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EPHESUSEPHESUS became uninhabitable, and during the reign of the Emperor Justinian (527 -564 AD.) the inhabitants moved to the hills of Ayasoluk, where the same emperor built the basilica of St. John. The new settlement, which had been fortified, fell to the Turks in 1090.
SITES OF THE EPHESUS
If you enter the ancient city of Ephesus from the lower entrance you will first pass through a beautiful road with eucalyptus trees. Soon you'll find yourself on the Marble Sacred Street connecting the Great Theater with the Library of Celsus, the Facade of which has been fully restored. To the right of the Celcius Library an the Gate of Augustus. From the Library heading East is the Curetes Street.
While walking on the Curetes Street you will notice side walks for pedestrians paved with mosaics. On the right hand side there are narrow little streets heading to private hill houses, which are still being excavated and partially restored. On the left side of the Street there were official monuments (i.e. Temple of Hadrian), fountains and some other interesting buildings like the baths, the brothel and the public toilets. To reach them you'll have to take a small picturesque street.
Continuing up the Curetes Street you will reach, almost on the top, the Domitian Square on the right, Continuing further East you'll find yourself in the State Agora. During ancient times agora should have been full of life, little shops and people everywhere. Around the State Agora were the most important buildings of the city: the city hall, fountains, temples, baths, and Odeon e.t.c.
The Temple of Artemis is also one of the places to visit in Ephesus besides the Church of St. John. The Temple of Artemis, which had been built at first during the Archaic period (8th c. B.C.), was one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world later during the Hellenistic period and, in the year 356 B.C. when Alexander the Great was born, it was destroyed by a lunatic called Herostatus who always wanted to be remembered in the future and was reconstructed by the people of Ephesus. It has 127 ionic columns and its dimensions are 55 x 115 m. Some of the bases of the columns of the temple are ornamented with raised relief design. Today two marble statues of the goddess Artemis can be seen in the nearby museum. Some other friezes are in British Museum in London.
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