Exporing where East meets West in Türkiye

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Thursday, 16 April 2026 - We began at the House of the Virgin Mary before spending most of the day exploring Ephesus, walking marble streets lined with temples, fountains, mosaics, and the towering Library of Celsus. The Terrace Houses offered a glimpse into Roman domestic life. We ended the day among the quieter Byzantine ruins of the Basilica of St. John before returning to Şirince.

turkey2026 — The day begins at the House of the Virgin Mary, set quietly on a wooded hillside above Ephesus. Tradition holds it as Mary’s final residence after being brought here by Saint John.

turkey2026 — Cal pauses to frame the small stone chapel from the garden paths below. The site is shared across Christian and Muslim traditions as a place of pilgrimage.

turkey2026 — Pilgrims gather at the Holy Water Fountain tucked into the shrine gardens. The water is believed to flow from beneath the sacred site itself.

turkey2026 — Messages and prayers cover the shrine’s wall in layers of paper and cloth. Visitors from around the world leave hopes, thanks, and quiet requests behind.

turkey2026 — Ephesus opens out just down the road, once a major Ionian city and later a Roman provincial capital. Its layered history stretches from Greek colonists to Byzantine occupation.

turkey2026 — At the base of Mount Pion, the Upper Baths rise in a series of arches. The complex once included bathing rooms, a gymnasium, and wrestling grounds.

turkey2026 — Stone and marble fragments scatter across the hillside as we move deeper into the city. Ephesus feels less like ruins and more like a landscape slowly unpacked.

turkey2026 — Marble paving leads toward a monumental arched gateway. The street still traces the spine of the ancient city.

turkey2026 — The Odeon sits carved into the slope with tiered stone seating. It functioned as both a concert hall and civic assembly space for about 1,400 people. This structure is about 2000 years old and was destroyed in the earthquake in the 7th Century AD.

turkey2026 — A single preserved arch becomes a natural photo frame for visitors. Even broken structures here still define space with precision.

turkey2026 — The site shows later layers of Christian use woven into the older city. Ephesus remained active well into the Byzantine period.

turkey2026 — The Prytaneion anchors the civic center, once home to official ceremonies and the eternal flame of Hestia. It was the administrative heart of the ancient city. The building housed a temple dedicated to Hestia, the goddess of the hearth, where high-ranking priests kept a sacred, eternal fire burning.

turkey2026 — The Temple of Domitian rises in fragments of columns and carved figures. It once marked one of the strongest imperial cult spaces in Ephesus. Sculptures on the remaining pillars depict figures of soldiers and priestesses from the Roman era.

turkey2026 — A single Corinthian capital shows the density of its carved acanthus leaves. Even small remnants carry the detail of a grand architectural language.

turkey2026 — The Memmius Monument honors Roman influence embedded into the city’s identity. The monument was erected to honor Gaius Memmius, the grandson of the Roman dictator Sulla, and commemorates his family's role in establishing Roman power in the region.

turkey2026 — Disordered column fragments lie stacked like an unsolved puzzle.

turkey2026 — The Temple of Domitian appears again in closer detail, revealing its scale and ornamentation. It was one of the major imperial structures in the city center.

turkey2026 — The Fountain of Pollio stands opposite the Temple of Domitian, once part of the city’s public water system. It reflects how civic life and monumental design overlapped here. This fountain was built and dedicated to Roman Emperor Domitian.

turkey2026 — A marble relief of Nike marks the area near Hadrianic structures. An olive wreath in her left hand, symbolizing victory and good fortune, this imagery ws a common motif in Roman civic decoration.

turkey2026 — Hermes appears guiding a ram across the stone panel while a cat rests on top. Mythological imagery and everyday life share the same space at Ephesus.

The cat was undisturbed by the hundreds of tourists passing by.

turkey2026 — The Hercules Gate features a 2nd-century bas-relief of the mythological hero Hercules wearing the skin of the Nemean Lion. Originally built in the 4th or 5th century AD, the gate narrowed the road to prevent wheeled vehicles from entering the upper city area.

turkey2026 — The ruins of the Trajan Fountain built between 102 and 114 AD, this monumental fountain was erected in honor of the Roman Emperor Trajan. The ruins were excavated in 1958 and have been partially reconstructed by archaeologists using the original surviving elements.

turkey2026 — An ancient floor mosaic found on the ground in the Terrace Houses. It features intricate geometric patterns, including concentric circles made from small stones. These mosaics often decorated the floors of municipal residences belonging to wealthy citizens.

turkey2026 — The Greek text translates roughly to a dedication honoring a woman named Eudikis for her wisdom and virtue.

turkey2026 — An intricate marble relief situated on the archway of the Temple of Hadrian. The relief features a female bust, often identified as either the goddess Tyche (the goddess of fortune and victory) or a representation of Medusa, surrounded by acanthus leaves.

turkey2026 — The Library of Celsus built in the 2nd century AD, this iconic structure was one of the largest libraries in the ancient Roman world.

