Ephesus


World Heritage Identification Number: 1018

World Heritage since: 2015

Category: Cultural Heritage

Transboundary Heritage: No

Endangered Heritage: No

Country: 🇹🇷 Türkiye

Continent: Asia

UNESCO World Region: Europe and North America

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Ancient City of Ephesus: A Marvelous Blend of Greek and Roman Architecture

The Ancient City of Ephesus, located in modern-day Selçuk, İzmir Province, Turkey, stands as a testament to the rich cultural heritage shared between the Greeks and Romans. This remarkable urban center, established in the 10th century BC, boasts a history spanning over two millennia.

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UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

Located within what was once the estuary of the River Kaystros, Ephesus comprises successive Hellenistic and Roman settlements founded on new locations, which followed the coastline as it retreated westward. Excavations have revealed grand monuments of the Roman Imperial period including the Library of Celsus and the Great Theatre. Little remains of the famous Temple of Artemis, one of the “Seven Wonders of the World,” which drew pilgrims from all around the Mediterranean. Since the 5th century, the House of the Virgin Mary, a domed cruciform chapel seven kilometres from Ephesus, became a major place of Christian pilgrimage. The Ancient City of Ephesus is an outstanding example of a Roman port city, with sea channel and harbour basin.

Encyclopedia Record: Ephesus

Ephesus was an ancient Greek city on the coast of Ionia, in present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province, Turkey. It was built in the 10th century BC on the site of Apasa, the former Arzawan capital, by Attic and Ionian Greek colonists. During the Classical Greek era, it was one of twelve cities that were members of the Ionian League. The city came under the control of the Roman Republic in 129 BC.

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Additional Site Details

Area: 662.62 hectares

UNESCO Criteria: (iii) — Unique or exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition
(iv) — Outstanding example of a type of building or landscape
(vi) — Directly associated with events or living traditions

Coordinates: 37.9291666667 , 27.3594444444

Image

Image of Ephesus

© Benh LIEU SONG, CC BY-SA 3.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)

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Country Information: Türkiye

Flag of Türkiye

Official Name: Republic of Turkey

Capital: Ankara

Continent: Asia

Population (2024): 85,518,661

Population (2023): 85,325,965

Population (2022): 84,979,913

Land Area: 769,630 sq km

Currency: Turkish lira (TRY)

Country Data Sources

Last updated: January 18, 2026

Portions of the page Ephesus are based on data from UNESCO — World Heritage List Dataset and on text from the Wikipedia article Ephesus, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes made. Additional original content by World Heritage Explorer (WHE), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. WHE is not affiliated with UNESCO or the World Heritage Committee. Legal Notice. Privacy Policy.

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