Best vacation points of interest in Ephesus right now? Located 6 miles away from Selcuk town, popular village. First inhabitance dates back first century. The early christians from Ephesus escaping from the persecutors founded the village. This was a Greek Orthodox village till 1924. Was named as “Cirkince” meaning the ugly for while. The word Kirazli is derived from the word “kiraz” which means “cherry” in Turkish. Kirazli refers to the place that has cherries. A traditional and non-touristy Turkish Village, 10 km away from Kusadasi. Surrounded with Cherry Trees, Fig Trees, Olive Groves, Tobacco Fields… We offer private tours of Ephesus with a traditional Turkish breakfast at Kirazli Village from Kusadasi. Read more details on ephesus travel blog.
Don’t miss the mammoth library (third largest in the ancient world), the well-preserved theater, the Temple of Hadrian, and the terraced houses complex. The site is huge, so many visitors find hiring a guide allows them to get the most out of their time and understand the site better. The private full-day Ephesus tour is fully customizable, so you can decide how much time you’d like to spend within the ruins and how in-depth your visit will be. You can then choose to add on whichever of the other nearby sites you’d like to explore, from touring the historic monuments of Selçuk to heading out to Meryemana. The tour includes a guide and driver at your disposal for the day and pickup and drop-off from Selçuk, Izmir, or Kuşadası.
Just one lonely column (topped by a stork’s nest) is all that remains of the Temple of Artemis, once one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Excavations carried out by archaeologist JT Wood here showed that the site was originally occupied by a stone platform on which the cult image of the goddess stood, while underneath were rooms where votive offerings were presented. The renowned gigantic marble temple of Seven Wonders fame was built in the 6th century BCE and boasted a staggering 127 columns. Although destroyed by fire and other disasters across the centuries, it was twice restored and rebuilt before finally falling into a state of complete dilapidation in the Byzantine era, when its stones began being used as a quarry for building material. The most famous major Byzantine monument that reused Temple of Artemis stone was the Hagia Sophia, where some of the temple’s columns and marble slabs can still be seen.
In my opinion, the best months to visit Ephesus are spring. Because you can also experience the lush nature of the city during these months. You can walk through this metropolis city by yourself. There is also the option of a guided walking tour to tour the city. This tour takes about 2 hours, and a fee of 12$ is paid at the entrance to the ancient city. The Library of Celsus has been ranked as the third biggest library in the Ancient World. The library was built by the Roman Empire in their golden times. Even if the certain completion year of the library is unknown, the most common date that has been told as A.C. 135. It is said that the library, named after Tiberius Celsus, a powerful Roman senator and a book lover, has 12-15 thousand scrolls of parchment. In the west wing of the library and under the ground floor there is Celsus’s tomb. Since it was not customary to be buried at the city border at that time, the burial of Celsus here is seen as a special honor.
Our professional tour guide will be waiting for you with a board your name written on, you will take your private vehicle (Brand-New VIP Mercedes) from your Hotel, Izmir or Kusadasi Cruise port and drive to Ephesus Ancient City. Also visit other highlight according to your preferences. Your guide will skip the line to buy tickets at the entrances of sites. Tour totally be planned according to your preferences and after tour you will be dropped port or anywhere you like to be dropped. See even more info at https://www.bestephesustours.com/.
The person known as Prytan was the Mayor of Ephesus. Since there are emperor and goddess statues around the Prytaneion, this palace is accepted as a sacred place. Prytaneion is the sacred place where the sacred fire of Hestia is lit, which represents the independence and sovereignty of the city in every Greek city-state. The word comes from the word prytaneis or pyrtan (the executive board of the democratic Greek city), where sacred rituals and dinner parties attended by the city’s rulers were held, and above all important decisions were made for the city government. The sacred fire of Hestia symbolizes the immortality of the city, the extinction of this fire was regarded as bad luck, Prytan’s most important task was to make sure that this sacred fire won’t blow out. With this location, it was the most important of the official buildings and the heart of the city. Besides, the official guesthouse was also within the parts of this building.