The city of Ephesus was not contained to the current archaeological site or even within the city walls. It spread into the mountains around it and into the current town of Selcuk, Turkey (pronounced selchuck). This town is where the Byzantines spread during their era and later where the Ottomans built. However, it is also home to one of the older and more significant edifices, or remains, in the area, those of the Temple of Artemis.
House of the Virgin Mary
As I mentioned before, Ephesus is where Mary, the mother of Jesus, allegedly lived under the care of John during the ministry of the apostles. She didn’t live in the city. She lived up in the mountains nearby. You could hypothesize many reasons why this may have been, but privacy and safety were probably two big factors.
The location of her alleged house was unknown until the 19th century, when an expedition found the location based on the dreams and visions of a nun. Even then, only remnants could be found. The missionaries who found the site, had a chapel built on the ruined walls they found. Legend has it that Mary’s room was the small room to the side. The darker stones below the red line of bricks are the original ruins they found, so much of what you see today is just over 100 years old.
The site also has a wishing well that pilgrims may drink from to receive various blessings and answers to prayers. Three popes have visited the place and given their blessings. As to the truthfulness of whether this is where Mary lived the later years of her life, we may never really know. Many anecdotes point to it, and after visiting Ephesus and looking through the New Testament for its importance in the early church, I find it extremely likely.
Temple of Artemis
Legend has it that the Temple of Artemis was the largest ancient structure built in the classical world. Originally built in the 7th century B.C., it was rebuilt three times over about 800 years. The third iteration was so magnificent, it was listed as one of the original Seven Wonders of the World. The compiler of the list wrote this about it:
“I have set eyes on the wall of lofty Babylon on which is a road for chariots, and the statue of Zeus by the Alpheus, and the hanging gardens, and the colossus of the Sun, and the huge labour of the high pyramids, and the vast tomb of Mausolus; but when I saw the house of Artemis that mounted to the clouds, those other marvels lost their brilliancy, and I said, “Lo, apart from Olympus, the Sun never looked on aught so grand.””
Today, there is not much left. Ruins of this ancient beauty have been scattered all over. The site itself has some remnants of columns and a sort of footprint of the building. Though not much has been done recently to excavate. It is not wholly clear where exactly the temple sat or where all of its treasures are.
Two of the original columns supporting the 18 meter tall building are nearby in the mosque. Others were removed to Istanbul and used in the Hagia Sophia. Some of the treasures are in the British Museum. Its final destruction came at the hands of the Goths when they attacked Ephesus. However, there is also an apocryphal account of John exorcising the temple when the altar split and part of the building collapsed. Either way, today this wonder is just an imagination.
Isabey Mosque
From the ruins of the Temple of Artemis, you can see a rather plain looking mosque from the 14th century. That is where two of the temple’s columns are being used today. Like many other buildings in the area, earthquakes had damaged the mosque, but it has been restored. An active mosque, this is a good place to visit. Not only can you see the columns inside, it demonstrates a different style of mosque to those you would see in Istanbul. It is much simpler but still beautiful. Its courtyard feels ancient and has a lovely collection of stone grave markers or monuments. They are intricately carved with calligraphy and floral motifs.
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- Isabey Mosque behind a Turkish Bath from the same era
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- one of two columns from the Temple of Artemis
Other Sites
The city of Selcuk also has the ruins of the Basilica of Saint Mary and Saint John, the alleged site of the Apostle John’s tomb, and an Ottoman era fort. We only saw these from a far, but I would love to go back and explore them more just as I would love to revisit and spend more time at Ephesus.
