According to legends, Ephesus was founded by the tribe of the Amazons, great female warriors. The name of this city has been derived from “Apasas” meaning the “city of the Mother Goddess”. It is situated near the western shores of modern-day Turkey, where the Aegean Sea meets the former estuary of the River Kaystros, about 80 km south of Izmir, Turkey.
During the Roman era, the city was at its best, continuously dazzling and shining, but the Goths destroyed this city in 263 CE and its importance began to wane. You can find the remains that depict the past glory of this city in the museum that is occupying the heart of the city. The top attractions of this museum include two exquisitely carved Artemis statues (one from the 1st century and another from the 2nd century CE) and the Fountain of Trajan. Moreover, you cannot miss the highly detailed ivory frieze, depicting the Roman army, and the bronze statue of an Egyptian priest dating from the 6th century BCE, which showcases the city’s long history of trade with its regional neighbours.
Another attraction of Ephesus is the citadel-like basilica that once used to occupy the whole breadth of the hill it sits on and was ranked with the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople as one of the Byzantine Empire’s largest churches. According to locals, the grave of St. John is still under the church. Though initially, a mausoleum with a doomed roof was built over the grave, Emperor Justinian replaced this simple monument with a three-aisled basilica on a Latin-cross plan boasting six doomed roofs.
