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Only 6 persons with a guide in our very comfortable Mercedes minibus made our visit today to Ephesus very pleasant. We started our tour by going to home of the Virgin Mary on what used to be known as Mt Coressos (now Bulbul Dagi). The present-day structure contains a chapel. A very beautifully landscaped park surrounds the chapel.
The story of Ephesus is interesting in that when it was built the harbor was its front door. The Cayster River silted up the harbor and city declined. This was partly due to created swampy areas and malaria caused by the resulting mosquitos. The ruins of the city now lie 10 miles inland. We walked through from from the upper to the lower gate viewing the Odeum, the great facade of the Library of Celsus, Hadrian's Temple and the Great Theatre. A special tour of the excavated Terrace Houses showed us beautiful mosaic floors and wall frescos in an ongoing excavation project.
Before enjoying a Turkish lunch at the five-star Korumar Hotel, we visited the Basilica of St John and his alleged burial site in Seljuk. From there we could see in the valley below a single tall stone column. This was all that remains of the Sanctuary of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world.
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