Most Popular Tourist Attractions in Ephesus

Ephesus, the most important city of Asia Minor, has been home to many civilizations and is one of the best-preserved ancient cities today. This city, which hosts many cultures, derives its fame from the administrative and economic systems it has established, its religious history and hosting many arts.

Every part of Ephesus is worth seeing, but if you have limited time to visit Ephesus and want to see only the most important buildings, this article is for you!

1) Terrace Houses
When you visit Ephesus, you can learn about the daily life of the Romans by visiting the Ephesus Terrace Houses, as well as many different architectural structures. Since these houses are located in the center of the city, we can understand that rich Ephesians lived in these houses. When you visit the Terrace Houses, you can get an idea of how the houses are designed with their mosaic floors and colorful painted murals.

2) Ephesus Great Theater
This theater, which has a capacity of 25 thousand people, has an important place for the people of Ephesus in terms of socialization as well as religion. Apart from games depicting gladiator games, animal fights and water fights, religious speeches were also held in this theatre. The people of Ephesus, who had a polytheistic religion, were introduced to a new and monotheistic religion when St. John, the first disciple of Jesus, came to Ephesus. We know that St. John visited Ephesus to spread the words of God and gave a speech to the Ephesians in this great theater.

3) Ephesus Celsus Library
The Ephesus Library, which can be considered one of the most important buildings of Ephesus, is a monumental tomb as well as serving as a library. This monumental tomb was built by his son Aquilla on behalf of Celsus, a governor in Ephesus. This library, thought to contain approximately 12 thousand books, was also the third largest library in the ancient world. Like today's libraries, there was also a study room and a reading room.

4) Temple of Hadrian
This temple, a monumental structure, was built in the name of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. Since it was a monumental temple, it did not have a worship area. There are two female figures you can see in the Temple of Hadrian. The female figure on the inside is thought by some to be Medusa, who turns anyone she looks at with her eyes into stone, while others think she is Flora, the goddess of flowers and spring. The other female figure is the Tyke figure, the goddess of luck. It was believed that those who passed through this gate and entered would be blessed with good luck.

5) Commercial Agora
Spread over a very large area, the Ephesus Commercial Agora is located right next to the library. While products that could meet the daily needs of the Ephesians were sold here, many craftsmen also had shops. If you want to paint a wall on your home or lay a mosaic on the floor of your home, you can find the masters at Commercial Agora. Thanks to its proximity to Liman Street, Commercial Agora has become an easily accessible area for sellers and buyers from many different countries. This area, open to everyone, offered an opportunity to exchange information. People who had seen different places and learned different information were able to share this information with each other and spread it. Who knows, perhaps the Ephesus Commercial Agora played an important role in the transition from polytheistic religion to Christianity.