Things to see and do Selçuk (Ephese)

The archaeological site has two entrances, a main one, near the Tusan Motel (parking fee) and another one at the other end, towards the house of the Virgin. In front of the main entrance, you will find souvenir shops, cafes and restaurants with prohibitive prices.

History. Ephesus is one of the most important Ionian cities in Asia Minor. According to the legend, during the prehistoric period, it was inhabited by the Amazons who introduced the cult of Artemis. The Carians and Pelasgians are considered the first inhabitants of the city. The tradition wants that towards the ^XVIIth century before J.-C., Androclès, son of Kodros king of Athens, had disembarked there with Ionian colonists and that after having overcome the Carians, it was installed in Ephesus. The city, democratic city around 800 BC, knows a tyrannical regime two centuries and half later, around 650. One of the tyrants, Pythagoras, was so cruel that he refused access to the sanctuary of Artemis to all those who came to ask for asylum, condemning them to commit suicide or to die of hunger. Later, the city is conquered by Croesus, king of Lydia. The latter was defeated by the Persians who occupied Ephesus until 470 BC. At this date, the liberation of the Ionian cities allows the development of democratic institutions. During the wars opposing Athens to Sparta, Ephesus takes side sometimes for the first one and sometimes for the second. Alexander the Great visited the city and offered a sacrifice to Artemis. After his death, the city was conquered by Antigone, then by Lysimachus who moved the inhabitants near a new port and built several important public buildings. He called this new city Arsinoia, after the name of his wife Arsinoe. But in 284 BC, after the death of his successor Agathocles, the people of Ephesus rose up and gave back its original name to the city where they demolished several monuments erected by Lysimachus. From then on, the city was coveted by the Seleucids and the Ptolemies of Egypt. However, Ephesus will know a golden age under the Roman domination and will be named capital of the province of Asia. In the ^2nd century B.C., with a population of 225,000, it was considered the most populous city in the East after Alexandria. In 29 AD, an earthquake destroyed many of its monuments and houses. During the Christian era, Ephesus regained a prominent role with the arrival of the apostle Paul who founded a Christian community there. According to tradition, the Virgin Mary spent the last years of her life here. The decadence of Ephesus began in the ^3rd century, when the Goths invaded Asia Minor. Later, other conquerors, the Mongols and the Tatars will destroy it several times. The Byzantines will give him the Christian name of Aghios Theologos (holy Theologian), undoubtedly at the origin of the name of the current Turkish village, Ayasoluk. The excavations of the site begin in 1864, they are then directed by the English archaeologist Wood.

The impressive remains that you can see today date from the Roman and chrono-Hellenistic periods. Visit the site taking care not to miss the Arcadian Way, the library of Celsius, the street of the Curetes with the latrines and the temple of Hadrian and the terraced houses.

Gymnasium of Vedius. On the left, before reaching the entrance of the site, the gymnasium of Vedius, built in the ^2nd century AD by a rich citizen. Here, the ruins of the baths. The stadium, close to the baths, was built by Nero.

Church of the Councils. Follow the sign "Meryem Ana Kilisesi" which leads to a Roman covered market, transformed in the ^4th century into a basilica dedicated to the Virgin. Its historical importance is due to the two councils that were held here. The first, in 431, led to the condemnation of Nestorianism, a heresy that affirmed the dual nature of Christ, human and divine. The second, in 449, concluded that Christ had only one divine nature, a theory that is at the origin of the monophysism professed today by the Jacobite Church of Syria, the Armenian Church and the Coptic Church of Egypt. Among the ruins, the baptistery is surprisingly well preserved.

Arcadian Way. At the entrance to the site, a majestic road lined with pine trees, which was restored in the^5th century by the Byzantine emperor Acadius. Connecting the theater to the sea, which today has retreated 10 km, it was lined with columns of Corinthian rhythm that delimited deep galleries. Those, with the ground covered with mosaics, sheltered stores. The night, they were illuminated by torches. To the north of the Arcadian way, you can see the ruins of the gymnasium and the baths.

Theater. At the foot of Mount Pion is the great theater of the city. It could hold 24,000 spectators. It is perhaps here that Saint Paul addressed the people of Ephesus. The theater hosted, in summer, events of the festival of Ephesus (concerts, shows) it is no longer the case today because it is weakened.

Street of marble. This street, which starts from the theater, has large well-preserved marble slabs, dating from the^5th century A.D. Notice the footprint and the female head clearly visible on the marble, which were said to indicate the direction of a brothel.

Lower Agora. After the triumphal arch. It consisted of a large square, lined with galleries which sheltered rooms, warehouses and stores. A large hydraulic or solar clock occupied the center of the agora. The whole place was decorated with magnificent statues. To the south of the agora, stood an imposing temple dedicated to the cult of Serapis.

Library of Celsius. This spectacular building was built by the son of the senator Celsius, Aquila, completed in 130 AD and restored by the archaeological school of Vienna. The statues adorning the two-story façade (the four intellectual virtues) are copies of the marble originals that you can admire in Vienna. Outside the library was a large lecture hall; the Byzantines added a fountain adjacent to the façade. On the east side, there was an octagonal building whose roof formed a pyramid decorated with a huge marble ball. The manuscripts were preserved from humidity thanks to a clever system of double walls with a corridor allowing air circulation. The Goths destroyed the library's treasures when they invaded Ephesus in 262 A.D., but they did not desecrate the tomb of its founder, which was located under the west wing of the building.

