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.
How did Timothy die? Paul's companion and the first bishop of Ephesus was, by tradition, killed at the masked Katagogia festival around 97 AD. His life, the Acts of Timothy, the festival of Dionysus, his relics and the places you can still see in Ephesus.
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.
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…
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…
Almost a decade of Paul's life belongs to this coast. Let me walk you through Paul's second visit to Asia Minor — the redirects, the Ephesus years, and the goodbye at Miletus.
After twenty years of guiding, here is the orientation I wish every first-time visitor had read on the flight over — my beginner's guide to Christian Turkey.
Caesarea to Rome by sea, with three stops on Turkish soil. Let me walk you through Paul's voyage to Rome — the harbours, the storm, and the shipwreck off Malta.
Ancient Smyrna sleeps under modern Izmir, and the region around it is packed with apostolic history. Here are my top 10 Christian sites in Izmir and nearby.
How does an old man on a Roman prison island write one of the most complex books ever? Let me walk you through how John wrote Revelation on Patmos — cave, scribe, and all.
In the hot summer of 431, two hundred bishops gathered in Ephesus and named Mary Theotokos. Let me walk you through the Council of Ephesus, and the church where it all happened.
The first of the seven letters goes to the church I know best, just twenty minutes from my door. Let me walk you through the letter to the church of Ephesus, line by line.
Thyatira has the least to see and the longest letter of the seven. Let me show you why the church of Thyatira mattered so much — guilds, Lydia, and all.
By Hasan Gülday — Licensed Professional Tour Guide, Smyrna / Ephesus / Kusadasi When my pilgrim guests walk with me through the marble streets of Ephesus, or stand…
Saint Polycarp of Smyrna, disciple of the Apostle John and bishop of ancient İzmir, was burned in the stadium of his city. The full story of his arrest, trial and martyrdom from the Martyrdom of Polycarp, and where to remember him in İzmir today, from a licensed local guide.
Polycrates of Ephesus was the bishop of Ephesus in the late second century AD and one of the most important Christian leaders of Asia Minor of his day. He is remembered above all for a single bold act: when the bishop of Rome tried to force every church to celebrate Easter on a Sunday, Polycrates wrote a fearless letter defending the ancient tradition of Asia — a tradition he traced all the way back to the apostles John and Philip, who lay buried in his own region. His stand is one of the most revealing episodes in the early history of the Church.
The story of the early Christian martyrs is rarely as simple as it sounds. Let me walk you through the real persecution of early Christians in Asia Minor — site by site.
Why these seven cities, and why in this order? The answer is a road. Let me walk you through the seven churches of Revelation, the way the first messenger did.
Cities visited by Apostle Paul in Turkey: 17 stops from Tarsus to Ephesus, Miletus and Myra, and the ruins you can still stand in today.
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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.
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.
Jethro Tull played the Ephesus Ancient Theater on July 15, 1991, and the concert can still be watched on video.
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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