Day 6 - Ephesus

It’s hard to overstate the importance of Ephesus.

In ancient times it was the center of goddess worship and the temple to Artemis was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, twice the size of the Pantheon on the Athens acropolis!

In the Roman world, Ephesus was a center for culture, trade, and banking and attracted people from all over the empire. The Apostle Paul lived and taught here for over two years. The Apostle John came after Paul and lived here until his death (less a few years on Patmos).

When Christianity swept through the Roman world, Ephesus took a leading role and soon became a site for some of the churches most important ecumenical councils. Here, one of the first church’s dedicated to the Virgin Mary was built.

Today, Ephesus is said by many to be the most important and impressive ancient ruins in the world. You will be amazed at Ephesus.

We start our day to visiting the town of Miletus. Like Ephesus, Miletus was an important coastal port and a wealthy city. It was here that one of the most touching events in the book of Acts occurred: Paul’s farewell to the Elders of Ephesus.

Acts 20 "From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. When they arrived, he said to them: "You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia…. Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. …Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified."

Here, we’ll see the well preserved ruins of the main port and town and remember Paul’s words to his brothers and sisters who he knows he will never see again, along with some interesting graffiti in the theater. Thanks to Dr Carl Rasmussen (www.HolyLandPhotos.org) for this picture.

We’ll return to Ephesus and begin our visit at the top of the hill. Strolling down the main city street, we’ll see the upper district of council buildings, temples, and even the temple of Domitian that may have led to John’s exile.

In the lower city, we’ll visit the Celsus library, the most unique bathroom you have even been in, the marketplace, the amazing theater, and …even a house of ill repute!

Following Ephesus, we’ll head into the village of Selcuk just a mile away. We’ll stop and see there the Temple of Atremis once stood, then head to the Ephesus Museum to see of the amazing finds from the Ephesus excavations.
Finally, we head to a hill to visit the ruins of a huge Byzantine church that was build over what is believed to be the grave of the Apostle John. This is a great location to see the countryside (and to look for storks).


We’ll spend the night in Selcuk.