Ephesus Small Group - Semi Private Shore Excursion

The House of Virgin Mary where Mary had spent her last day, the Basilica of St. John where is believed that the evangelist St. John had spent his last years in the region around Ephesus and buried in the southern slope of Ayosolug Hill

This enclosure for archaeological remains at Ephesus elegantly reconciles historic conservation with accessibility for visitors. The site of a succession of great ancient civilizations, Ephesus, on the south-west coast of modern Turkey, embodied a peculiarly fertile synthesis of architecture and culture. In 356BC the Greeks built the Artemesium (a colossal Ionic temple dedicated to Artemis the fertility goddess) which was one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. During the 2nd century BC, Ephesus was the fourth largest city in the eastern Roman Empire, famous for its Artemesium, the Library of Celsus and its medical school..

Temple of Artemision in Ionia at Ephesus in Turkey, became one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It was built in Ephesus on a flat area which has turned into a swamp over the centuries. Today there are only the ruins of this marvelous construction of the Hellenistic Age which was made of marble and sculptured columns. The most beautiful remainings of this temple are exhibited in the London British Museum. The oldest remaining found dates back to 6th century BC. It was surrounded by 36 huge columns, later enlarged upon the orders of the Lydian King, Kreisos during the 6th Century BC. Most of the exhibits in the London British Museum belong to this period. The new Artemis temple was built in the 2nd century BC. It was located on top of the previous one and had tremendous dimensions like 121 columns of each 17,5 meters high. Unfortunately this temple was destroyed by fire and reconstructed but then again demolished by earthquakes.