Travel - Visiting Ancient Roman Ruins in Ephesus, Turkey

Many years ago, I had the opportunity to visit the ruins of the ancient city of Ephesus in Turkey. St. Paul had three missions to Ephesus, establishing it as one of the three largest early Christian communities. As I traveled around Europe on that trip, the history and beauty of the ruins at Ephesus stood out among the many other Roman ruins I saw. As you come into Ephesus, you start at the top of the Marble Road, an ornate mosaic pathway that leads you down the hill.

Here's is a closeup of the mosaic marble street.

Along the road there are some structures to the right, the interior of one is pictured below.

The Romans were advanced in the use of plumbing, so I'm sure you can figure out what this stone bench was for.

There were also statues of important Roman leaders and messages from the emperor along the way as well.

This guy didn't look ancient, but he seemed right at home.

The Marble Road leads down to the ruins of the Celsus Library of Ephesus, with all that remains is a beautiful two level facade with Corinthian columns and ornate marble carvings.

The last stop on my tour was of the amphitheater, which was very impressive as you can see in the pictures below.

From here we had to head back to our port in Kusadasi. Watch out for those rug salesmen if you wander around town. You may end up with an expensive souvenir.