183 articles by a licensed guide
Ephesus is the best-preserved ancient city in the Mediterranean, and after guiding thousands of visitors through its marble streets, I can tell you it rewards curiosity like nowhere else on earth. My name is Hasan Gülday, I am a nationally licensed tour guide living in Kuşadası, just twenty minutes from the ruins, and this category gathers everything I have written about the city I know best.
The priests of Artemis at Ephesus were led by a high priest called the Megabyzos, with Essenes and virgin priestesses beside him. Persian traces in the cult, the priestesses of Roman times and Aristarche, who took Artemis to Marseille.
Mazaeus and Mithridates were two freed slaves who paid for the triple gate beside the Library of Celsus in Ephesus: who they were, what the inscription says and where you see the gate today.
Who lived in the Terrace Houses of Ephesus? Rich families, among them the Dionysus priest Furius Aptus, and what their homes had: marble halls, household shrines, running water, costly red paint and glass windows.
Did Mary live in Ephesus? A licensed guide from Kuşadası weighs the evidence: the promise from the cross in John 19, John's years in Ephesus, the older Jerusalem tomb tradition, the unfinished sentence of the Council of 431, the archaeology of the house and the local tradition of Şirince.
Ancient amulets of Ephesus: the phallus charm, bronze bells, the evil eye, the bee of Artemis and the Ephesian Letters, and what you can still see in the Ephesus Museum.
The two 19th-century churches of Şirince, Saint John the Baptist (1805) and Saint Demetrius: when they were built, the restoration, what you see today, and the village's houses and fruit wine, 8 km from Selçuk.
The Belevi Mausoleum is a huge Hellenistic tomb about 14 kilometers from Selçuk, the second largest in Anatolia after Halicarnassus. Who was probably buried in it, what it looked like, the Belevi Tumulus nearby, and how to see it today.
The East Gymnasium of Ephesus is a 2nd-century Roman bath and exercise complex next to the Magnesian Gate, one of four bath-gymnasiums of the city. What it was, who probably paid for it, and what you can see today.
The church of Ephesus grew from a house church of Priscilla and Aquila into the mother church of Asia. Its founders, Timothy and John, Ignatius' letter, the councils of 431 and 449 and the ruins you can visit today, from a licensed guide in Ephesus.
Shakespeare's shortest play happens in Ephesus in one day. Why he moved it here from Plautus's Epidamnus, and which real Ephesian stories, from Acts 19 to Diana's temple, live inside it.
My Ephesus self-guided walking tour, eight stops from the Odeon to Harbor Street, is now a free guide plan in Navly on Apple Maps. Open it on iPhone or in any browser.
Yes, Ephesus is worth visiting for most people; a licensed local guide explains honestly when it disappoints and how to make sure it is worth it for you.
Yes, you can visit Ephesus with a wheelchair, a walker or limited mobility, but you should plan for a part of the city, not for the whole Ephesus. The lower section around the Library of Celsus, the Marble Road and the Grand Theater is mostly flat, and wheelchairs can be borrowed on the entrance of Ephesus. The upper part, Curetes Street, is a sloping marble street and it is the hardest stretch. The Terrace Houses have many stairs inside, so they are not possible with a wheelchair. With the right route and a slow pace, Ephesus is still a wonderful day.
Ephesus works well with kids if you plan around the summer heat, the slippery marble and the 2 kilometers between the two gates.
The best time to visit Ephesus is April, May, late September and October. In these months the weather is warm but comfortable, the marble streets are calmer, and…
Ephesus is beside Selçuk town: about an hour from İzmir Airport by train or car, 30 minutes from Kuşadası, and a short flight plus a drive from Istanbul.
Ephesus upper gate or lower gate? Most guided tours start at the upper gate, because the whole route then runs downhill and ends at the lower gate about…
How long do you need at Ephesus? Plan two to four hours inside the ancient city. The classic downhill walk from the Upper Gate to the Lower Gate…
Do you need a guide at Ephesus? No. Anyone with a ticket can walk the site alone, and the main monuments have signs in Turkish and English. A…
A footprint, a woman's head and a purse cut into the marble beside the Library of Celsus. What the carvings really mean, whether there was a brothel, and the truth about that secret tunnel.
How to get from the Kusadasi cruise port to Ephesus: the distance, the time you need, four ways to go, and a Christian cruise day with the House of the Virgin Mary and Saint John.
The Ephesus entry ticket price is €40 per adult in 2026, charged in Turkish lira at the daily rate. It covers the ancient city and the Ephesus Experience…
How the Library of Celsus in Ephesus was dug out in 1903 and 1904, rebuilt between 1970 and 1978, and repaired again in 2024.
Two emperors named Theodosius shaped Ephesus: the grandfather ended the old temple worship by law, and his grandson called the Council of 431.
