Ephesus was a great and famous ancient city. It is mentioned in the bible and is where the apostle Paul's Letter to Ephesians was sent to. It was also home to the Temple of Artemis which was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Some claim that the mother of Jesus, Mary, lived in Ephesus at the end of her life and that her last home is located here.
The drive to Ephesus was a little under 3 hours.
The countryside was peaceful and lovely to drive through. The landscape was arid and beautiful to see. Along the side of the highway, people would set up all kinds of stands selling everything from toys to fresh vegetables to pickled fruits and vegetables of all sorts. They would just pull up to the side of the road and set up shop.
After about 3 hours we arrived in Ephesus and parked our car. The entrance to the site had many vendors selling snacks and fake trinkets from antiquity. It was a hot day and we got drinks and paid for entrance to the site.
The first thing we saw was a giant theater. When in use, it was able to hold 25,000 people and is one of the largest theaters of its age. Originally it was used for plays and speeches, and when the Romans occupied the city it was also used for gladiatorial fights.
We continued down the road to see what we could see. Some parts of the archeological site are a little disorganized. It takes a lot of time and resources to put all of the pieces back together.
A little ways down the road, we found the Library of Celsus. This is an incredible structure that begins to give hints at the grandeur of the city that once lived here.
I always wonder at signs like this one. I wonder what is written here. Is it some interesting story of an exciting deed that a hero did. Or is it a "no smoking" sign or a "Thank You" sign for a patron who bought the equivalent of a Harry Potter anthology and donated it to the library.
The details carved into the stonework makes the imagination wonder at how amazing this building must have been when it was intact and in use.
The scale of ancient buildings like this boggle my mind. It's impossible for my brain to imagine how the ancients actually maneuvered the massive stones to create a building like this.
After seeing the library, we continued down the road to explore some of the other parts of the site.
Some areas looked like stone pillar graveyards. There were tons of pillars just sitting there, trying to find a place where they belonged.
Lots of areas of Ephesus are still in the process of being restored. It's fascinating to see, but it made me wish I could see it in 10 years when more progress has been made on the restoration.
One of my favorite parts of the Ephesus site were the mosaics on the floor. If my memory is correct, I think some of these mosaics were for bath houses.
I loved how ornate and detailed some of the buildings were. It really made me want to read some books about this city from when it was alive.
We made our way through the site and got lots of photos. But we still had some more driving ahead of us. We wanted to stay at a place with a cool natural wonder that was about 2.5 hours away. So
Ephesus was an awesome place for me to see. I had grown up in the church and the stories of this area are ingrained in me. Actually walking on the same streets that some of the biblical figures that I grew up with walked on was incredible. There's an odd feeling of awe mixed with disappointment. The disappointment is from feeling like I'm close, but not close enough. I just kept wishing that I had a time machine and could see this place when it was alive. I definitely recommend Ephesus for anyone planning a trip to Turkey.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's post as we continue our road trip through Turkey and visit another amazing site!
