My World - The Ancient Ruins of Ephesus

We made our way to the archaeological site of Ephesus after our visit to the House of Virgin Mary. Ephesus is an ancient city originally built by the Greeks and expanded periodically and inhabited by the Romans. Now, it's a site of astounding ruins and reveals a lot about the rich historical past. Almost everywhere in Ephesus you see the remains of ancient buildings damaged by earthquakes and invasions in the past hundreds of years.

Getting around Ephesus is quite straight forward because all you need to do is follow a large pathway that cuts right through the middle of the street. There are ruins to explore that line on both sides of Curete Street as you walk along the way.

We spend a few hours strolling around the ruins, peering through the cracks in the doorways and climbing ancient steps. I was also surprised to learn that excavations are still underway, almost 50 per cent remained buried under layers of earth.



Before one entered a Roman city, they were required to bathe. This Roman bath consists of three sections. One is for frigidarium (cold water), while the other two are tepidarium (warm water) and caldarium (hot water).



Remains of reliefs and structures in Upper Agora



The Memmius Monument. It is located in Curete Street amongst many other great monuments.



Beautiful ruins of the Temple of Hadrian.



Looking downhill at the end of the road, you can notice the Library of Celsus, a two story facade that is the most amazing structure within Ephesus and standing on the right side of the library is Gate of Augustus. The remarkable library once held 12,000 scrolls in its walls for almost two thousand years ago.



A closer view of the intricate carvings of the library. Absolutely incredible if you imagine how long these have been standing here and for us to view today



In addition to the impressive library, we spotted a famous stone carving of the ancient Greek goddess of victory, Nike. Have you ever wondered where the name Nike came from? I was told that the shoes that athletes wear have a connection to the Greek mythology. The famous Nike "swoosh" logo, created by Carolyn Davidson in 1971, is an abstract representation of the goddess' wings.



And this is the Grand theater, capable of seating up to 25,000 people. Even now, the size of this arena is magnificent and it offers bird’s eye view of the ancient city of Ephesus. Big names such as U2, Elton John, Ray Charles, Sting, Bryan Adams and many more have have held concerts here. This theater is still used today for more modern concerts during summer. After a long day of walking, it was nice to actually have a place to sit down!



Here you can see the most important trade center of Ephesus. The commercial agora was constructed in the hellenistic period, but rebuilt several times by the Romans.

Ephesus was so much more fabulous than we anticipated. Having also visited the Acropolis of Athens somehow I was even more amazed by Ephesus. The further downhill we went, the more remarkable and incredible the surroundings were. It must have been a truly magnificent, huge city during ancient times.

PhotoHunt - Alive

Izmir, like many European cities, comes alive with a riot of multi-coloured lights when night falls. Here are a few pictures that might give you an idea of what you would see on a night walk throughout the city in Turkey.


Basmane Railway Station


Konak Square with İzmir Clock Tower and the governor's mansion in view.


Konak square


Street in Alsancak

Skywatch - Sky Blue

Here are a couple of skywatch photos captured in Florence, Italy last spring.
Dominican church of Santa Maria Novella against a blue sky.

Wordless Wednesday - Road trip to Ephesus, Turkey

My World - House of the Virgin Mary, Ephesus

A day trip to the Virgin Mary’s house was an unintended visit, but glad we decided to go at the last minute. The House is a short distance away from the ruins of Ephesus in Turkey. On the way up to the Bulbus mountain is steep and winding but leads through the dense forest with the lush greenery everywhere.

This place is considered to be the last home of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. It is widely believed that she may have come in the area together with Saint John, who spent several years in Ephesus to spread Christianity.

I found it fascinating that the house of Virgin Mary is also a sacred site for Muslims who recognised Mary as the mother of the Prophet Jesus and believe in the virgin birth. The house became a Catholic shrine in 1896.



As you follow the cobbled path up to the house, you'll be greeted by the Statue of St Mary



Empty pool near Mary's house



a lovely path in front of her house



Virgin Mary's humble House. The house has since been restored and has become a pilgrimage site.



Interior of the House of the Virgin.



It is claimed that St Mary lived her last days drinking the healing water of this fountain. Today it is still regarded as holy water and many claims that the spring water is believed to have healing properties.



When I came upon this site, I was amazed by the wall of prayers, comprised of thousands of wishes written on pieces of cloth, each prayer note left there by a visitor. It is hard not to be moved by a site that many take devotion to Virgin Mary quite seriously.


A beautiful place to visit that reflects serenity and peace and pleases the eye with the wonderful greenery surrounding it.