Day 05 - Ephesus, Ephesus Museum, St. John's Basilica, Free Time

Today was a much anticipated day for the trip. Today we visited the ruins of the City of Ephesus. 

Leaving early in the morning, we drove towards the ruins. Ozan pointed out as we drove the area of land where the harbor used to be for the city, and explained how the land was silting. The boundaries of the waters 2,000 years ago was much different than it is today.

As we entered Ephesus, Ozan took us to the many buildings on the more outskirt side of town and showed us the political buildings, as well as the agora alongside them. Heading into the Bouleuterion of Ephesus, Dr. Henning presented his first lecture. 

Here he talked about the overall importance of Ephesus in the New Testament in the book of Acts, some of Paul’s letters, and the book of Revelation. We talked through the significance of Ephesus for each of these books, as well as thinking of the temple to Domitian and how that may have influenced the writing of John 20.

From there we marveled at the incredible marble roads and structures in Ephesus. Ozan told us that it is believed that only 10 percent of Ephesus has been unearthed- and compared to the amount of things we saw today- that seems unreal! 

Next we looked at the Terrace Houses, which were underneath a roof to protect the archeological sites from the elements. The wealth and beauty of these homes were staggering, with many murals and paintings not the walls.

From there we saw the amazing library of Ephesus and made our way to the commercial Agora. Here we sat and had our second teaching from Dr. Henning, who read from Acts 19 where Pauls message made the people gather in the theatre. We listened to these words as we faced the very theater in which this happened- putting things into up close perspective. 

From here we went to a delicious homestyle family restaurant.

Next we went to the Ephesus museum where many of the original statues and artifacts are held. 

Then we went and learned how Turkish Pottery is made, as well as got to shop for our own Turkish pottery of different varieties. 

Lastly, we went to the Temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world! Although, it is not as wondrous as it used to be. Many of the materials and stones have been repurposed to build other buildings close by (such as a Church and a Mosque). Therefore, one final pillar was reconstructed to show its potential size. 

We ended our night coming back to the hotel, as some of us jumped into the cold Aegean Sea. After a delicious dinner, we are ready for our final full day of adventure!