We took many pictures of the library as we moved toward it through the ruins of Ephesus.

turkey2026 — We purchased tickets to view the Terrace Houses. They are covered ruins of wealthy homes in the Roman ear. This is the detail of a Roman fresco depicting an Eros (or Cupid) figure, which were common decorative themes in Roman residential art.

turkey2026 — One of the Seven Sages appears in stone relief inside the Terrace Houses. Philosophical figures were common decorative themes in elite homes.

turkey2026 — The well-preserved interiors of the Terrace Houses built for the wealthy elite of Roman Ephesus, including high-ranking officials and rich merchants. The houses are renowned for their detailed artistry, featuring vibrant wall frescoes depicting mythological scenes and complex floor mosaics.

turkey2026 — Fresco layers sit exposed beneath modern protective roofing. You can see how paint once covered entire interior walls.

turkey2026 — Huge mosaic depicting the sea god Triton (son of Poseidon) leading a Nereid (sea nymph) on a seahorse. It is believed to date from the 2nd Century AD.

turkey2026 — A flowering Judas tree grows among the ruins near the main street. Nature and archaeology share the same ground at Ephesus.

turkey2026 — The Library of Celsus was designed both as a monumental tomb for Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, a Roman Senator, and as a functioning library.

turkey2026 — Virginia Ann and Cal in front of the Library of Celsus. We asked all the people to stop going to the site while we took our picture.

turkey2026 — The interior of the Library of Celsus was likely destroyed by fire during an earthquake or a Gothic invasion in 262 AD, but the facade was carefully restored in the 1970s using original architectural elements.

turkey2026 — The sculpture in the Library of Celsus is the Statue of Sophia, which personifies wisdom. The original statue of Sophia is currently housed in the Ephesian Museum in Vienna.

turkey2026 — The Library of Celsus is an example of Roman architecture and was built to face east to capture the morning light, illuminating the reading rooms. In its prime, the library is believed to have housed roughly 12,000 to 15,000 scrolls, making it one of the largest libraries in the ancient world.

turkey2026 — The Mazeus-Mithridates Gate was built around 4–3 BC and dedicated to Emperor Augustus, his wife Livia, his son-in-law Marcus Agrippa, and his daughter Julia. It was constructed by two former slaves, Mazeus and Mithridates (see the inscription Cesar Mithridates), who were freed by Emperor Augustus.

turkey2026 — Greek inscriptions line the stone surfaces of the gate. Written language remains one of the most persistent traces of the city.

turkey2026 — We take one final look at the Library of Celsus before leaving the site. It remains the defining image of Ephesus.

turkey2026 — Ruins feature standing Corinthian-style columns, which were characteristic of the opulent architecture found in the city during its prosperity.

turkey2026 — Harbor Street was a major thoroughfare connecting the city's ancient harbor to the Great Theater, stretching approximately 500 yards in length and 30 feet in width. It was flanked by pedestrian porticoes featuring shops and was paved with marble walkways, which were illuminated by streetlamps at night—a remarkable feature for Roman times. The colonnaded road was named after Emperor Arcadius, who reigned from 395 to 408 AD.

turkey2026 — The Great Theater of Ephesus, a massive ancient Greek and Roman structure. The theater, built into the slope of Mount Pion, is renowned for being one of the largest in the ancient world, capable of seating 24,000 spectators. It was built 4th Century BC. It took 60 years to build this huge theater.

turkey2026 — The Ayasuluk Citadel was originally built in the 6th century during the Byzantine period and later expanded by the Seljuk Turks and the Ottoman Empire.

turkey2026 — This vibrant purple Rock Cress is spilling over ruins of the Basilica of St. John.

turkey2026 — A marble pillar base featuring a carved Christian cross within a circle. The Basilica of St. John was constructed in the 6th century AD by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. The cross within a circle sometimes referred to as the "cross of Saint John".

turkey2026 — Rows of columns stand where the basilica once formed a vast complex. Much of its stone was later reused in nearby construction.

turkey2026 — There are few of the ruins left as the stones and marble were used by several buildings nearby. The basilica was built in the 4th century AD over the burial site of Saint John the Evangelist. It was designed in the shape of a cross and was once covered by six massive domes.

turkey2026 — This stone marker indicates the believed burial site of Saint John the Apostle, located within the ruins of the Basilica of Saint John. Saint John is thought to have spent his final years in Ephesus. Archaeological investigations have determined the tomb itself is currently empty.

turkey2026 — The Basilica of Saint John in the shadow of Ayasuluk Citadel.

turkey2026 — This fresco consists of three panels depicting religious figures, likely angels or saints, in a Byzantine style.

turkey2026 — A tomb labeled as Thomas appears with uncertain attribution. The identity of the burial remains historically debated.

turkey2026 — The apse of the Basilica of St. John with the grave marker of Saint John surrounded by ropes.

turkey2026 — Columns stand in partial rows inside the basilica footprint. The structure once formed a vast cross-shaped church complex.

turkey2026 — A White Stork (or two) in a huge nest near the Basilica of St. John.

turkey2026 — The day ends back in Şirince, quiet in the evening light. The hillside village feels like a pause after the scale of Ephesus.

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