Worth the Wait: Ephesus

Although I did make you wait till the end of my vacation posts,

 the title is referring mostly to our wait to come and visit before leaving Turkey.

 Ephesus was INCREDIBLE. 

An opportunity that I am so glad we did not let pass us by. 

We had heard about it from everyone since we arrived, and it did not disappoint!

Now, just incase you might not be up on your Ephesus info:

It is famous for two reasons. First, because it is amazing condition. 

Most notably the Library of Celsus (pictured above), which has survived so much through the centuries. The entire city though, was in excellent condition compared to the others that we saw! It was also much larger than I had assumed. It was very easy to get a real sense of the grandeur of it all at the time.

Second, it is famous for it's Biblical importance. Yes, this is THE Ephesus of Ephesians fame.

The boys decided to give you a feel for the ampitheater were the Apostle Paul came and preached. 

The Ephesians were making and worshipping idols of Artemis (also known as Diana).

The Ephesian Temple of Artemis/Diana was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. 

Only 1 of its original 121 columns still stands today though, and only has scant remains that are not on the main tourist route. 

Paul came to preach Christianity, and stayed for 2+ years. There were a good deal of marvelous things that happened while here, but eventually- and in this very theater, he was not allowed to preach because of an uproar of silversmiths who made their living making the idols.
This is the situation spoken of in Acts chapter 19.
The Epistle to the Ephesians is written after the time he left Ephesus,
being that they weren't too fond of listening to him anymore.
It was quite the experience to be there and try to imagine all the Biblical situations that went on here!
We are so grateful that we have been able to have such an experience.

Ronan, all set and ready for a show.

He says, "Paul, I would've listened to you!"

In the footsteps of Paul…

This is one of the main streets leading from the theater to the library.

I'm certain he would have walked here, both coming and going. 

Awesome to think about.

My cute boys posing in front of the library, different angle.

We were excited to come early that day, (and still relatively early in the season) to catch a few shots without tons and tons of tourists! By the time we left, there were four times as many!

We liked this relief of the helmet and battle gear. 

Us in front of the Ceremonial Gates leading to the Agora (marketplace)

Porter giving us a better glimpse at the inside and what remains.

This main street led to the ancient harbor. It is now several miles away after it has silted up through the centuries. Weird. It was like that with many of these cities.

My Greek is not great, but if I am understanding correctly from what we learned this is the statue of Episteme (knowledge) 

Noah and Miles by the previously mentioned ceremonial gates, 

built in honor of Caesar Augustus

Agora

Now, these last two photos are my favorites. I love this view of the Library, the Gates and the Agora in the background with all the poppies. It was such a beautiful time of year to be there.

And last, but certainly not least was another version of our "must have" family shot.  This is perhaps a more accurate representation of how most of our family pictures go when trying to work with these three rugrats! ha!
Everyone doing their own thing.

I love my little family! Love it! 

Thank you for the incredible experience Ephesus! 

You have helped send us out with a bang!