Ephesus / Selcuk

It was an ancient Luwian city located three kilometers southwest of the Selçuk district of İzmir province. The city maintained its importance in the Ionian and later Roman periods with the beginning of Greek colonialism in Anatolia. Its foundation dates back to the Neolithic Age, that is, 6000 BC. It was built in the 10th century BC by Attic and Ionian Greek colonists on the site of the former Arzava capital. It was one of the twelve cities of Ionia during the classical Greek period. The city flourished after falling under the control of the Roman Republic in 129 BC.

Ephesus, which was included in the World Heritage Tentative List by UNESCO in 1994, was registered as a World Heritage Site in 2015. The city is famous for the nearby Temple of Artemis (completed around 550 BC; BC), one of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World. Among many other monumental structures are the Library of Celsus and the II. There is also the ancient theater, which was started in the time of Claudius and completed in the time of Trajan.

The city was the site of several 5th century Christian councils. The city was destroyed by the Goths in 263 and although it was rebuilt, the importance of the city as a commercial center decreased as the port was gradually wiped out by the Küçük Menderes river. The ruins of Ephesus are partially located approximately 30 km south of Adnan Menderes Airport or Kuşadası Port.