Turkey Trot - Ephesus

Turkey Trot - Overview
Turkey Trot - First Class
Turkey Trot - Are We There Yet?
Turkey Trot - Ephesus
Turkey Trot - Mary's House and Basilica of St. John
Turkey Trot - Swissotel Efes
Turkey Trot - Taking the Bus and Priene
Turkey Trot - Putting on the Ritz
Turkey Trot - The Blue Mosque
Turkey Trot - Topkapi Palace
Turkey Trot - Hagia Sophia
Turkey Trot - Carpets and Grand Bazaar
Turkey Trot - Dolmabahçe Palace and Taksim Square
Turkey Trot - Bosphorus Cruise
Turkey Trot - Turning Blu
Turkey Trot - Getting This Turkey Home

The next morning we enjoyed the first of several absolutely fabulous buffet breakfasts at the hotel.  More on that later but wow, does the Swissotel do breakfast right!

T and our driver picked us up and drove us to the ruins of ancient Ephesus, which was a little over an hour away.  This was C and D's first visit and in the seven years since I'd visited some upgrades had been done, which was nice to see.  I was so glad that the temperature was cooler than when I'd visited before when it had been approximately 1000 degrees Fahrenheit.

The city remains are more or less on the side of a hill, so it's great to have a driver who can drop you off at the top and then you can wander down and be picked up at the bottom.  So we started our journey through the city with T pointing out various things to us.  (Click on any photo to enlarge.)

City Overview

At the top of the city are the remains of home, clay pipes that have been unearthed (it had one of the ancient world's most advanced aqueduct systems), the government agora (collection of shops) and the smaller amphitheater where the city council met.  The Romans ruled this area starting in 129 BC and it was during their reign that the city flourished.  It's estimated the population was 33,600 to 56,000 people working in this seaport.  It was famed for its magnificent Temple of Artemis (aka Diana) which was completed around 550 BC.  Over the centuries that temple was completely destroyed and today there are only small pieces of it left.  Those remains are not in the city proper and we did not stop by to see them.

As we meandered through town we saw the remains of Hadrian's Temple.  The figure on the frieze represents an Athenian prince who was the mythical founder of Ephesus.  The reliefs are copies as the originals are in a museum.

Hadrian's Temple

There's also this carving of the goddess Nike, the Winged Goddess of Victory.

Goddess Nike

Further down the main street we stopped into an active archaeological reconstruction area.  Owing to the landscape, merchant shops were on the ground floor and backed into the hillside.  The merchants typically lived in rooms above their shops and further up the hill were the wealthier owners.  You can see how the walls were decorated and the floors contained mosaics.

Amazingly decorated walls

Floor mosaic

And it wasn't just the floors of the wealthy that had the mosaics.  Check out this sidewalk outside the merchant shops!  Fortunately it's roped off to keep modern day tourists from wearing it down.

Sidewalk mosaic

In the mid-third century AD Emperor Constantine built public baths.  I assume these were part of that facility.  I guess the good thing about togas is they made for some privacy!

Public toilets

A little further down the road is the facade of the Library of Celsus which has been reconstructed from all original pieces.  It was built circa 125 AD in honor of a governor of Roman Asia.  Celsus even paid for it himself and is buried underneath it.  It once held 12,000 scrolls and faces east so the reading rooms could get the morning light.

Library of Celsus

One of the most impressive remains is that of the Theater.  It's a huge amphitheater that could seat 24,000 people.  The acoustics are just wonderful and someone standing on the stage can easily be heard from the top rows.  Modern-day concerts have been held here by artists like Elton John.  This is also the place where the Biblical silversmith Demetrius tried to stir up a riot because the Apostle Paul was converting too many people to Christianity.  The metalsmiths' trade was suffering because people were no longer buying the idols of Artemis that they produced.  Fortunately the city clerk was able to calm them down before a riot began.

Amphitheater from inside

Amphitheater from below

The theater looks out on the commercial agora (marketplace) and as you walk among the ruins you can see the outlines of where the shops used to stand.  From there Harbour Street extends down to what was then the sea.  But centuries of silt and earthquakes have left Ephesus several kilometers from the Aegean.  The town was completely abandoned by the 15th century.  It's estimated only 15% of the city has been excavated though it's the largest collection of Roman ruins in the eastern Mediterranean.

Harbour Street

I was thrilled to get to re-visit this ancient site and look forward to the improvements that will be made in the future.