ITINERARY

• Ephesus, was the second largest city in the Roman Empire over 250.000 people in the 1st BC. Ranking only behind Rome it was the second largest city in the world. Ephesus was the harbour city. This giant city was built only with marbel. Did you know Ephesus had a largest amphitheater in the ancient world over 25.000 seats? Also see Goddess Nike, Local pharmacy, Hadrian Gate, Library of Celcius (the third largest library), Marbel Street, Harbour Street.
• The House of Virgin Mary, is a place where according to the beliefs of many people Mary, the mother of Jesus, spent her last years of her life. She was supposed to arrive at Ephesus together with St. John and lived there in the years 37-45 CE until her Assumption or Dormition.
• Terraced Houses, are located on the hill, opposite the Hadrian Temple. Also called as “the houses of rich”, important for the reason give us about family life during the Roman period. They were built according to Hippodamian plan of the city in which roads transected each other of right angels.
• St. John Basilica, was a basilica in Ephesus. It was constructed by Justinian I in the 6th Century. It stands over the believed burial site of John the Apostle. It was modeled after the now last Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople.
• Temple of Hadrian is one of the best preserved and most beautiful structures on Curetes Street. It was built before 138 A.D by P. Quintilius and was dedicated to the Emperor Hadrian, who came to visit the city from Athens in 128 A.D The facade of the temple has four Corinthian columns supporting a curved arch, in the middle of which contains a relief of Tyche, goddess of victory. The side columns are square. Inside the Hadrian Temple above the door, a human figure, probably Medusa stands with ornaments of acanthus leaves. On both sides there are friezes depicting the story of the foundation of Ephesus - Androklos shooting a boar, Dionysus in ceremonial procession and the Amazons. The fourth frieze portrays two male figures, one of which is Apollo; Athena, goddess of the moon; a female figure, Androkles, Herakles, the wife and son of Theodosius and the goddess Athena.
• Hercules Gate located towards the end of the Curetes Street, it was called the Hercules gate because of the relief of Hercules on it. It was brought from another place in the fourth century AD to its current place, but the relief on it dates back to the second century AD. Only the two side of the columns remain today and the other parts of it have not been found. The relief of the flying Nike in the Domitian Square is thought to also be a part of this gate. The Heracles Gate narrowed the access to the street, preventing the passage of vehicles.We can understand that from the Fourth Century, the street had become a pedestrian area. In these reliefs Heracles was depicting with the skin of the Nemean lion in myhtology. The Nemean lion had been terrorizing the area around Nemea, and had a skin so thick that it was impossible to kill it. Finally he wrestled the lion to the ground, eventually killing it by thrusting his arm down its throat and choking it to death.
• It is one of the three main streets of Ephesus between The Hercules Gate till to the Celsus Library.This street took its name from the priests who were called as Curetes later.Their names were written in Prytaneion. There were fountains, monuments, statues and shops on the sides of the street. The shops on the south side were two-storied. Ephesus had many earthquakes, in which many structures including the Curetes Street were damaged. These damages especially on the columns were restored by the new ones, but after the earthquake in the 4th century, the columns were replaced by the other ones brought from different buildings in the city. There were also many houses on the slope.These were used by the rich of Ephesians.Under the houses there were colonnaded galleries with mosaics on the floor were located in front of the shops with a roof to protect the pedestrians from sun or rain.