Bucket List: Ephesus – Done. | Waltzing Wanderers

When planning our trip to Sicily, I came across a great price on a one-stop flight. Unfortunately, that one stop (in Istanbul) was 13 hours long! But then I started thinking, “What if we took even more time in Turkey?” Ephesus has always been on my “bucket list.” Frank agreed and here we are. We were not disappointed!

The ancient city of Ephesus was located along the Aegean Sea. The convergence of three land routes and an access to the sea created a prime location for this major sea port. Unfortunately, silt from the rivers eventually filled the sea channel. It created a fertile plateau but rendered the port useless. Today the ruins are eight kilometers away from the sea.

: A pre-dawn flight took us from Istanbul to Izmir, where we took the 50-minute drive to Ephesus.

: Discovered in a vision by a bedridden German nun in 1812, this stone building is believed by many Catholics and Muslims to be where the Virgin Mary lived her last years.

: Pilgrims write and leave their prayers and intentions.

: Healing fountain at the house of the Virgin Mary

: The ruins of Ephesus

: One of two amphitheaters at Ephesus

: The library was built in 117 A.D. It was a monumental tomb for Gaius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus.

: Ephesus

: A series of six terrace houses are being restored. They date back to 1C BC and were used as residences until 7C AD.

: It’s like a big puzzle.

: You can almost imagine what life looked like.

: Ephesus aquaducts = water in

: Water out = ancient toilets

: Most of the statues were missing their heads . . .

: . . . but we saw many in the nearby Ephesus museum.

: It is believed that St. John spent his last years around Ephesus. The basilica of St. John was built during the reign of Emperor Justinian (527 -565 AD).