Ephesus
In Turkey, the oldest city of Ephesus found its place, which in the past developed very quickly due to its port near the Mediterranean. Its population reached 225,000 people. Here, in the Vl century BC, the construction of the temple began, which belongs to the seven wonders of the world. This construction of ancient people was erected in honor of the goddess of Artemis’s fertility, the worship of which, in the city of Ephesus, has been carried out since time immemorial.
Now, Ephesus – is Turkey's most visited attraction, where the ruins of the old city have survived. He arose thanks to the son of the head of the city – Androckl, who came to these lands in order to build the temple of Artemis. The city is named after his beloved named Ephesus. Thus, already in the 10th century, on the local land, just before our eyes, a city grew that everyone knew about. Due to its successful location, Ephesus has become a major port where trade routes intersected that were heading from Asia. His fame went far beyond the borders, and he became so rich and confident that the government decided not to build fortresses around.
The past, in this area, an earthquake in the III century BC. e entailed the retreat of the sea. The city, along with the port, was moved a little higher to the mountain, since the former bay turned into a swamp area. Over time, the sea continued to melt ( at the moment, the ruins of the city are located 10 km from the Mediterranean coast ) and Ephesus gradually fell into decay. During Roman rule, Ephesus also stood at the head of the province, when he was embellished by various public buildings, as well as magnificent palaces. During the conquests, Efes was ready in 262, and as a result of – for many centuries everyone forgets about him. And only in 1869 this old city was again heard, as archaeologists discovered entire quarters of the wonderful Ephesus.
Among all the excavations, one of the main attractions of ancient Ephesus is the Celsius library, which was built back in 117 BC. Here, in the tomb under the construction, its founder, who was the leader of the province of Asia - Julius Celsius, was buried. Also, a very significant archaeological find of 1870 is the Artemis Temple, which refers to the Seven Wonders of the World. Some fragments of this facility are stored in museums in Istanbul and London. This ancient city of Ephesus owns such ancient buildings as the theater-lane, Agora, the temple of Adrian, erected in the 2nd century AD, the church of Domitian, as well as a brothel and a huge theater, which accommodated 44 thousand people.
The oldest city of Ephesus is visited by tourists of the whole planet to see the wonderful architecture of antiquity, as well as to feel the spirit of the ancient world.
