Ephesus

Ephesus (Source: Tourism Department of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality)

Listed in the UNESCO World Heritage List while also being Turkey's largest open-air museum, the ancient city of Ephesus is visited by almost a million people every year. The Roman Period monument Celsus Library and the Temple of Artemis, considered one of the eight wonders of the ancient world, are all located here.

Ephesus, located in the Selçuk district of Izmir, was one of the twelve cities of Ionia. Its foundation dates back to 6 thousand BCE, during the Neolithic Age. During excavations carried out in recent years, settlements belonging to the Hittites and the Bronze Age have been found in the mounds around Ephesus and Ayasuluk Hill, where the famous castle is located. During the Hittite Period, the name of the city was Apasas. Since Ephesus has been displaced many times throughout its history, its remains are spread over a large area of 8 square kilometers. Ephesus, the port city where newcomers from the Greek mainland began to live in around 1050 BCE, moved around the Temple of Artemis in 560 BC. The current Ephesus, which can be visited today, was founded by Lysimakhos, one of the generals of Alexander the Great, around 300 BCE. Ephesus experienced its golden era during the Hellenistic and Roman times, and sustained then a population of two hundred thousand people as the largest port city in its region.

Ephesus has always played an important role in the fields of civilization, science, culture and art. Ephesus School, among the most important schools in the ancient world together with Milesian School, was established within the borders of the ancient city of present-day Ephesus. Its founder was Heraclitus, the most famous of the philosophers of nature.