Ephesus

Practically every culture that settled in Anatolia established themselves in the Ephesus area. This town is very large, once having a population of over 200,000 people. Once the fourth largest city in the Roman empire, it is the jewel in Turkey's archaeological crown. While we call Israel/Jordan the holy land, the early Christian church was primarily concentrated in Syria and Turkey, with Ephesus as a center.

We started at the Temple of Artemis, then went on to Mary's house. It is claimed that John the Evangelist took Mary to Ephesus, where she lived out her days in this house. We met a nun there who is originally from the San Francisco area, and who gave us a short talk on the house.














We then visited the ruins of St. John's church, once the largest church in all Christianity.












Ephesus has only been partially uncovered and restored. It is an excellent example of ancient architecture and design. It includes a large amphitheater and this two-story facade of a library that once contained many thousands of documents on papyrus and vellum scrolls.