Go Travel and See the World

Let’s go travel and see the world again! This time, I will let you travel in time in Turkey’s most famous sight named Ephesus. I can’t imagine I was able to walk the way where it is said to be the place where Jesus and the Apostle John had walked before. Isn’t it a great experience visiting one of the famous  sights in Turkey?

For all you know Ephesus  was an  ancient Greek city. It is located in Selçuk in Izmir Province of Turkey. It  was recognized as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

The Library of Celsus in Ephesus, Turkey. It’s been almost 4 years now since my last visit. The  façade of which has been carefully reconstructed from all original pieces, was originally built c. 125 AD in memory of Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, an Ancient Greek who served as governor of Roman Asia (105–107) in the Roman Empire.

Let me tell you how I was inspired to visit  Ephesus aside from knowing it from the Bible. Actually this was shared to me by a person who once found my blog. During the year 2010, a retired US Army soldier found my blog while searching for  a US base in Germany, where he was stationed before.  He was asking me to send him pictures of the base where he was assigned during his service in the military. We exchanged some emails and he even shared about his travel in Ephesus. He mentioned that he is not a believer  but after visiting Ephesus, his belief changed for some reasons. He told me that the ruins he witnessed and the history of Ephesus transformed him to believe in God. It is a very interesting story. I tried to dig my  inbox  years ago and this what he  shared to me.

“We went to Kusadasi, Turkey next. If you are arriving by cruise ship you do not need a visa to go there. If you are at all religiously minded this is where you will really want to visit. When Jesus died on the cross, He asked his apostle John to take care of his Mother, the Virgin Mary. John brought her to live out her last years at Ephesus, which is right outside of Kusadasi. When I walked into the small stone building that is where she lived, it was the most unbelievable feeling that I have ever felt in my whole life!! And I am not even Catholic. BUT I BELIEVE, especially now! The Greek and Roman ruins at Ephesus are unbelievable. There are more ruins in just Ephesus than there are in all of Greece. I saw where the apostle Paul preached to the Ephesians and where he was imprisoned. I saw where John was tried and exiled to a small island just of the coast of Turkey. And all of Ephesus is very well preserved because no cities were built over the ruins like they did in Greece and Italy.”

From that time on, I told myself, I will for sure visit this historic place one day. After a year, the itchy feet and the infectious disease of wanderlust was calling me to visit Turkey. I was very happy  after visiting this  historic place of  Ephesus. I can’t explain the happiness I felt after seeing the great ruins there.

It was a hot day during that visit in Ephesus but due to excitement and the eagerness to explore this very interesting place, I just ignored the heat of the sun.   I actually went with a group of German travelers during that trip in Turkey and Ephesus was one of the places we visited.

Amphitheater  of Ephesus.

“Ephesus was one of the seven churches of Asia that are cited in the Book of Revelation. The Gospel of John may have been written here. The foundation of the ancient city of Ephesus dates back to the Neolithic period, around 6000 B.C.  It contains the largest collection of Roman ruins in the eastern Mediterranean. Only an estimated 15% has been excavated.”

Getting Around in Ephesus:
The ancient site of Ephesus is seen entirely on foot. Pathways are signed clearly and easily navigated as you make your way through the archaeological site. The ruins are situated on the bank of a hill. There are two entry/exit points about 3 km apart. Toilets are available at each entry gate but not in the general site. The upper Magnesia gate is the better gate to enter, allowing you to walk downhill to and exit at the lower harbour gate. The entire ruins are easily covered on foot within two hours.

If you are visiting Turkey in the future, never miss this historical sight and experience traveling back in time! Cheers!

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