Temple of Artemis in Ephesus is an ancient temple located in the Selçuk district of İzmir. Artemis Temple is one of the 7 Wonders of the World. For the first time, Greek Sidon made the list of 7 wonders of the world. This list includes the Pyramid of Cheops, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Statue of Zeus in Olympia, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, and the Mausoleum Halicarnassus and the Colossus of Rhodes, apart from the Ephesus Artemis Temple. By comparing the Ephesus Artemis Temple’s value with other artifacts on the list, we can understand how valuable archaeological remains. Due to this reason, Unesco protects the Ephesus Artemis Temple. Although the Ephesus Artemis Temple is the first temple made entirely of marble, we can only see two marble columns in the Temple of Artemis. However, there were 127 columns with a height of 17 meters in Ephesus Artemis Temple.
The history of the Temple of Artemis
Greek architect Chersphron designed the Temple of Artemis by the Lydian King Croesus to pay homage to the goddess Artemis. Ephesus Artemis Temple’s construction period took more than 100 years, but in 550 BC, only the Lydians finished it. The Ephesus Artemis Temple consists of 127 marble columns with a height of 17 meters. Ephesus Artemis Temple is the first temple made entirely of marble. Besides, there are many bronzes and marble sculptures in the Temple of Artemis. Unfortunately, we can only read this information from ancient books because now we can only see two marble columns in the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus. We see the Temple of Artemis in this state today when Herostratus burned the Temple of Artemis in 356 BC, and the people gradually plundered the Temple of Artemis.
Places Around Ephesus Artemis Temple
We call it Ephesus Artemis Temple, but the Artemis Temple is not in Ephesus Ancient City. Don’t worry, the Temple of Artemis is 20-25 minutes walking distance to the entrance to the ancient city of Ephesus. You can see the Celsus Library, one of the Ancient World’s most extensive libraries, in Ephesus’s Ancient City. One of the valuable and magnificent ancient theaters awaits its visitors in the ancient city of Ephesus. For more works on the history of Ephesus, you can visit the Ephesus museum. You can also visit the Virgin Mary’s house, where she spent her last days after the Ephesus Ancient City tour. A few years after Jesus’ death, the Virgin Mary spent the last remaining years of her life in this house. We do not know the Virgin Mary’s tomb’s exact location, but according to one theory, the Virgin Mary’s grave is on the Bülbül Mountain in this region.
Read more on: places to visit in Selcuk.
Another place you can visit within 15-20 minutes walking distance from the Temple of Artemis is St. John Church. St. John is one of the most important characters of Christianity and one of the 12 apostles of Jesus. After the death of Jesus, for the Virgin Mary‘s safety, she brought Virgin Mary to Ephesus, and she lived here for the rest of her life. Roman Emperor Justinianus built the church of St. John on the tomb of St. John. There are only archaeological remains of this church at the moment. Although it does not have a roof, you can see many marble columns and some walls. Just above St. John’s church is the Selçuk Castle. After the Romans built this castle, the Ottomans protected this castle and used it. That’s why you can see the intact castle walls and the ruins of the Ottoman Palace.
How Can I Go To Ephesus Artemis Temple In Selcuk İzmir?
To go to Artemis Temple, you must first go to the city of Selcuk. There are many various ways to get to the Selçuk district. The most common public vehicle of İzmir is Izban trains. You can go to many places in Izmir with Izban. Of course, there is an Izban train stop at Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport. If you come to Izmir by plane, you can go to Selcuk by the Izban train. After arriving at Selcuk Izban stop, you can reach Artemis Temple by walking for 15-20 minutes. If you come to Izmir by bus, you can directly take minibusses from Izmir Bus Terminal to Selcuk Bus Terminal. You can also reach the Ephesus Artemis Temple by walking for 15-20 minutes from the Selçuk Bus Terminal. Do not be afraid to get lost while walking the Izmir streets because many tourist groups in Selçuk reach many historical places by following the tourist groups.
Another way is to come to Izmir by personal vehicle. You have the opportunity to rent a car directly from Izmir airport. You can reach Selçuk district by following the Kuşadası and Selçuk signs on the way to Selçuk Direction from İzmir. Another option is you can quickly get the Ephesus Artemis Temple using google maps. You can find many significant places in Izmir city using google maps.
Visiting Hours of the temple of Artemis
There is no security guard in the Artemis Temple. Therefore, visiting hours to Ephesus Artemis Temple is quite flexible, and there is no exact time interval. You do not need to pay the price to see the Ephesus Artemis Temple. Apart from the Temple of Artemis, you need to get a museum card for the Ephesus Ancient City, the Church of St. John, and the Ephesus Museum. For Turkish citizens, the museum pass is 60 Turkish lira. There are two different options for foreign Tourists. The first option is that you can buy Museum Pass Turkey. Museum Pass Turkey is the 550 Turkish lira. With Museum Pass Turkey for fifteen days, you can visit all the museums depending on Turkey’s Ministry of Culture. As a second option, you can get Museum Pass Aegean. Museum Pass Aegean is 325 Turkish lira. With Museum Pass Aegean for seven days, you can visit all museums depending on the Ministry of Culture in İzmir, Aydın, Muğla, and Denizli. If you are planning a trip only to Izmir, Museum Pass Aegean is a more economical option.
