Efes

From mound to harbour city

Ephesus's settlement history reaches from Çukuriçi Mound to Selçuk. As river-borne sediment pushed the coast westward, the city and its harbours moved to new locations in different eras.

Market, house, theatre

The Roman Library of Celsus, great theatre and terrace houses show public spectacle and elite daily life along one urban spine. Reducing Ephesus to these monuments, however, loses its links with harbour and surrounding settlements.

From Artemis to pilgrimage routes

The sanctuary of Artemis drew visitors from the ancient Mediterranean; in late antiquity the Church of Mary and St John Basilica on Ayasuluk formed a new pilgrimage geography.

Visiting through a changing shore

UNESCO's management framework joins conservation with visitor management. The most rewarding reading of Ephesus connects its streets to the retreating shore and surrounding sanctuaries.

Research and management

UNESCO points to an action plan intended to bring research and conservation findings into management, education and interpretation.

Connected stops

• Smyrna
• Teos
• Miletos

Stories that include this stop

• The memory of a harbour: Smyrna
• A peninsula of oracle and production

Sources

• UNESCO · Ephesus