Who was Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus? Meet the Greek-born Roman senator and proconsul of Asia for whom the Library of Celsus in Ephesus was built.
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Ten short stories set the real Library of Celsus in Ephesus inside worlds like The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars and Dune, each with its own picture.
How to say Ephesus in English and Efes in Turkish, why the name has a "ph", and how to pronounce Ephesian, Selçuk, Kuşadası and Şirince.
Asiatic Vespers of Ephesus, Ephesus History, Mithridates VI, Temple of Artemis, Roman Province of Asia, Ephesus Tour Guide
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The skull found in the Octagon of Ephesus, once linked to Cleopatra's sister Arsinoe IV, belonged to a boy of 11 to 14. Read the story of the Octagon tomb.
Ephesus had a record 2,626,753 visitors in 2024. See the growth since 2020, the night visits and the figures for 2025 and 2026.
Ephesian coins in chronological order begin with electrum coins of the 7th century BC. After them come silver coins with a bee or a deer, Persian and Hellenistic…
Tale of Cleopatra in Ephesus, Cleopatra and Marc Anthony in Ephesus, reasons of Cleopatra's visit to Ephesus, Ephesus and Egypt relations, Arsinoe Egypt Ephesus
The Temple of Domitian in Ephesus, also called the Temple of the Sebastoi, made Ephesus neokoros, the temple warden of the emperors. Its vaulted terrace, the colossal head in the Ephesus Museum, the stones recut after Domitian's murder and how it differs from the Temple of Hadrian, from a licensed guide in Ephesus.
A short list of the ten turning points in Ephesus history, from the Ionian Greek founding and the Temple of Artemis to Roman rule, early Christianity and the digs.
Androclos is the legendary founder of Ephesus, a prince of Athens who followed the oracle of Delphi, a fish and a wild boar, to the site of the city around 1000 BC.
Demeas of Ephesus lived in Ephesus in the 5th century. We don't know a great deal about his life, but he is the one who left a memorable monument in the center of Ephesus. Demeas was the one who ordered the destruction of the Artemis statue which stood in front of the Celsus Library and erected a monument which honors the Christian community and the Christian triumph in Ephesus.
The Hercules Gate is a late Roman gate with two relief pillars on Curetes Street in Ephesus, named after its carvings of Hercules and the Nemean lion.
Ephesus and Snake Symbol, Rod of Asclepius in Ephesus, Ephesus Snake Symbol Meaning, Caduceus myth in Ephesus, Ephesus Hospital, Ephesus Medicine, tour guide Ephesus
Ephesus theater acoustics explained: how the curved seats, the steep slope and a three-story stage building carried the voice, and how you can test it.
Ephesus opening hours for winter 2026-27: the ancient city, Terrace Houses, Ephesus Museum and Basilica of Saint John, from the Ministry list.
Ray Charles sang in the Great Theater of Ephesus on July 7, 1987, at the very first International Izmir Festival.
Jethro Tull played the Ephesus Ancient Theater on July 15, 1991, and the concert can still be watched on video.
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The Izmir State Symphony Orchestra and violinist Andres Gabetta played Vivaldi's Four Seasons at night in front of the Library of Celsus in Ephesus.
Library of Celsus in Ephesus Ancient City of Turkey is one of the most outstanding artifacts to survive into our world today. The library was once one of the biggest libraries of the Roman Empire and world. The library was reconstructed in a very loyal to its original form. Today, you can visit Ephesus and see the beauty of this library with your own eyes.
I completed the Tour Guide Excellence International Certification by Aquila, a training program for guides who work with cruise lines and international visitors.
A short look at the etrog, the citron of Sukkot, and the faint carvings in Ephesus that point to a Jewish community in the ancient city.
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Here you will find my articles on the great landmarks — the Library of Celsus with its two-storey façade that appears on every postcard of Turkey, the Great Theatre where twenty-four thousand people once watched performances and where St. Paul’s companions faced an angry crowd, and the Terrace Houses, whose frescoes and mosaics show how wealthy Ephesians actually lived. I also write about the quieter corners most visitors walk past: the inscriptions, the hidden symbols carved into the marble, the Temple of Artemis that was once a wonder of the ancient world, and the House of the Virgin Mary on the mountain above the city.
Some posts answer practical questions — how much time you need, which gate to enter from, what the site is like in summer heat. Others go deep into the archaeology and the stories, because I believe stones only become interesting when someone explains the lives behind them. That is what a licensed local guide is for, and it is what I have devoted my working life to.
Browse these articles before your visit and Ephesus will already feel familiar when you arrive. And if you would like to walk these streets with someone who has studied them for decades, I would be honoured to be your personal guide in Ephesus — you can contact me any time to arrange a day of guiding together.
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