Ephesus

A small remnant of the Temple of Hadrian

I am getting to the point in my trip where I am seeing so many things that if I were to give a detailed account I would surely loose the interest of my readers. In the last week I have seen a plethora of novel things, had numerous little adventures, some high and low times, and stumbled upon some real mysteries. What I what to focus on in the next few short pieces is some of the reasons why a person would want to come here and what they can see, for there are some things that I have seen that I had no idea existed here.

Ephesus was one of the major centers of the ancient world and was an important place for the birth of Christianity. St. John is said to have retired here and wrote his Gospel, Letters, and Apocalypse here. It is also the best preserved ancient Greek/ Roman city in existence today. Normally this means that it is unbearably crowded, as it is one of the key sites in Turkey that everyone sees, but I was fortunate to receive some good advice and came later in the day when there were not nearly as many people.

Part of the ruins of the first ever church dedicated to St. Mary. The presence of this church is one of the reasons that theybelieve that St. Mary must have lived here.

The Library of Celsus- One of the most remarkable things I have seen

A statue of sophia (wisdom) on the outer wall of the library

The remains of the once magnificent Trajan's Fountian

A bust of Socrates in the Museum

One pillar to represent the Temple of Artemis (one of the seven wonders of the ancient world)

The famous statue of Artemis that would have been in the temple

Some storkes nested on a pillar outside my hotel window- a delightful distraction