The Ruins of Ephesus (Efes)

The most well-preserved and impressive ruins in the Eastern Mediterranean. Given the glowing description of Ephesus, I knew this large set of ancient ruins would be my next stop moving South down the West coast of Turkey.

A quick bus transfer in Izmir turned interesting as I observed argument between my driver and a local man, finally broken up by a few large men holding both sides back, and given that I didn't exactly trust that my tiny minibus was the only transportation going to the site of these ruins, I was off to an interesting start on my way to Selçuk, the site of Ephesus. After asking around at the bus station, it seemed to be the truth, so I piled in the minibus with the half-tourist/half-local crowd and was on my way. When we arrived in Selçuk, I had to first find a hotel. I was approached by an old man immediately upon getting off the bus, though I didn't feel quite comfortable with him. Eventually, I gave in, and his son drove me to the nearby hotel. Asking for a dorm room, he informed me that I'd just share a double room with someone else, though that girl had taken the key with her, so I couldn't see it. Sounding a little suspicious, I waited and finally the owner managed to find another key, so I took the room and left my stuff behind (though I carried my valuables with me, as I always do). I walked back to the bus station, ready to get a minibus to the site of the ruins, but given the timetable that afternoon, it would actually be just as long to simply walk the three miles each way, so I set off on my journey.

My first stop in town was a lovely site on a hill overlooking another hill with a castle, and more importantly, the site was that of the Basilica of St. John, who is said to have visited the area between 37 and 48 AD, along with the Virgin Mary, and then again in 95 AD, when he is said to have written his gospel at this very location. Again, I was blown away by the significant historical sites that this country has to offer, as I had no idea of most of these facts until arriving in these towns. The site of the basilica was very picturesque, entering to find a stone walkway lined with red poppies and bougainvilleas, leading up to a large site of ruins including ceiling-less archways, free standing columns and the baptismal sanctuary. The key attraction of the site is a little courtyard surrounded by a small set of stone "bleachers", looking onto four pillars arranged in a rectangular formation, marking the grave site of St. John himself.

Moving along, I walked down the pleasant, shaded sidewalk leading to the ruins, almost completely shaded by two rows of trees with some sort of raspberry-looking berries, possibly mulberries. Soon enough, I saw the unassuming entrance to the Temple of Artemis. This may not mean much to some people, but the Temple of Artemis was a sprawling complex of great importance to the ancient cultures here, AND it's one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. With it's 127 columns, the massive structure was apparently the largest in the world during its heyday around two thousand years ago, even larger than the Greek Parthenon. Now, though, it's not quite as impressive. Well, it's not really impressive at all for what it is. There is just a sort of swampy field with one huge column remaining. So if you have a really great imagination (I'm an actuary, so I do not), you could probably imagine the wondrous place in all its majesty.

Another twenty or thirty minutes down the road, after refusing a few offers from taxis, I arrived at the sprawling site of Ephesus (Efes in Turkish). The area has been an important trading center since around 800 BC, with most of the ruins from probably around 300 BC, giving the area more than its fair share of historical significance. Being such a popular site, the parking lot was full of tour buses from all around, including day trips from Mediterranean cruises. The walk up to the ticket booth was lined with shops and cafes, selling overpriced food and souvenirs to tourists in many different languages. Once inside, though, the majesty of the site grabbed my attention and helped me forget about the large groups around me. Just down from the entrance, the first main sight is the massive 25,000 person theater, sitting on a hillside overlooking the ancient road leading further into the center of the old city. I climbed the huge stone steps of the theater, reaching the top row for an aerial view of the panorama laid out before me. In front of me lay a marble path with a whole row of columns that used to hold torches to light the avenue where shops lined the way, filling up with people at all times of day or night. To my left, curving in around the hillsides, another marble path led up to the remains of buildings and shops. The road, made of thick slabs of marble, was notable for having drainage and sewage channels running underneath, and it's even said that you can still see the ruts from carriages plying the road almost two thousand years ago. I overheard one tour guide talking about animals being in the stage below, with the height difference and minimal walls between the stage and front row of seating not really being sufficient to protect the audience if one of the wild animals decided to turn against the crowd.

Just as I was making my way up the road, a light rain began, and it was actually a bit refreshing, as well as helping disperse some of the tour groups. Next along the road was one of the main attractions of the site, the incredible facade of a two story library, sitting at the corner of the main road. The intricate face of the building was inset with four sculptures of women (maybe goddesses) who each had a virtue written under her statue, embodying Goodness, Thought, Knowledge and Wisdom. In addition to the sculptures, beautiful engravings decorated the undersides of the overhangs, all supported by massive, stately pillars. I had seen a picture of this before, but it was incredible to see up close. The Library of Celsus was also said to have been built with two walls (one inner and one outer) to protect the material inside from heat and humidity. Built around 114 AD, the library once held up to 12,000 scrolls in its walls.

