Virgin Mary's House and other Ephesus, Turkey Things to Do Tips

The house of Virgin Mary enjoys a marvelous atmosphere hidden in the green. It is the place where Mary may have spent her last days. Indeed, she may have come in the area together with Saint John, who spent several years in the area to spread Christianity. Mary preferred this remote place rather than living in crowded place.
The cottage is a typical Roman architectural example, entirely made of stones. In the 4th century AD, a church, combining her house and grave, has been built. The original two-stored house, which consisted of an anteroom (where today candles are proposed), bedroom and praying room (Christian church area) and a room with fireplace (chapel for Muslims). A front kitchen fell into ruins and has been restored in 1940's. Today, only the central part and a room on the right of the altar are open to visitors. From there one can understand that this building looks more like a church than a house. Another interesting place is the "Water of Mary", a source to be found at the exit of the church area and where a rather salt water, with curative properties, can be drunk by all.
Paul VI was the first pope to visit this place in the 1960's. Later, in the 1980's, during his visit, Pope John-Paul II declared the Shrine of Virgin Mary has a pilgrimage place for Christians. It is also visited by 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.

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Address: near Selcuk Ephesus
Directions: Located on the top of the "Bulbul" mountain 9 km ahead of Ephesus

Ephesus is the best-preserved classical city on the Mediterranean,and perhaps the best place in the world to get the feeling for what life was like in Roman times. As a strategic coastal gateway to the Eastern World, this Ionian refuge grew to be the second largest city in the Roman Empire, the site of a Christian shrine, and one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

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Directions: near the modern town of Selcuk, about 50 km south of Izmir (Smyrna) in Turkey.

One of the finest structures in Ephesus, the Celsus Library has recently been restored. Raised on a high plinth, the building is approached via a broad flight of steps.
It was built by the Consul Gaius Julius Aquila in 135 AD, in honour of his father, Celsus Polemaeanus, the governor of Asia Minor. The facade is highly ornamented on two levels, and there are three main portals. Over the portals were columns and statues arranged in niches. These statues were female figures representing the virtues wisdom, fate and intellegence. Niches on the interior of the building were designed to hold books. The tomb of Celsus was placed in a crypt below the central large niche.
According to the inscription on the architrave of the building, its patron, C.Aquila, died before it was completed, and the construction was carried on by his heirs.

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This street extends from the baths to the Theatre. Originally built in the late Hellenistic Period, the street was restored during the reign of the Emperor Arcadius (395-408AD.), from whom it takes its name.
There were galleries and shops all along either side of the street, which is 530m long and 11m wide. In the centre section is a structure containing four high columns, an element of decoration which was constructed in 6AD. Along either side were gates in the form of monumental arches. Since this street extended to the harbour, it was also referred to as "Harbour Street".

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This is the Amphitheatre of Ephesus. It's still in working condition, able to hold up to 25,000 people. Supposedly this is the amphitheater where the Apostle Paul was to have a showdown with the silversmith who made Diana idols, but was imprisoned at the top of a hill instead. The prison can be see nearby.

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The ampitheatre has three cavea, each 22 rows, to which access was obtained via flights of steps between the cavea. The skene is 18m. in height and the inner facade was ornamented with reliefs, columns, blind niches, windows and decorated with statues on three levels. The semicircular orchestra, surrounded by a channel, fronted a second skene supported on columns, 2.7m in height, which was approached by flights of steps. This section of the skene was used during the Roman period.

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Since these houses are located in the town center they were obviously occupied by important people. The area is called the "Rich Houses" or "Hillside Palace". Every terrace on the stepped street was a home entrance. All were peristyle (with a small pool in the center) and the rooms were arranged around the pool. Most houses were 3-storey not higher than 20 or 25m. Columns were on all sides and the floors were marble. There was running water to the houses, either from a fountain or along the side.
In some houses there were cisterns and wells. Light came in from the open peristyle, but not enough to keep the houses from being dim, since there were no windows. The houses were lighted like the baths were. The floors were mosaic, the walls had frescoes or colored marble.
The houses were built up the first century AD and were used as late as Heraclius' time (611-641) doubtless with multiple restorations.

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To the east of the Basilica is a large structure built of cut blocks of marble known as the Baths of Varius. Built with its north and east walls carved from natural outcroppings of rock, the baths were constructed in the 2nd century AD. and restored on numerous occasions, of which the 40 metres long corridor covered with mosaics from the 5th century is in evidence. With its frigidarium, tepidarium and caldarium, and other adjacent sections, the baths covers a fairly large area.
To the south of the baths is a large public toilet from the Roman Period and other structures which were unearthed during excavations in 1969.
This structure was possibly a gymnasium and Vedia Faedrina, daughter of Vedius Antonius, one of the wealthy citizens of Ephesus, and the famous sophist P. Flavius Daminianus each had a room added to the structure. The building uderwent major alterations during the Byzantine Period.

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A peristyle house behind the Hadrian Temple is known as the brothel. It was built as part of a group of buildings, including the Baths of Scholastikia and lavatories, during the time of Trajan (98-117AD.). Its function was established with the discovery of an inscription in the lavatories. Entering from the Marble Road, a street sign in the form of a foot engraved on stone indicates its existance. A second entrance gives access from the Street of Curettes. The group of buildings of which it is a part underwent restoration in the 4th century A.D. It is a 2-storeyed building, with a large hall on the ground floor, surmounted by a number of small rooms on the floor above, although these are now ruined.
There are traces of frescos on the walls. The western hall wasa dining room, and contains a mosaic depicting the four seasons. This flanks the two main chambers of the baths. The elliptical pool contains a mosaic in the centre depicting three women drinking, a servant standing, a mouse nibbling crumbs and a cat. The statue of priapos, with outsize phallus, now on display in the Ephesus Museum, was found in a well to one end of the building.

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Next to the Hadrian temple, also on the Street of the Curettes stands this fountain, built in honour of the Emperor Trajan (98-117AD.). The partially restored pool was 20m long and 10m wide.
Originally the pool was flanked by columns and statuary. The statues are now on display in the Ephesus Museum. The facade overlooking the pool contained a colossal statue of Trajan in the centre, the feet of which remain in situ. Parts of the torso were also found during excavation. This is one of he finest monuments in Ephesus.

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