Must-see attractions in Ephesus

  • Turkey, Ephesus, Library of Celsus

    Ephesus

    Ephesus

    Of Turkey's hundreds of ancient cities and classical ruins, Ephesus is the grandest and best preserved. A Unesco-listed World Heritage Site, it's the best…

  • Ephesus terrace houses.

    Terraced Houses

    Ephesus

    The roofed complex here contains seven well-preserved Roman homes built on three terraces, which are well worth the extra visiting fee. As you ascend the…

  • Library of Celsus

    Ephesus

    This magnificent library dating from the early 2nd century AD, the best-known monument in Ephesus, has been extensively restored. Originally built as part…

  • Great Theatre

    Ephesus

    Originally built under Hellenistic King Lysimachus, the Great Theatre was reconstructed by the Romans between AD 41 and 117 and it is thought St Paul…

  • Marble Street

    Ephesus

    This street, paved with marble slabs slightly raised to aid drainage, formed part of the Sacred Way linking the city centre with the Temple of Artemis…

  • Mary's House

    Ephesus

    Atop the foundations of a ruined house on the slopes of Bülbül Dağı (Mt Coressos), said by some to be where the Virgin Mary lived, a chapel now receives…

  • Ephesus Ram Figure, Turkey.Archaeological site, Ephesus - Turkey. The entrance to one of the brothels in Ancient Ephesus was marked by a (carved) footprint.
Turkey brothel Ephesus

    Brothel

    Ephesus

    This site, demurely called the 'Love House' on signboards, is eagerly anticipated by visitors, but its rather dishevelled state makes envisioning…

  • Grotto of the Seven Sleepers

    Ephesus

    The road to/from Ephesus' Lower Gate passes this cave tomb on Panayır Dağı (Mt Pion), where seven young legendary Christians, persecuted by Emperor Decius…

  • Curetes Way

    Ephesus

    Named for the demigods who helped Lena give birth to Artemis and Apollo, the Curetes Way was Ephesus' main thoroughfare, 210m long and lined with statuary…

  • Public Toilets of Ephesus Ancient City, Izmir City, Turkey.

    Latrines

    Ephesus

    This square structure has toilet 'seats' along the back walls with a roof above. Although some wealthy citizens had private home bathrooms, they also used…

  • Temple of Hadrian

    Ephesus

    One of Ephesus' star attractions and second only to the Library of Celsus, this ornate, Corinthian-style temple honours Trajan's successor and originally…

  • Prytaneum

    Ephesus

    Two of six original Doric columns mark the entrance to the ruined Prytaneum, one of the most important civic structures in Ephesus. Within and dedicated…

  • Church of St Mary

    Ephesus

    Northwest of the Lower Gate, a signposted path leads to the ruins of the Church of St Mary, also called the Double Church. The original building was a…

  • Odeon

    Ephesus

    Built around AD 150, this once-lavish 1400-seat theatre boasts marble seats with lions' paws and other carved ornamentation. It was used primarily for…

  • Upper Agora

    Ephesus

    This large square measuring 58m by 170m, and used for legislation and local political talk, was flanked by grand columns and filled with polished marble…

  • Asclepion

    Ephesus

    A side road called Sacred St running along the western edge of the Upper Agora led to the Asclepion, the medical centre of Ephesus. Protected by the god…

  • Harbour Street

    Ephesus

    The 530m-long Harbour St was built by Byzantine Emperor Arcadius (r 395-408) to link the Great Theatre and the Middle Harbour Gate in a late attempt to…

  • Sanctuary of the Mother Goddess Cybele

    Ephesus

    Excavations on the northern slope of Panayır Dağı (Mt Pion) overlooking the so-called Grotto of the Seven Sleepers have revealed stelae or sepulchral…

  • Temple of Hestia

    Ephesus

    The Prytaneum hosted this shrine, where the city's eternal flame was tended by vestal virgins, and was fronted by a giant statue of Artemis, now in the…

  • Temple of Domitian

    Ephesus

    This ruined temple recalls Domitian (r AD 81–96), the tyrant as evil as Nero who banished St John to Patmos (where the evangelist wrote the Book of…

  • Trajan Fountain

    Ephesus

    This honorary fountain from the early 2nd century AD was once dominated by a huge statue of the great soldier-emperor Trajan (r AD 98–117), grasping a…

  • Baths of Varius

    Ephesus

    Baths were situated at the main entrances to ancient cities so that visitors could be disinfected and wash before entering. These 2nd-century ones stand…

  • Stadium

    Ephesus

    Outside the Lower Gate, the stadium dates from the 2nd century AD. The Byzantines removed most of its finely cut stones to build the fortress and the…

  • Temple of Serapis

    Ephesus

    This massive structure, reached by a flight of marble steps in the southwest corner of the Lower Agora, may have contained a temple to the Greco-Egyptian…

  • Gymnasium of Vedius

    Ephesus

    On a side road between the Lower Gate car park and the Selçuk road, this ruined 2nd-century-AD structure has exercise fields, baths, a lavatory, covered…

  • Hercules Gate

    Ephesus

    Marking the upper boundary of the Curetes Way, this two-storey gate with reliefs of Hercules on both main pillars was constructed in the 4th century AD…

  • Pollio Fountain

    Ephesus

    Backing onto the Upper Agora, this fountain honouring the builder of a nearby aqueduct hints at the lavish nature of ancient Ephesus' fountains, most of…

  • Harbour Baths

    Ephesus

    These baths, part of a complex that included a gymnasium and a sports area, were erected at the end of the 1st century AD but were badly damaged by an…

  • Baths of Scholasticia

    Ephesus

    Marble steps behind the Trajan Fountain lead up Bath St to this large hamam. In one niche is a headless statue of Scholasticia, who repaired the baths in…

  • Memmius Monument

    Ephesus

    This monument from the 1st century AD is dedicated to Caius Memmius, nephew of the dictator Sulla who sacked Ephesus in 84 BC. Pillars with dancing…

  • Lower Agora

    Ephesus

    This 110-sq-m one-time market had a massive colonnade. The shops in the colonnades traded in food and textiles; the agora's proximity to the harbour…

  • Theatre Gymnasium

    Ephesus

    You can pick out the foundations of this once-colossal structure, which was used for physical training and dates from around AD 125. A lot of excavation…

  • Columns of the Evangelists

    Ephesus

    The middle of Harbour St (Arcadian Way) is marked by the shafts of Corinthian columns that once supported statues of the four Evangelists erected in the…

  • Tomb of St Luke

    Ephesus

    It is thought that the ruins of the small circular building south of the Baths of Varius, which was once a church, contain the tomb of the evangelist, St…

  • Gate of Hadrian

    Ephesus

    This monumental arch, which links the Curetes Way with Marble St, is thought to have been dedicated to Hadrian when he visited Ephesus.

  • Upper Gate (Magnesian Gate)

    Ephesus

    This is the more popular entry point of Ephesus' two entrances. It was erected under Emperor Vespasian in the 1st century AD.

  • Temple of Isis

    Ephesus

    Objects discovered in this small temple in the Upper Agora suggested that it was dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Isis.

  • Necropolis

    Ephesus

    Site of a necropolis dating to the 6th century BC which was later covered by the upper (or state) agora.

  • Hydreion

    Ephesus

    This rectangular fountain with four columns sits next to the Memmius Monument.

  • Lower Gate

    Ephesus

    This is the second, less frequented entrance to the ruins at Ephesus.

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