Ephesus is discovered in Selcuk, Izmir in western Turkey.
Kusadasi is 19 km . far away from Ephesus and Pamucak beach is 5 km far away from Ephesus.

Ephesus / Turkey

The original site of Ancient Ephesus was most likely established on the Aegean coast, on the shores of that sea which is today located 8 km . away from the archaeological excavations.

Over the centuries, in fact, the rubble brought on to the plain of the "Kucuk Menderes" has enlarged the alluvial plain surrounding the archaeological zone, leaving behind in actual fact the shores of the Aegean. In Roman times it was situated on the northern slopes of the hills Coressus and Pion and south of the Cayster (Kucuk Menderes) River, the silt from which has since formed a fertile plain but has caused the coastline to move ever farther west. In Roman times a sea channel was maintained with difficulty to a harbor well west of Pion. By late Byzantine times this channel had become useless, and the coast by the mid-20th century was three miles farther west.

Ephesus (Efes) is close to the town of Selcuk about an hour drive south of Izmir. Kusadasi is the nearest larger town, about 20km from Ephesus.

Location:
Ephesus was constructed on a river bend, that was eventually dredged into a full harbor near the mount of the Cayster River, on the western coast of Asia Minor (modern Turkey). Along the coastal plain between Smyrna to the north and Miletus to the south, the site is now about six miles from the Aegean Sea. The city shifted in five distinct locations over time, each within a small area. The Apostles Paul and John were familiar with the city that scholars have dubbed "Ephesus III" the largest (in area) of the five.

The areas where Ephesus located on as follows:
Ephesus I: Aya Suluk (St. John Area);
Ephesus II: Artemission area;
Ephesus III: Port of St. Paul: base of Mount Koressos;
Ephesus IV: north of Aya Suluk;
Ephesus V: Selcuk area.

Because of the man-made harbor structure and the flow of the river, a backwash flow caused the harbor to frequently silt up (by 449 BCE we already read of problems documented about the silting. Later, Eusebius records that Ephesus honoured Emperor Hadrian for dredging and making navigable the harbor). When cleared, Ephesus was in a location that justified a great seaport. The city sat at the convergence of three land routes with a shipping lane from the north via the channel created by the Island of Chios and an opening facing the cities of Macedonia.
The land routes that converged on Ephesus included:
1) The Colossae / Laodicea road (traveling east),
2) The road to Sardis and Galatia (northeast), and
3) The Smyrna (north) main road.

Population:
Some scholars estimate the number of people living at Ephesus to have exceeded 250,000 inhabitants during Ephesus III, which would make it perhaps the fourth largest of its day behind:
1) Rome;
2) Alexandria; and
3)An Antioch. This large a city was an economic stronghold in Asia Minor, and justified the title supreme metropolis of Asia though there is an evidence that its overall economic standing may have been slowly declining.

This enclosure for archaeological remains at Ephesus elegantly reconciles historic conservation with accessibility for visitors. The site of a succession of great ancient civilizations, Ephesus, on the south-west coast of modern Turkey, embodied a peculiarly fertile synthesis of architecture and culture. In 356BC the Greeks built the Artemesium (a colossal Ionic temple dedicated to Artemis the fertility goddess) which was one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. During the 2nd century BC, Ephesus was the fourth largest city in the eastern Roman Empire, famous for its Artemesium, the Library of Celsus and its medical school.
Quoted from Catherine Slessor's Housing History.

Ephesus; Ancient Greek city of Asia Minor, near the mouth of the Menderes River, in what is today West Turkey, South of Smyrna (now Izmir). One of the greatest of the Ionian cities, it became the leading seaport of the region. Its wealth was proverbial. The Greek city was near an old center of worship of a native nature goddess, who was equated with the Greek Artemis, and c.550 B.C. a large temple was built. To this Croesus, who captured the city, contributed.

