EPHESUS TOURS
Hi everyone! If you are planning to have Ephesus Tours, this is a perfect blog post to learn the most common questions & tips about Ephesus Ancient City! In this article you will learn the below topics;
ABOUT EPHESUS ANCIENT CITY
Ephesus is one of the most important of the cities which figured in the Ancient World, and the largest open-air museum in Turkey. In addition, it is one of the most important destinations which are operated Daily Tours today. Ephesus was founded on a fertile coastal plain in Western Anatolia, surrounded by mountains and watered by the River Kaystros. The city with its powerful Goddess cult, and the Temple of Artemis, was an important religious center in pagan time.
CHRISTIANITY IN EPHESUS ANCIENT CITY!
The later period of Ephesus saw a remarkable transformation with the rise of Christianity, beginning with the visits of St. John the Apostle. His mission, along with the works of St. Paul, and the establishment of churches dedicated to them and the Virgin Mary, helped form a strong Christian community in the city.
Today, people from around the world visit Ephesus for pilgrimage, especially to the House of Mary and the Basilica of St. John the Apostle, built around the 4th century AD, where St. John is believed to have written the Gospel.
Ephesus had always been a significant destination, even during pagan times. Home to the Temple of Artemis, the largest temple dedicated to the Greek goddess, the city also hosted other important religious sites such as the House of the Virgin Mary, Tomb of St. John, various churches, and the Cave of the Seven Sleepers.
Thanks to its religious and cultural importance, Ephesus became an international travel center, attracting visitors from the three continents surrounding the Mediterranean. Its reputation was further enhanced by the festivals and ceremonies held during the dominance of the Artemis cult in the earlier Greek period.
THE FOUNDING OF EPHESUS IN MYTHOLOGY BY ANDROCLES
According to historical sources, Androcles, one of the sons of the legendary King of Athens in the 11th century BC, is credited with founding Ephesus on the slopes of Mt. Pion. Before embarking on his journey from the Greek Peninsula to Anatolia, the Delphi Oracle advised him to establish a city at the location revealed by a fish and a wild boar.
One day, while cooking a fish on the Ionia coastline, the fish jumped from the pan, and a wild boar, hidden in the bushes, ran away from the flames. Androcles recognized this as the fulfillment of the oracle’s prophecy and began to follow the boar.
When he finally caught the animal, he founded his new settlement on that very spot. From that moment onward, Ephesus became a home to thousands of different cultures and continues to welcome millions of visitors from around the world to this day.
HISTORY OF EPHESUS RUINS
The Achaeans established a highly developed civilization in Greece, migrated to this part during the long period of time that followed the decline of the Anatolian Hittite Empire(6000 BC, Located on Ayasuluk Hill). When they have settled in Anatolia the large section of the population was Leleges, Carians, and Lydians.
Then developed the city and the Acropolis. Then, distributed the fertile land to his people – good fishermen and farmers reached the level of the richest and most brilliant civilization of Western Anatolia, maintaining close contacts with Lydia. In a short time, they developed their city; constructed many breathtaking buildings, and the largest Temple dedicated to their goddess Artemis comes from the Pagan cult.
Also, this temple shows us the first banking system of all history from the known World. At around 650 BC, Ephesus and the Temple of Artemis vandalized by the Cimmerians. At around, 560 century B.C. Ephesus was conquered by the Lydians under leader king Croesus and was re-built the temple of Artemis. And, he moved the settlement from a top of the mountain to around the Temple of Artemis.
In 404 B.C, when the Ionian city’s rebellion against Persians was defeated, Ephesus was left untouched, although Miletus, the largest and most prosperous city of the time was destroyed. In the fact that Ephesus had not, joined in the rebellion. After this, Ephesus remained a free city and a solid democracy was founded.
In 356 B.C Erostratos, a person from who has lived in the Ephesus, wished his name to immortalize. As a result, he set fire at the Temple of Artemis. During the night when the temple was burnt down Alexander the Great was born in Macedonia, the eventual destroyer of the Persian Empire, and who will Support the Temple of Artemis many years later during his conquers on Mesopotamia. According to Hegesias of Magnesia, the fire could not be prevented by the Artemis, because she had left the temple to attend Alexander’s mother’s birth. Read more about the Footsteps of Alexander the Great in Anatolia!
In 334 B.C After Alexander’s great victory at Granikos, Ephesus was saved from the Persian Empire.
In 323 B.C after the death of Alexander the town passed into the hands of Lysimachos, one of Alexander’s generals. He has realized that their port is silting up and they will need a bigger size port to extend their business. He has founded a new city which is lying to a 3 km area, excellently planned, sheltered by Panayır and Bulbul mounts.
Emperor Hadrian (117-138 A.D.) came twice to Ephesus, at the time when the River Kaystros’ silt deposits were out and a new river bed was created. The Emperor Antoninus Plus (138-161) honored the town with the name the greatest Metropolis of Asia. In this period, large numbers of the Ephesians embraced a new faith, Christianity. And they played a leading role in spreading, started with the visits of John the Apostle. The Apostles St. Paul and St. John had both preached in the Amphi-Theatre and Ephesus became the lead city of the Seven Churches of Asia.
In the 3rd Century A.D., Ephesus retained its political and religious importance but it never again enjoyed its old wealth and prosperity. The most outstanding event of this century was the invasions of the Goths to the Temple of Artemis, part of the city, and the raining of its treasury. Lysimachos‘ harbor and its surroundings were submerged in marshland and malaria had begun to threaten the people’s health more and more.
The Emperor Justinian, who was the Emperor of Constantinapolis at that time, ordered to built a magnificent church over the tomb of St. John(527-565 AD). Those who disliked the unhealthy atmosphere of Ephesus began to move to the slopes of the hill where the church was; the famous Ephesus of the coast began to be neglected. Thus, in its last period, the town of Ephesus was formed around the Seljuk Town of today.
In the 9 Century A.D, Ephesus was known as ‘’Hagios Theologos’’. The Aydinoğulları enriched it with works of art such as mosques, caravanserai, fountains, and tombs. However, 15 km to the West of Kuşadasi Town, a harbor was built. And 77 km. to the east there was the fabulous development of the city and harbor of Izmir. On this hand, it declined and became forgotten because of the new rising stars.
Those were linked to the Ottoman Empire for the first time in 1390.
In the end, Ephesus was entirely desolated in the 15th century and lost its former fame and glory. The place located nearby Ayasuluk Hill was renamed Selcuk in 1914 and keep the same name till today. And, it is an open-air museum which we hold Ephesus Tours today!
Note: Ephesus is one of the Unesco listed sites! To see more about it, you may click here; UNESCO List – Ephesus!
GUIDED EPHESUS TOURS
Today, there are 3 different types of Ephesus Tours! Ephesus Tours from Cruise Ships, Ephesus Tours from Izmir Airports, and Ephesus Tours from Izmir City and Istanbul! You can click the links to read more about the tours. Mainly, the most visited destinations of Turkey are as follows in order; Istanbul, Cappadocia, Ephesus, and Pamukkale!
As we mentioned in the post that there are 2 ports around Ephesus today. And, these ports are one of the main destinations of the cruise lines. Especially, Kusadasi town is a vital destination for both Cruise Lines and for Ephesus Ruins. Roughly 600 hundreds of big cruise ships docks at Kusadasi Cruise Port, and thousands of travelers taking a Guided Tour to Ephesus. If you are the one who looks for this, you may visit the below link to see our Ephesus tours from Cruise Ships!
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