Ephesus (Ancient Greek: Ἔφεσος Ephesos, may have ultimately derived from the Hittite Apasa) was an ancient Greek city on the western coast of Anatolia, three kilometers southwest of the Selçuk district of present-day İzmir province, on the Ionian coast and later an important Roman city. Its foundation dates back to the Neolithic Age 6000 BC. It was built in the 10th century BC by Attic and Ionian Greek colonists on the site of the former capital of Arzawa.
It was one of the twelve cities of Ionia during the classical Greek period. The city flourished after falling under the control of the Roman Republic in 129 BC.
Included in the World Heritage Tentative List by UNESCO in 1994[1], Ephesus was registered as a World Heritage Site in 2015.[2]
The city is famous for the nearby Temple of Artemis (completed around 550 BC; BC), one of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World.[3] Among many other monuments are the Celsus Library and a theater that can hold 25,000 spectators.[4] Ephesus was one of the seven churches of Asia mentioned in the Book of Revelation[5] The Gospel of John may have been written here.[6]
The city was the site of several 5th century Christian councils (see First Council of Ephesus). The city was destroyed by the Goths in 263 and although it was rebuilt, the importance of the city as a commercial center decreased as the port was gradually wiped out by the Küçük Menderes river. It was partially destroyed in an earthquake in AD 614. The ruins of Ephesus are partially located approximately 30 km south of Adnan Menderes Airport or Kuşadası Port.