Climbing the hill up the road, bits of storefronts and columns stood along both sides of the marble path, finally leveling out to another large site of heaps of ruins and a smaller amphitheater that was also quite well preserved. Spending time on the bleaches of the theater, I looked over the ancient city, imagining the sights and sounds that must have filled this ancient metropolis. Little by little, the tour groups began to thin out, and I started making my way back down the hill to re-visit a few of the sights. Coming down the hill, I stopped at the ancient Roman bath, which was just as pictured in those classic scenes of Roman baths, with a long flat marble bench along a long wall, with holes every couple of feet for the built-in toilets. In addition to the holes on top, there was a convenient opening in the front that allowed one to dip their hand in the trough of water running behind their legs to wash themselves while still comfortably seated. How convenient.

Stopping back at the Library of Celsus, I literally had the site to myself, interrupted occasionally by one worker replacing a few lights here and there. Without tour groups coming and going, posing for photos, it was a nice break to appreciate the true grandeur of this place, built so beautifully so long ago. As I was ready to leave the site for the evening, the sun was beginning to set over the hill, and I saw that some of the workers were setting up for a wedding to be held under the view of the imposing theater. It was an incredible setting for a wedding, though I had to laugh as I saw the tables were filled with appetizers that included bowls of olives, cheese, Doritos and Ruffles. The outfits of the staff were also great; they wore long plastic robes, cut and shaped like ancient gladiator uniforms.

Walking back from the site, I had a long way to go, but the mild weather was absolutely perfect, and I didn't mind the 45 minute stroll, passing some locals picking berries and chatting along the sidewalk as I went. Back at the hostel, I was again apprehensive, as my room was locked again without the key, though they told me that the guy in my room had taken it, though I was told earlier that it was a woman. They also didn't have the spare key, so I sat and waited...and waited...and waited. The staff seemed helpful and even checked a few of the local restaurants for my roommate, but he couldn't be found. Finally, around 11 that night, after three hours of waiting, he showed up. Though things felt a little suspicious, it all turned out fine, and my roommate turned out to be a very friendly Canadian/Indian guy studying Arabic in Syria for six months, so I didn't stay mad at him long. As usual, my sleep was interrupted by loud mufflers of cars buzzing by the adjacent road and the call to prayer from the local mosques, but I was just happy to have a place to stay for the night, as I would be moving on the next day.

(St. John's Basilica in the town of Selçuk. Apparently John lived here with Mary for a while and returned to write his gospel here. Pretty historical, eh? The four columns in a rectangle surround his final resting place.)

(The ruins at the basilica were quite impressive, with all different bits of an old church and nice columns.)

(One of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World - the massive Temple of Artemis. It's not quite as wonderful anymore, as only 1 of the columns remains over a swampy valley.)

(The long stone walkways/road of the ancient site of Ephesus/Efes. This site is said to be one of the most impressive ancient Roman cities, and with the miles of ruins, I concur.)

(This is just the little theater, perhaps for bargain movies after they move on from the big theater down the road.)

(There are two main preserved roads, consisting of huge granite slabs, with drainage and sewage channels running underneath. There are also wheel tracks (from carts, not cars) supposedly from almost two thousand years ago that can be seen on parts of the road.)

(Looking downhill from the elevated end of the site. At the end of the road, you can see the Library of Celsus, a two story facade that is the most impressive single piece of ruins in the complex.)

(This road would have been lined with shops, bath houses, etc. Probably no kebab shops yet, but who knows.)

(The classic Roman bath houses. There were a few long rows of these benches along the wall, with a large hole dropping all the way down to the sewage channels below. There would have also been water flowing through the channel by my feet, allowing someone to dip their hand in and clean themselves while enjoying the comfort and conversation afforded by these establishments.)

(Another row of columns - if you don't like columns, you should really avoid Roman ruins.)

(The incredible Library of Celsus once held 12,000 scrolls in its walls almost two thousand years ago.)

(Although it was ridiculously crowded at first with tour groups and even cruise ship excursions, as I stayed late into the afternoon, I had the place to myself, which was pretty amazing.)

(The massive facade has four statues representing the virtues of Goodness, Thought, Knowledge and Wisdom. Obviously, I fit right in around there.)

(And this is the REAL theater, capable of seating up to 25,000 people. Even now, the size of this stadium is impressive, also offering a view of the library and mountain backdrop, along with two of the main streets.)

(Another view of the theater, after almost every other tourist had cleared out. Check out the cool cloud above.)

(As I was leaving, there were some workers setting up for a wedding, and I loved their plastic gladiator outfits. The classy looking wedding had an incredible setting under the view of the theater and hillside, but I thought it was a little odd that some of the appetizers for each table included bowls of olives, cheese, Doritos and Ruffles. Maybe they were wedding flavored Doritos...)