Rue des Curètes. The second main street of the site, named after a category of priests of Artemis, leads to the very well preserved latrines. Behind, the ruins of the baths of Scholastica of the ^first century, restored. Right next to the latrines stands the elegant Corinthian temple, built in honor of Hadrian in 118 AD who visited Ephesus several times. The four columns of the facade carry a pediment with the bust of Tyke, the goddess of the city, in the center. On the tympanum above the door, a bust of a young girl representing Medusa. The bas-reliefs that adorn it were added later (originals in the Selçuk Museum). Opposite the temple of Hadrian, turn left for the terraced houses of the rich inhabitants of Ephesus. The walls of the rooms around the patios are decorated with mosaics. These houses were provided with running water, even in the floors. Returning to the street of Curetes, admire the fountain of Trajan (^2nd century) and decorated with imposing statues. The most important ones are in the Selçuk Museum. Further up, the Gate of Hercules (early^5th century) divides the street which, on one side, leads to the temple of Domitian and the Museum of Inscriptions and on the other, to the upper agora.

In front of the agora stood the prytaneum where the sacred flame of the city burned continuously and where the prytanes of Ephesus met. The odeon could accomodate 1 400 senators. After the baths of Varius, we arrive at the second exit of the site. Further on, on the left, the gate of Magnesia indicates us what were the real limits of the ancient city.

In the 3rd century, seven young Christians from Ephesus, persecuted, took refuge in this cave, the exit of which was blocked by Roman soldiers. They fell into a deep sleep that lasted 192 years according to some, 309 years for others. After their death, they are buried in the cave, a chapel is built on their graves. This cave was used as a burial place until the end of the Byzantine era. The location of the tombs, which became a place of pilgrimage, is clearly visible.

In the 19th century, a German nun, Catherine Emmerich, had a vision of the Virgin's dwelling at Ephesus. Priests discover the house that matches his description. In 1967, the Pope visited the site and confirmed the veracity of the vision. Since then, pilgrims from all over the world have flocked to the humble house, transformed into a chapel. A service is celebrated on 15 August by Orthodox Christians and Muslims. No dolmuş for the journey: your legs or the taxi.

Isabey Mosque is a 14th century Seljuk mosque erected in the times of the Emirate of Aydın, at the foot of Ayasuluk Hill, with a remarkable stalactite portal. The restoration of the building has left the ancient materials used by its builders clearly visible. Note the bust of the Emir of Aydın. The courtyard of the caravanserai is a haven of peace. The building is still in operation but is open to the public outside of prayer hours.

It is very crowded but you will not regret visiting this museum which houses a fascinating collection of recent finds from the site of Ephesus presented in a thematic order. In room I, effigies of the phallic gods Bes and Priape, interesting miniatures, and a magnificent statuette of Eros on a dolphin. In room II, statues illustrating the adventure of Ulysses and the Cyclops Polyphemus. In room V, the marbles of Artemis, originally a mother goddess.

Start at Ayasoluk Hill where St. John the Theologian is buried. Enter through the Gate of Persecution built by the Byzantines in the 6th century. After his exile on the island of Patmos, Saint John returned to Ephesus around the year 97 and wrote his Gospel there. He died two years later, and on the site of his grave a small church was built. In the 6th century, it became a basilica destroyed in 1402 by Tamerlan. Go up to the Byzantine fortress. The tower of the ramparts offers a panoramic view of the region, the caravanserai and the Isa Bey mosque.

After the museum, on the road to Ephesus, stands the only column that testifies to the existence of one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. On this site, from the end of the VIIth century, three temples dedicated to Cybele, Phrygian goddess of the fertility, follow one another. Crésus builds then, in the VIth century, an imposing Artemision supported on 127 columns. But, the same night that Alexander the Great was born, in 356 BC, the monument was burned by Erostrate who wanted to immortalize his name by destroying the temple! The Hellenistic Artemisia, built on the ruins of the previous one, is even bigger, and decorated by famous sculptors like Praxiteles. This sacred place of the cult of Artemis is then considered as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. With the advent of Christianity, it gradually lost its splendor and, from the fourth century, it was used as a quarry for the construction of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople.

In Greece, the goddess Artemis combines the attributes of several older deities symbolizing fertility, nature and the moon. For the Romans, she became Diana, goddess of the hunt, but at the same time protector of animals, trees, lakes and rivers and pregnant women, even if she is a virgin. Finally, she is androgynous since her statues are decorated at chest height with a series of small breasts which, according to the most recent theories, represent bulls' testicles. Her attributes are the bow, the half-moon and the stag. Her priestesses were supposed to be virgins and her priests eunuchs, but in her temple a feast is celebrated in honor of Dionysus where the men become satyrs and the women bacchantes.

To make sure that the priestesses are really virgins, they are made to enter a cave behind the temple. If they succumbed to the pleasures of the flesh, the opening of the cave closed for three days and when it opened again, the sinner disappeared. On the pedestal of the great statue of Artemis are engraved letters forming incomprehensible words, considered magical. These letters of Ephesus are engraved on pieces of wood or leather and worn in medallions to protect against evil spells. According to Plutarch, the soothsayers advised the victims of bewitchments to pronounce these magic words in a low voice. It is however difficult to imagine by contemplating the ruins of the site its splendor of formerly...