Excursion to Ephesus from Marmaris

Excursion to Ephesus from Marmaris starts early in the morning. Even before sunrise, you will board a comfortable bus and begin your journey inland, where an ancient settlement was founded 200 kilometers from the coast 12 centuries ago. On the way you will make a stop for breakfast, and you will also be able to admire the panoramas of mountains and valleys.

Since ancient times, mankind has been trying to solve the riddle of time, and perhaps in the near future, movements in time and space will become quite real, but if you do not want to wait for scientific and technological progress to bring this idea to life, go on an excursion to Ephesus from Marmaris .

The ancient city of Ephesus is the best suited for traveling back in time, because it is the largest ancient settlement on the territory of modern Turkey, which also retained the urban infrastructure, street layout, market squares and baths.

Most of the buildings, despite the fact that the buildings date back to the 10th century BC, have been perfectly preserved to this day. Walking past the city gates and arches, monumental columns and statues, you will hardly believe that the walls of the huge amphitheater, the oldest library, temples and senates witnessed the heyday of ancient Greece and the Roman Empire, the Byzantines and the Ottoman state.

The main purpose of the excursion to Ephesus from Marmaris is to visit the temple of the Greek goddess of fertility Artemis, which is one of the 7 wonders of the world. Founded in the 6th century BC, the temple was repeatedly raided and destroyed, but managed to retain its size, fragments of columns and relief drawings. You will also be amazed by the majestic building of the library of Celsus, the market square, the amphitheater designed for 25,000 spectators, the temple of Hadrian and Kuretov street.

Program of Excursion to Ephesus from Marmaris

Excursion to Ephesus from Marmaris starts early in the morning. Even before sunrise, you will board a comfortable bus and start your journey inland, where an ancient settlement was founded 12 centuries ago 200 kilometers from the coast. On the way you will make a stop for breakfast, and you will also be able to admire the panoramas of mountains and valleys.

In Ephesus, you will spend several hours listening to the stories of a English-speaking guide and studying the monuments of ancient architecture, walking along the streets and squares of the Roman settlement and taking spectacular bright photos at the most spectacular locations. After a long walk, you will go for lunch to one of the oldest authentic restaurants, where you will taste the national dishes of Turkish cuisine, relax and gain strength for further adventures.

At the end of the tour to Ephesus from Marmaris, you will visit a small church, which is visited every year by hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from all over the world, according to legend, the Mother of Jesus lived in this place, and, according to some sources, it was here that she spent her last days.

Turkey’s largest ancient city Ephesus from Marmaris and House of Virgin Mary

Ancient Ephesus, founded in the 10th century BC, was an important port and center of trade, during its heyday the population of the city reached 225 thousand, writing developed and coins were minted, theater and sports arenas, libraries and temples were built.

In the 500s AD. the bay became shallow and became completely unnavigable, which led to a decline in the economy, and subsequently the area was subjected to earthquakes, and the city was finally buried underground. As a result of archaeological excavations carried out in 1869, the beauty of the ancient city was revealed to the world and numerous artifacts were added to the collections of famous museums.

At the bottom, Ephesus is the largest ancient city in Turkey, which has completely preserved its structure and layout, here you can clearly distinguish streets and squares, boulevards and intersections. Most of the buildings have retained their facades and columns, arches and gates, inscriptions are clearly visible on the walls of the temple of Hadrian, ancient ornaments are visible on the monumental columns, and fragments of statues and pedestals, the remains of trading shops and residential buildings have been preserved on the marble-paved Kuretov Street.

You can plunge into the atmosphere of the Roman nobility in the “houses of the rich”, terraced located on the mountainside. The spacious rooms are decorated with statues of gods and massive columns, carved arches and mosaics, the walls are painted with antique ornaments and scenes from plays and theatrical performances.

The main attraction of ancient Ephesus is the temple of the Greek goddess Artemis, and although many of its artifacts are kept in the British and Istanbul Museums, it has retained its size and facade, fragments of columns and arches.

Library of Celsus and Amphitheater

The Library of Celsus was built in 135 AD. during the reign of Emperor Hadrian, however, in the 3rd century, the interior was damaged by fires, and later the facade was destroyed by an earthquake, the building was partially restored in the 1960s and now its frontal part has its original appearance.

The two-tiered facade is decorated with columns and ornaments, and on the podium there are 4 sculptures representing Wisdom, Virtue, Thought and Knowledge.

No less impressive is the huge amphitheater that can accommodate 25,000 spectators. The arena was built according to the classical principle – from the stage located in the center of the stage, spectators rise up, emperors and local nobility sat in luxurious boxes on the uppermost tiers, citizens belonging to lower classes occupied their places below.

It is hard to believe that many centuries ago life was seething here, sports competitions and spectacular gladiator fights, theatrical performances and speeches of politicians were held.

House of the Virgin Mary

During an excursion to Ephesus from Marmaris, you will have a chance to visit an important religious shrine – the House of the Virgin, Christians from all over the world dream of such an opportunity, and for this purpose they overcome distances of hundreds and thousands of kilometers. The Virgin Mary spent the last days of her life in a small church, and the holy springs and the wall of desires have since helped pilgrims and healed from ailments.

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of ancient Ephesus and its famous sights, so visiting the ancient city is recommended for both tourists and local residents, both adults and the younger generation. And it is impossible not to agree with the words of one of the travelers – “an excursion to Ephesus from Marmaris takes one day, but is remembered for a lifetime.”