IZMIR

İzmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia and the third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara

İzmir’s metropolitan area extends along the outlying waters of the Gulf of İzmir

The city of İzmir is composed of several metropolitan districts. Of these, Konak district corresponds to historical İzmir, this district’s area having constituted the “İzmir Municipality” (Turkish: İzmir Belediyesi) area until 1984, Konak until then having been a name for a central neighborhood around Konak Square, still the core of the city

 kusadasi

Kuşadası is a resort town on Turkey’s Aegean coast and  lies at a distance of 95 km (59 mi) to the south from the region’s largest metropolitan center of Izmir

Its primary industry is tourism

 ephesus

basilica

Ephesus was an ancient Greek city on the coast of Ionia, three kilometers southwest of present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province

It was built in the 10th century BC on the site of the former Arzawan capital by Attic and Ionian Greek colonists. During the Classical Greek era it was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League. The city flourished after it came under the control of the Roman Republic in 129 BC.

According to estimates Ephesus had a population of 33,600 to 56,000 people in the Roman period, making it the third largest city of Roman Asia Minor after Sardis and Alexandria Troas

The city was famed for the Temple of Artemis (completed around 550 BC), one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. In 268 AD, the Temple was destroyed or damaged in a raid by the Goths.

It may have been rebuilt or repaired but this is uncertain, as its later history is not clear. Emperor Constantine I rebuilt much of the city and erected new public baths.

Ephesus was one of the seven churches of Asia that are cited in the Book of Revelation.

Ephesus contains the largest collection of Roman ruins in the eastern Mediterranean. Only an estimated 15% has been excavated.

The ruins that are visible give some idea of the city’s original splendor, and the names associated with the ruins are evocative of its former life.

The theater dominates the view down Harbor Street, which leads to the silted-up harbor

The Gospel of John may have been written here. The city was the site of several 5th-century Christian Councils, (see Council of Ephesus). It is also the site of a large gladiators’ graveyard.

The ruins of Ephesus are a favorite international and local tourist attraction, partly owing to their easy access from Adnan Menderes Airport.

 ephesus museum

The Ephesus Archaeological Museum (Turkish: Efes Müzesi) is an archaeological museum in Selçuk near İzmir

It houses finds from the nearby Ephesus excavation site. Its best-known exhibit is the statue of Artemis retrieved from the temple of the goddess in Ephesus

text taken from wikipedia