Marmaris is a sweet little Turkish tourist spot for the beach lovers. A lot of tourists from across the world spend their vacation here each year. A lot of people who comes to visit Marmaris also have the Ephesus tour in their bucket list. While Marmaris is an abode of natural beauty Ephesus is a spectacular place that beholds ancient heritage. If you are looking to know about the historical glory of Ephesus for the purpose of giving it a try next holiday, then this blog is specially written for you.
Firstly, you need to know why do people visiting Turkey, keeps Marmaris Ephesus Tour in their bucket list. The main reason is the distance between these two spots is 190 KM or 3 hours of journey by road. So, the two spots are a bit closer. Again, the experience of Ephesus tour varies greatly from that of Marmaris. So, why not spice things up and make the tour more enjoyable.
Now, let’s come to the main point about what Ephesus really is? Ephesus is a popular point of historical interest and a location that holds one of the largest ancient ruins of a metropolis in Turkey. This has been one of the most important ancient hubs since the second century B. C.
Several Legends say that the foundation stone of this city was laid by the female warriors from Greek Mythology known as the Amazons. But what is more acceptable to the Archaeologists is that this city was established by a Lydian king as a tribute to the goddess Artemis. As you look through the architecture of the city, you will observe heavy Greek-Roman influence. This is because this city reached its heyday in the hands of Greek and Romans.
As said earlier this city was a tribute to the Goddess Artemis, and it houses one of the most spectacular ancient temples built for Artemis. And it has been declared as a world heritage by UNESCO. You would definitely not want to miss this site while you are visiting Ephesus.
The city of Ephesus was an ancient international hub, and an important trade center, during your tour you will find these shreds of evidence in the ruins of this glorious city. Several sources infer that it took almost a century to build this city.
Besides being a great business and trade center, the city of Ephesus was also a place known for scholarly practices. The library of Celsius is a living embodiment to that claim. Built-in the Roman era this was the third largest library of the Empire, it used to hold around 12 thousand scrolls, and house a lot of Roman scholars. You will see the ruins of this library once you visit Ephesus.
Ephesus was a great place for cultural practices. It housed the great Amphitheater, which could hold around 25 thousand spectators while arranging any event. This is a great place to fetch some photos of yourselves, as a token of memento. The arena of the theater that you would be using today to fetch photos, was the battleground of numerous gladiators. You will also see a small theater known as Odeon which used to hold 1500 spectators.
You will observe marble roads, wide Agora, and beautiful ruins of the house of ancient Roman aristocrats as you take a look around the city. It will give a view that how glamorous the lives of the aristocrats of this ancient was!
Apart from these spectacular ancient infrastructures, the city of Ephesus does have religious significance too. Saint Paul lived and preached here for a long amount of time. This great Christian saint was buried in the Basilica of Saint John in this very city of Ephesus. You can give a visit to this place too.
The house of the Virgin Mary is also just 9 KM away from the main city of Ephesus, and it is also a great place to visit. Generally, the standard tour package does not include this place. But, why not visit such a significant place that is in close proximity to Ephesus?
Besides if you are familiar with the story of Seven Sleepers, who hid in a cave to avoid religious persecution, and slept for 300 years. Several religious scholars concluded that Ephesus was the city of that seven sleepers, and the cave lies just in the outskirts of the ancient city. If you feel interested in this religious legend, you can visit that cave as well.
For the stayers of Marmaris, this tour of Ephesus is a single day tour,which you can cover in a day. The journey through road is quite comfortable. Each year about 2 million tourist and enthusiasts visit Ephesus. This massive number speaks about the specialty of the trip to this city. Then why not just take a day break from Marmaris and bask in glorious past of Ephesus? This would be a great tour you will learn about a lot of things and watch with your eyes practically- the perfect study tour in the middle of a relaxing vacation.
