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 Through
the colourful town of Kusadasi, drive along the coast and into
the verdant countryside to reach.
Ephesus, famous in antiquity for its Temple of Artemis - one
of the seven wonders of the ancient world - and later the home
of St. John. During the years of the Roman Empire, the Greek
port of Ephesus became the greatest city in Asia Minor.
Upon
arrival at Ephesus, leave your motor coach and follow your
guide, to enter this amazing ancient city through the Magnesian
Gate. Here, discover innumerable monuments including the Forum,
the Odeon, the Library of Celsus, the Thermal Baths of
Scolastika and the Great Theatre of Antiquity built in the Greek
era and reconstructed in the Roman period, which is still noted
for its remarkable acoustics.
View
the symbols all around and marvel at the fact that one is still
able to read the inscriptions in the ancient Greek language.
Walk back to your motor coach along the Arcadian Way, where once
Mark Antony and Cleopatra rode in procession. As you drive back
to Kusadasi, on a hill above Selcuk, just outside Ephesus, view
the Basilica of St. John, which was erected over his grave in
the 6th Century AD by the Emperor Justinian.
Just
downhill, lies the site of the famous Temple of Artemis (Diana),
one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, today in ruins.
For the people who actually visited it, the answer was simple.
It was not just a temple... It was the most beautiful structure
on earth... described
by Philon
of Byzantium: I have seen the walls and Hanging Gardens of ancient Babylon, the statue
of Olympian Zeus, the Colossus of Rhodes, the mighty work of the
high Pyramids and the tomb of Mausolus. But when I saw the
temple at Ephesus rising to the clouds, all these other wonders
were put in the shade.
Before
returning to the ship, enjoy free time in Kusadasi to shop for
every conceivable item, such as carpets, jewellery, local
souvenirs, leather goods and Turkish delights.
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