which have survived to this day (Celsus Library, Bolshoi Theater, baths, temples of Domitian and Hadrian). The population of the city exceeds 200 thousand people. Ephesus becomes the largest city in the region, the capital of the Roman province of Anatolia, and the trading center of the entire east of the Roman Empire. Here, on the shores of the Aegean Sea, there is a large port, a transshipment point between Europe and Asia.

During Byzantine times, in the 5th-6th century AD, Ephesus is still an important center of the country, but gradually begins to decline. The reason for this is silt, which mountain rivers began to deposit in large quantities into the sea bay of the city. The port silted up and became shallow, and attempts to deepen it were unsuccessful. As a result, the city lost its significance as a major port on the seashore, and local residents began to gradually abandon it. In the 7th century, Ephesus was partially destroyed by an earthquake and by the 11th century people almost completely abandoned it.

Temple of Artemis in Ephesus

Undoubtedly, everyone has heard about this temple as one of the seven wonders of the world. However, you won’t be able to see the Temple of Artemis; it was completely destroyed. If local residents and tour guides offer to go see its ruins, do not agree. There was nothing left except one column, nothing to see. In addition, the Temple of Artemis is located a little away from the part of the city that has survived to this day.

The Temple of Artemis is famous for the fact that in the 4th century BC. it was set on fire by a local resident, Herostratus, who burned the temple to become famous. He achieved his goal – his name is still remembered 🙂 Part of the ruins of the temple is now kept in the British Museum in London. There is little left in Turkey.

Our tips before visiting Ephesus

They want to immediately warn Masha Pasha: there is practically no shade in Ephesus, all the ruins are under the scorching rays of the sun. Therefore, if you visit this city in the summer, be sure to take hats and water with you.

It is better to arrive in Ephesus early in the morning. There will be fewer tourists and not so hot. During the day and towards evening it will be crowded here, a lot of excursion buses will arrive, there will be queues at the ticket office, and there will be a flea market near the main attractions. We don’t know how it is here in winter; we visited Ephesus in summer.

It should be taken into account that if you go to Ephesus by public transport, you will not be able to get to the archaeological complex itself; to the entrance to the museum you will have to walk about 10 minutes from the highway. It is better to take the road that goes to the left at the fork (on which cars leave the museum). The road going to the right (the entrance for cars to Ephesus) is longer and more inconvenient.

Be prepared for a queue near the ticket office during peak hours. Here you can lose from 10 to 20 or more minutes. The cashiers do not work very quickly; many locals visit Ephesus using museum cards, as a result of which they constantly find out something with the museum staff.

We do not recommend taking small children to Ephesus. They will be bored and uninterested here.

Entrance fee to Ephesus

In 2019, ticket prices to Ephesus were like this. An adult entrance ticket cost 72 lira. To enter the terraces you had to buy a separate ticket for 36 lire. There is also a comprehensive ticket for 132 liras, which includes plus visits to the Ephesus Museum and the Basilica of St. John. For Turkey, ticket prices seemed quite high to us. Masha Pasha bought only a regular entrance ticket for 72 liras.

The central ticket offices of Ephesus open at 8 am in the summer. In winter – at 8:30. Ephesus is open daily until 19:00 in summer and until 17:00 in winter.

Tickets are not sold online, but you can book a tour to Ephesus with a Russian-speaking guide leaving from Marmaris here< /a>, or an excursion to Ephesus with an English-speaking guide departing from Kusadasi using this link.

Sights of Ephesus

To leisurely explore all the sights of Ephesus you need about 2-3 hours. It won’t be faster, there are quite a lot of them here and the complex area is large.

After passing through the central ticket office (lower entrance) and walking a little straight along the shady pine alley, you will come out onto the wide marble paved street Via Arcadianu. This was the main street of the city, named after Emperor Arcadius. It was decorated on both sides with porticoes with columns. On the left this street ends at the Bolshoi Theater. On the right it goes towards the city port (the one that later became shallow; there is no water there now).

The mainGreat Theaterof Ephesus was rebuilt by the Romans in the 1st-2nd century AD. (construction ended under Emperor Trajan). It is located in a niche carved directly into the slope of Mount Pion (Panair). Originally it was a Greek theater, but the Romans rebuilt it practically into a stadium where gladiator fights and sports competitions took place. The theater is quite well preserved. Be sure to climb to its top rows, you can take beautiful photos from there. During the Roman Empire, the theater accommodated up to 25 thousand people and had a diameter of about 50 m.

From the theater, Marble Street goes deep into the city. To the right of it is the Lower Agora (place of meeting of people, market). It was built during the time of the emperors Augustus and Claudius. Initially, along the perimeter of the Agora there was a portico with a double colonnade, where there were shopping arcades. There was a water clock in the center of the Agora. There was also a slave market here.

On the left at the end of Mramornaya Street is theBrothel. Its sign is one of the oldest known advertisements in the world. It shows a foot. It is generally accepted that anyone whose foot was no less than carved in marble could enter the brothel ore feet.

Having walked to the end of Mramornaya Street, you will come out ontoKuretov Street, which goes to the left and slightly uphill. At this intersection of two streets across the road there will be Terraces – the houses of wealthy citizens. Entrance to the terraces requires a separate ticket; the terraces are under an artificial roof, which protects the surviving drawings and mosaics from rain. Masha Pasha didn’t go there. For the money you save you can buy a book about Ephesus, with photographs of these mosaics 🙂

To the right of the Terraces is the famousCelsus Library. It was built in the 2nd century AD. during the reign of Emperor Hadrian. Together with the library in Alexandria, it was the largest library in the world of its time. Now only the façade of the library remains, but it is impressive.

If you walk up Kuretov Street, you can see a large number of small buildings – attractions. Here are located: the temples of Domitian and Hadrian, the Nympheon of Trajan, the Gate of Hercules, the Odeon. The street ends at theUpper Agora(square). The second entrance to the Ephesus museum complex is also located there.

Kuretov Street was heavily damaged during an earthquake in the 4th century. What we see now was created after him. There are many pedestals for statues, various small buildings, houses, temples. There was also a wall with all the city laws engraved on it.

The Odeon is a small theater located on the other slope of Mount Pion, near the Upper Agora. Built in the 2nd century AD. it was originally the seat of the city senate. As a theater, it could accommodate up to 1,400 spectators.

Separate from all the buildings is theChurch of the Virgin Mary. You need to walk to it about 5-7 minutes to the right from the lower entrance to Ephesus (from Arkadiana Street).

Overall, the ancient city of Ephesus leaves a pleasant impression. Some buildings here are well preserved, and individual streets of the city are legible. You can even imagine what this ancient city looked like and how it lived. We can definitely recommend it for a visit to anyone interested in history and antiquity.

Our video about Ephesus: