Ephesus

Ephesus is in The Aegean Region of The Republic of Turkey. It is located in Selcuk town in Izmir(Symirna) Province which is the 3rd largest city of the country. It is only 72 km away from the airport in Izmir and 18 km from Kusadasi centrum.

Due to its strategic location Ephesus had a great role in the ancient times. It was established as a port at the mouth of the Cayster River and used to be the most important commercial centre due to its famous harbour. The ruins of the site are located 8km away from the Aegean coas today. Ephesus lies on a very fertile valley which has been very generous to its inhabitants throught centuries.The coastal region it lied on included the cities of Miletus, Smyrna and Pergamum also.

Ephesus city has been located at different places in different times by different peoples. The site of Ancient Ephesus that we see today which is located between Panayir and Bulbul mountains was established on the Aegean coast and was moved to this location by Lysimachus  in the 4th C BC. Later it was controlled by Pergamon eventually passing into Roman hands in 133 BC. Thus, most of the remains of the site are from the Roman period.