Historical Ephesus Tour
Tour Information
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Historical Ephesus Tour Itinerary : Ephesus Ruins, Archaeological Museum of Ephesus, Artemission Port : Izmir (Alsancak) Duration : 7 Hours Service Level : Private Tour Season : 01.01.2010 - 01.06.2010 |
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| Tour Plan Meet your guide at the pier of Izmir, you will have one hour drive to Ephesus Ruins for your first stop of the tour. Upon reaching the once powerful city, passing by the Magnesia gate, you will enter the administrative section of ancient Ephesus. The guided walking tour will take you through one of the most magnificent excavations in the world. See the Odeon, the Fountain of Trajan; enter a section of the steam baths of Scholastika, the temple of Hadrian and the impressive library of Celsius. The library is adorned with columns and statues. The Grand Theater, where the Apostle Paul preached, is the largest theater in antiquity with a capacity of 24,000 people. Continue to Ephesus Archaeological Museum. This museum is located in Selcuk, which is 70km away from Izmir, where Ephesus ancient city is found. As you enter the museum, you see a statue of Artemis in front, from Ephesus dating back to the 2nd century A.D. In the left hall bust of Eros made by Lysippos, a statue of Eros on a dolphin and God Bes are displayed. You will visit to Artemision. The Temple of Artemis is known as one of the Seven Wonders of the Antic world. It has been built in the areas of Ephesus on a flat area which has over the centuries turned into a swamp. Today one can only see the ruins of the foundations of this marvelous construction of the Hellenistic Age, entirely made of marble and full of sculptured columns' capitals and shafts. The most beautiful remaining of this temple are today exhibited in the London British Museum. You will go back to pier of Izmir. |
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| Including * Professional, English speaking, state licensed guides for the guided tours included * Arrival and departure transfers in pier of Izmir * Tour transportation with A/C van * All entrance fees as per the itinerary * All service fees and local taxes |
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| Distances from Izmir (Alsancak) Port Ephesus Ruins: 47.00 Miles Ephesus Museum: 44.7 Miles Temple of Artemis: 46.00 Miles |
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Information Ephesus Ruins
Ephesus (Ancient Greek Ἔφεσος, Turkish Efes) was an ancient Greek city, and later a major Roman city, on the west coast of Asia Minor, near present-day Selçuk, Izmir Province, Turkey. It was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League during the Classical Greek era. In the Roman period, it was for many years the second largest city of the Roman Empire; ranking behind Rome, the empire's capital. Ephesus had a population of more than 250,000 in the 1st century BC, which also made it the second largest city in the world.
The city was famed for the Temple of Artemis (completed around 550 BC), one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The temple was destroyed in 401 AD by a mob led by St. John Chrysostom. Emperor Constantine I rebuilt much of the city and erected new public baths. The town was again partially destroyed by an earthquake in 614 AD. The city's importance as a commercial center declined as the harbor was slowly silted up by the Cayster River (Kucuk Menderes).
Ephesus was one of the seven churches of Asia that are cited in the Book of Revelation. In Revelation Chapter two they were commended by Jesus for their labor to the point of exhaustion, their perseverence and their unwillingness to listen to the false teachers of their day. Jesus does hold one thing against them..."you have left your first love." (NASB) Their Christianity had become a faithful ritual but not a relationship of love to the Lord. The Gospel of John may have been written here. It is also the site of a large gladiators' graveyard.
Today's archaeological site lies 3 kilometers southwest of the town of Selçuk, in the Selçuk district of İzmir Province, Turkey. The ruins of Ephesus are a favorite international and local tourist attraction, partly owing to their easy access from Adnan Menderes Airport and via the port of Kuşadası.