From Lydian control Ephesus passed to the Persian Empire. The temple was burned down in the 4th cent. B.C., but rebuilding was begun before Alexander the Great took Ephesus in 334. The city continued to thrive during the wars of his successors, and after it passed (133) to the Romans it kept its hegemony and was the leading city of the province of Asia. The great temple of Artemis, or Artemis, called by the Romans the temple of Diana, was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World. From c.100 B.C. to c. A.D. 100 Ephesus was the world capital of the slave trade.

The city was sacked by the Goths in A.D. 262, and the temple was destroyed. The seat of a church council in 431, Ephesus was abandoned after the harbor silted up. Excavations (1869-74) of the ruins of the temple brought to light many artifacts. Later excavations uncovered important Roman and Byzantine remains.
Quoted from The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001.

In a Christian version of a widespread story, martyrs immured in a cave near Ephesus during the persecutions by Decius (c.250). Long afterward, in the 5th cent., they awoke (as from sleep) and were taken before Theodosius II, Roman emperor of the east. Their story reassured the emperor, who had been wavering in his faith. The youths returned to their cave, to sleep again until Judgment. The story, thought to be of Syrian origin, was popularized by Gregory of Tours. Feast: July 27.
Quoted from The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001.

In the year of 10 BC, Androclos, the son of King of Athens-Kodros, was searching a location for establishing a site. Androclos belonged to Akhas, was running from the Dor invasion in Greece. He was leading one of the migration convoys. It was predicted by an Apollon oracle that a fish and a boar would show the location of the new settlement. Days later, parallel to the oracle's prediction, while frying, a fish fell down from the pan, irritating a hiding boar behind the bushes. The feared boar escaped immediately. Androclos followed the boar and established the city of Ephesus, where he had killed the boar. When Androclos died in the wars with Carians, a mausoleum was built to the memory of the first king of Ephesus. The mausoleum is considered to be placed around "The Door of Magnesia".

Ephesus was ruled by the Lydian king, Kreisos, in the mid 6BC. The city reached the "Golden Age" and became a good model to the Antic World in culture and art, as well. But the inhabitants of Ephesus moved away. Because they did not like being ruled and lived in the new Ephesus that is located around the area of Artemis . As the detailed excavations have not completed yet, apart from the Artemis, the remains of that age haven't been revealed.

Later, Ephesus was dominated by Persians. As Ephesians did not join the "Ionian Rebellion" against Persians, the city was saved from destruction. The rebellion resulted in the loss of Persian. Alexander the Great won Persians and the Ionian cities got their independence in the year of 334. Ephesus was in great prosperity during the times of Alexander the Great Until the arrival of Alexander the Great, Ephesus was consisted of two governing systems, democratic and oligarchic. But the oligarchic system was violated with the coming of a new ruler, and a rebellion existed in Ephesus. The Temple of Artemis was fired and destroyed by the supporters of oligarchy in 356BC. As the temple became unusable, Alexander the Great proposed for repairing. But the Ephesians delicately refused for the reason that "A God can not built a temple for a God." An Ephesian architect, Dinocrates restored the Temple of Artemis.

After the death of Alexander the Great, Ephesus was ruled by the general of him, Lysimakhos, in 287 BC. Lysimakhos decided to change the prior location of Ephesus to further west, due to the destruction of the port by the alluviums, and the inhabitants were forced to settle in the new place named "Arsinoeina", the name of Lysimakhos' wife. The city was surrounded by wide stone walls in 10 meters height and 9 meters length. With the death of Lysimakhos, Ephesians destroyed most of the city walls. And, "Arsinoeina" was changed into "Ephesus" again, to be forgotten eternally.

