Ephesus, One of the Seven Wonders
Temmuz 23, 2010 | Touristic Sites / Historical Spots
Turkey is known to be a land of history and culture. There are so many magnificient historical ruins especially in the Anatolian Part (Asia Minor) of the country as most of the significant civilizations have settled down in this area.
Among these Ephesus (Turkish Efes) is certainly the most prominent historical site.
Ephesus an ancient Greek city at first, and a major Roman city later, lies on the west coast of Asia Minor at the location known as SELCUK (in IZMIR province) today.
The town was located on a very fertile valley. It was built as a port and used to be the most important commercial centre. and played a great role with its strategic location.
It was, once, the trade centre of the ancient world, a religious centre of the early Christianity, It is an important tourism centre in Turkey, today.
Ephesus belonged to the twelve cities of the Ionian League which was a strong alliance during the Classical Greek era of the Roman period. 
Rome was the largest city of the empire. Ephesus with a population of more than 250,000 in the 1st century BC, is known to be the second largest city in the world, at that time.
The most important part of the city was the Temple of Artemis which was completed around 550 BC. This temple is known to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, today. It was destroyed in 401 AD by a mob led by St. John Chrysostom and rebuilt by Emperor Constantine
The town was again partially destroyed by an earthquake in 614 AD after which the city’s importance as a commercial center declined as the harbor was slowly silted up by the river called Küçük Menderes.
Ephesus ruins which lie 3 kms southwest of Selçuk today, attract a large number of tourists visiting Turkey, as they have quite an easy access from Adnan Menderes airport, mainly.
HOUSE OF VIRGIN MARY
Ephesus hosts a very important religious spot for Christians; , the shrine of Virgin Mary which is located on the top of the “Bülbül” mountain 9 km ahead of Ephesus. This is the place where Mary is believed to have spent her last days. It is also said she may have come together with Saint John who spent several years in the area to spread Christianity, at this place.
One can see the shrine entirely made of stones reflects typical Roman architecture.In the 4th century AD, a church, combining her house and grave, was built. The original two-storey house, consisted of an entrance (with candles today), bedroom and praying room (Christian church area) and a room with fireplace (chapel for Muslims).
The front kitchen which turned into ruins was restored in 1940′s. Today, the central part and a room on the right of the altar are open to visitors. Judging on this, one can understand that this building looks more like a church than a house. Another spot of interest is the “Water of Mary”, a source at the exit of the church area and where a rather salt water, with curative properties, can be drunk by all.
It was Paul VI who first visited this place in the 1960′s. Later, in the 1980′s, during his visit, Pope John-Paul II declared that the Shrine of Virgin Mary was a pilgrimage place for Christians. The place also attracts some Muslims who recognize Mary as the mother of one of their prophets. Every year, on August 15th a ceremony is organized to commemorate Mary’s Assumption.