Ancient Ephesus. Turkey and the ancient civilizations

If you look at the map, then, of course, think that there is such a city - Ephesus. Turkey is a popular destination, and it is one of the resorts visited by tourists. In fact, this is a huge archaeological site. It is a city of myths and imaginations. Open-air museum. Many more nicknames were given to him by scientists and lovers of antiquity. But, probably, the most famous building in it (which, by the way, was not preserved) is the temple of Artemis of Ephesus. The one whose admirers argued with St. Paul, and then fell out of favor with the Christian emperors. Yes, such that this miracle of the world was destroyed by the decree of the ruler. And there was only one column left from him.

The ancient city of Ephesus (Turkey), as already mentioned above, is the offspring of archaeologists. In this country a huge number of ancient Roman and Byzantine cities, which gradually acquire their original appearance thanks to scientists. Ephesus is one of them. This huge museum can be accessed in two ways, since it has upper and lower entrances. But the best way to do this is to go down the mountain. On transport, you can get here if you have a car or organized an excursion. Ephesus (Turkey) - in itself is a settlement, and the nearest town near it is Selcuk. There are buses and trains. But the next four kilometers you need to walk. Well, or hitchhiking - in Turkey this is not a problem.

The archaeological complex of Ephesus (Turkey) is in fact the largest in almost the whole Mediterranean museum of this type. However, at the same time, researchers have excavated no more than fifteen percent of the territory of this ancient city. But what comes before our eyes, speaks about how magnificent and magnificent was the civilization that created it. One of the most beautiful buildings, discovered by archaeologists, is the so-called library of Celsius. This building is unique in that it is not only a collection of books and manuscripts, but also a tomb of the Roman governor. He ruled the entire province of Asia, and was buried in the city of Ephesus. Turkey (or rather, its present territory) was then part of the Roman Empire. And the governor of the province, who lived here, had 12,000 books and was considered the owner of the world's third largest library.

Among the partially preserved churches there are two dedicated to the emperors - Adrian and Domitian. The first of these is the iconic structure of Ephesus, and its ruins are even depicted on Turkish money. There are so many attractions that one list would take several pages. The indoor (Odeon) and the open theater (the latter was considered the largest in the whole ancient world and accommodated up to 40 thousand people), streets under marble porticoes and squares, villas with frescoes and mosaics, the temple of Hecate and the gate of Hercules and even a brothel with a path to it A sign - all this can be seen by visitors to the museum-city of Ephesus.

Turkey is a Muslim country, but there are a lot of Christian shrines on its territory. Ephesus is one such place. Firstly, not far from the ancient city, on Ayasoluk Hill, there is a grave, which is considered the last earthly refuge of the Apostle John. Even under the Byzantine emperor Justinian, a basilica was built around it. Now from it there were ruins, because it was destroyed by an earthquake. And a few kilometers from Ephesus, tourists are shown the house where the Mother of God lived after the death of her Son on the cross. Muslims also revere this place, after all, according to their faith, Miriam (this is the Arabic version of the name Maria) gave birth to the Prophet Isa ... Here in the place of this house is a temple where pilgrims come adherents of both religions.