Ephesus was controlled by the Romans in 190 BC. The city was given to the Bergamian kings for a time. With the death of King Attalos 3 in 133BC, the city was re-ruled by the Romans. Ephesus reached to its height and was notorious for its wealth and luxury between 1-4 AD., especially during the reign of Augustus. During the period, the population of Ephesus increased to 225 000, and the city became the capital of the new Asia. By cleaning the river Caystros from the alluviums, the great trade port of Ephesus, a gateway to foreign countries, enriched the prosperity of the city and continued to thrive with commerce and culture. The city was constructed, adding new models to the former magnificence of Ephesus. "Celsus Library" clearly exemplifies the perfecta of the era, with the delicate details of the construction.

Ephesus has played significant roles during the date, in the early Christianity, as well. The prestige of Ephesus increased with the arrival of Saint Paul, for spreading the Christianity to the Ephesians worshipping to Artemis. St. Paul and the disciplines of Christianity were strictly refused by Ephesians, elderly. With the long tiring struggles of St. Paul, Christianity was accepted by the most of the population around Ephesus. St. Paul had also sent one of his most famous letters to the church in Ephesus. Additionally, St Jean and Virgin Mary visited Ephesus and Virgin Mary settled down the Mount Bulbul, located close to Ephesus, around the years of 431 AD.

Ephesus became a state of Seljukian in the year of 1090, for a time was held by Byzantine. In 1307 Seljukians controlled the city again. However, years later, the River Caystros was silted up, leaving the site far inland. Therefore, the city of Ephesus has lost its significance, due to the development of the ports of Izmir and Kusadasi in sea-trade.

BCE

11th cent. Founded in 11th cent. according to tradition by a son of Codrus [Androklos].
1087 Ephesus was first settled by Greeks, according to tradition.

7th cent. In first half of the 7th century the Cimmerians seized Ephesus.
540 Cyrus' general Harpagus captures Ephesus.
500 All of Ionia gradually decayed after Persia conquered Lydia.
415 Ephesus associated itself with Sparta.
400 Temple was built to Artemis of the Ephesians, called the Artemision.

4th cent. For serious study one had to go to the university towns; Ephesus for medicine.
356 Artemision was burnt down again; deliberate arson by Herostratus.
334 Alexander takes Ephesus.
294 Ephesus enlarged by Lysimachus.
246 Belevi Mausoleum; Seleucid King Antiochus II Theos, died at Ephesus.

2nd cent. Ports such as Ephesus came to life; Ephesus shipped out fine Asia Minor wines.
190 Rome blockading the harbor of Ephesus under Lucius Aemilius Regillus [an idiot].
188 In Seleucid hands.
133 Prosperity began under Roman rule.
84 Survived a sack by Sulla.
57 Ptolemy XII in Ephesus waiting to be restored to Egyptian throne by Rome.
41 From Ephesus Antony proceeded to Tarsus. Cleopatra meets him there.
32 Antony and Cleopatra were at Ephesus, preparing for war.
6 Became the capital of the Roman province of Asia.

CE

52 Second missionary journey; Paul's ship stops at Ephesus; he was not allowed to visit.
53-57 The third missionary journey of Paul.
54-68 The stadium was erected in the reign of Emperor Nero.
81-97 Harbor Gymnasium and Bath neared completion in the reign of Emperor Domitian.
81-96 Temple of Domitian dedicated to the monstrous tyrant Domitian.
98-117 Theatre building was not completed until Trajan's time.
110 Celsus Library was erected.
117-138 Temple of Hadrian was dedicated to the Emperor Hadrian.
150 Vedius Gymnasim erected. Ephesus was most properous commerial centre of that time.
c.350 Ephesus entered into a second golden age which continued until c.527.
431 Shenute... accompanied Cyril to the first Council at Ephesus.
431 Councils at Ephesus in 431 & 449 CE; Egyptian viewpoint on Monophysitism accepted.
? At 3rd Council, monophysitism declared a heresy; Dioscorus was sent into exile.

St John

Celsus Library

Terrace Hoses

Ephesus Museum

Ephesus Museum

Harbor Street

Theatre

Public Toilets

Virgin Mary House

Ephesus

Agora

Fountain

Octagon

Artemis Temple