A day in Ephesus! – After a 3h30 minutes flight from London Gatwick Airport we landed in Izmir.
Our villa was one hour road journey to St John-
Our first night was just magical- being in the garden, under the starry sky, enjoying the last hours of the day.
Day 1 -After a healthy breakfast, I headed out to discover my surroundings.
A day in Ephesus- First to: – The Isa Bey Mosque
The Isa Bey Mosque was built by the Aydinids in 1375- It is of a beautiful Seljukian architecture, styled asymmetrically unlike the traditional architectural style. The Mosque is close to the Basilica of Saint John.
Secondly to: The Basilica of St John
St John basilica is an amazing sight. The Basilica was built in the sixth century. It was built as a burial place for John. However The Basilica was completely destroyed during an earthquake in the 11 century. Today a great team of archaeologists are working tirelessly to salvage as much as possible from the rubble and to rebuild the basilica. John came to Ephesus with Jesus’ mother between 37 and 48 AD. He started to preach the gospel after 67 AD.
When I saw a place where John lived, worked and is buried I became quite emotional.
The Ayusuluk Castle
Then I walked up to the Ayusuluk Castle. The Castle was also build in the 6th Century in the Byzantium period.
The most impressive part was to see the place where John, the youngest apostle apparently prayed and wrote the part of the New Testament and the Book of Revelation.
The Basilica is still a working site but is it well worth a visit.
Thirdly Ephesus-
I am not one to go down on emotional road but visiting the city of Ephesus was for me a passionate and profound visit. Ephesus was an important place for Christianity. I was walking where the apostles walked, lived and preached. It was very sentimental. Every step, every stone, every ruin, every column had a story to tell. For me the most impressive place was the amphitheaters. To see the immensity of the place, the architecture and the sound was just mind blowing.
A day in Ephesus with Paul
Somehow I tried to imagine a life or one’s life in Ephesus. But how could I? I imagined Paul standing and preaching. With words reasoning in my head, where did he stand I wonder? On the day of our visit city of Ephesus was a not very busy- did he have a crowd around him?
Apparently Paul wrote 1 Corinthian in Ephesus between 53 and 57 AD.
Where did he do his writing? At home or the market place? I tried to imagine the surroundings what would looked like in 54 AD!
The church of Mary.
So did you know there is a beautiful church build for Mary, Jesus’s mother. People often go to Mary’s house. It is said that she spent her last days a small house there. Somehow we missed the house. As we walked away from the amphitheater we then stumbled upon a magnificent church: The Church of Mary.
Ending a day in Ephesus-Askerin Yeri Piknik Restaurant near the Grotto Of The Seven Sleepers
So after this great visit, we walked to the Askerin Yeri Piknik Restaurant . A super local restaurant where we dined on Turkish pancakes and Efes beers.
In conclusion, our first full day and our visit of the famed ancient ruins of Ephesus in Turkey was memorable. Is this a place you would visit?
