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Your Special Guide of The House of Virgin Mary & Ephesus Shore Excursions - Helliantus Anatolia Tours

EPHESUS KUSADASI & HOUSE OF VIRGIN MARY SHORE EXCURSIONS
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EPHESUS, THE CITY OF THE BEE,
EPHESUS, THE CITY OF THE MOTHER GODDESS, ARTEMİS-DIANA

EPHESUS - CHURCH, MOSQUE AND PAGAN TEMPLE

According to the historians Strabo and Pausanias wrıites that city was named after and Amazon queen called Apasas meant “bee” in native Anatolian spoken language of Hittites.

The first money minted in 5th Century BC in the name of Ephesus was bee figure.

It is generally accepted that in 2000 BC in sanctuary of mothergoddes Cybele who would later bee held the equal to the goddess Artemis.

According to tradition,The city found 11th century B.C. by Ionians,Founder IIEphesus was Androklos ,the son of King Kodros.

Andrakolos did as tradition,demanded, he went to the Delphic Oracle.The oracle gave him permission and also prophesied the location where he should establish the city.A fish,a fire,and a wild boar were supposed to show Androklos the place.

Andrroklos was a bit hopeUless with the prophesy,how was he to find these three odd things at the same place? So he decided with his friends to give a try.They set of in Aegean Sea, and they caught fish for their meal and Androklos and his friends were frying the fish the in hot pan.The fish was very fresh had just jumped from the pan,scattered the flames ,and set the forest fire where they planned to have their dinner.A wild boar,which had been hiding behind some bushes,was frightened by the fire beagn to run away.Remembring what the oracle had said,Androklos jumped on his horse and chesed the wild boar and discovered where he should establish his new city.The fish must have represented it must be near the sea,the land is very fertile where the wild boar feeds itself an easy way in the field.

Ephesus was conquered by the Cimmerians in the 7th century BC,by Croesus,king of Lydia,in the 6th century BC,soon after by Cyrus the Great,king of Persia.

EPHESUS

Later it was a tributary of Athens,but it sided with Sparta against Athens in the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC). Sparta ceded it to the Persians,who were driven out by Alexander the Great in 333 BC.Under this Macedonian rule Ephesus flourished,and it was briefly renamed Arsinoe.The present site,the Land gate Magnesian Gate,towards the sea and between two mountains.On the left Mount Koressos(Bülbüldag) and to the right Mount Pion (Panayirdag) The Hellenistic city was established by Lysimachos,who was one of the commander of Aleander the Great took hold of the city after Aleander`s death.Ephesus ,together with whole of Ionia (Phocaea,Samos, Chios,Miletos, Colophon,Myus, Priene, Lebedos, Teos, Clazomenae, Erythrae later Izmir-symrna) feel into hands of Lysimachos.Ephesus became the most densely populated city in Anatolia.

During the Roman Period the city rose to an initial pre-eminent position during the reign of Pergamene kings until was annexed by Rome in 133 BC.Ephesus was largest metropolis and the capital of the Asia Province of the Roman Empire.The Roman emperors visited the city and built new edifices,adding more and more fame and architectural beauty to be admired.According to Aristeides,who lived about A.D. 150.\Ephesus was the most prosperous commercial centre of that time and controlled the banking affairs of the whole of western Anatolia.

The city of Ephesus was referred to as the metropolis of Asia, i.e,. of Ionia.After a period famous in ancient history ,lasting throughout the 3rd century into a third Golden Age which continued until the Justinian era (A.D.527-565).

During the 1st century A.D. Christianity gained popularity.St Paul,St.John and Mother Mary lived in the city.Christianity was finding many many followers and Ephesus became one of the Seven Churches of Asia Minor.The Ephesians given a divine personality to the mother of Jesus.With the rapid expansion of Christianity in the area,many important and beautiful buildings came into being.The castle at Ayasoluk and the church of St.John within it.

PAUL'S MISSIONARY JOURNEYS (CLICK TO ENLARGE TOUR MAP)
PAUL'S MISSIONARY JOURNEYS (CLICK TO ENLARGE TOUR MAP)

But, with all this fame and the glory,the people of Ephesus were helpless against the mosquitoes were the last invaders of Ephesus.The threat of Malaria coming from the silted harbour forced Ephesians to leave out of this beautiful city in the mid.6th centry A.D.

2KM north of Ephesus to the fourth location where the Basilica of St.John was built.Ephesus enjoyed a further period of prosperity in the Seljuk era,during the Castle and the present day town of Selcuk now stand.

The largest and most impressive building at Ephesus is the theatre.In Roman times ,even today,the ruins of the theatre are nothing but spectacular.Work on this structure began in Hellenistic times and later enlarged.The building was not completed until Trajan`s time in the 2nd century AD.

The Celsus Library was one of the principal buildings at Ephesus and it is extremely well-preserved.According to inscriptions in Latin and Greek on the wings of the front steps,the Library was erected in 110 AD by the Consul Gaius Julius Aquilla as a dedication to his father,Gaius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus Aquila.

SPECIAL WEDDINGS IN THE EPHESUS

His is sleeping peacefully in his sarcophagus under a large niche in the vaulted superstructure.

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