Extraordinary! What an amazing place. They believe it was settled since 6000 BC. The Virgin Mary is believed to have lived out her life there and the Gospel of John written there. It is cited in Revelations. Famous people tramped through the marble-paved streets of Ephesus - John the Baptist, Alexander the Great, Antony and Cleopatra, Caesar Augustus, Constantine 1 ... and now, Kate and Sean!
What a city it must have been. It had a water supply, a sewer system, street lighting and roads of marble. An existing lagoon was widened and dredged into a proper harbour (hurrah for slave power). It was conquered many times and partially destroyed by earthquakes before being finally abandoned in the 15th Century.
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| in front of the amphetheatre |
The ruins are a fabulous balance between preservation and restoration. There is enough there to give a feel for the scale and height but not reproduced. A popular tourist attraction, it must be unbelievably busy in the summer. Here is a travelling tip - go early before the tour buses and start from the top gate!!
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| main street, Ephesus |
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