Ancient City of Ephesus

The ancient city of Ephesus is one of the most important ancient cities in the world.

The first settlement of Ephesus was on the hill where the Church of St. Yohannes and the Castle are located in Selçuk district today.

In the 11th and 12th centuries BC, the Greeks captured the city, founded a Greek city here and named it Ephesus.

In the 3rd century BC, Zimakos moved the city of Ephesus from the castle to its present location. After the city was moved, it became a very important port city and one of the four most important cities of the Roman Empire. After the 4th century, the harbor of Ephesus became unusable due to the alluvium carried by the Menderes River and the city was abandoned.