Temple of Artemis is one of the seven wonderers of the world. This spectacular ancient structure three or four times bigger than the temple of Parthenon in Athens and served as sanctuary for goddess Artemis. Temple became a home each Romans and Greeks during the history, collapsed and re-constructed many times. Sidon Antipater ( B.C 2), the poem, who saw other six wonderers tells that Temple of Artemis is most beautiful one among them. Also known as Temple of Diana by Romans. Ancient Structure located at Ephesus, where was cradle of religions in ancient world. Today, stays 60 km away from İzmir City Center, a small place called Selçuk. When Callimachus wrote Hymn to Artemis, it is estimated that the Amazons built it. In the 7th century BC, it destroyed the oldest of several temples after the flood.

The night that Alexander the Great was born on July 21, 356 BC, the legend said that an arsonist named Herostratus burned down the temple. Years later, Alexander the Great visited the city and offered to help pay the cost of reconstruction if they were to name him, but the Ephesians refused. After Alexander the Great died, the temple was rebuilt in 323 BC, except for an elevated platform, a characteristic of classical architecture. In 263 AD, the temple was looted by Nero and the East Germanic Tribe was destroyed by the Goths. After that, it was never rebuilt again.All temples were closed by the Roman emperor Theodosius in 391, and in 401 the temple was eventually destroyed by a mafia led by St. John Chrysostom. Christians tore the remains behind, and for the next two centuries, most of the citizens of Ephesus eventually turned to Christianity. B.C. The 4th century temple was called World Wonders, not only because of its size, but also because of its interior and exterior beauty and generous decorations. The temple was visited by merchants, tourists, artisans and kings who respected the goddess Artemis for years by sharing her profits with her. It was the home of priests and nuns, musicians, dancers and acrobats.  The temple was also a market place with many works of art. Statues of famous Greek sculptors such as Polyclitus, Pheidias, Cresilas and Phradmon adorned the temple as well as gold and silver paintings and gilded columns. Most of these sculptures were made from Amazons. 

Much of the Temple of Artemis remained unexplored until 1869 when a team of British Museum archaeologists led by John Turtle Wood found the remains and foundations after seven years of research. Excavations in 1987-88 revealed floods that destroyed the first temple. Today the site is a little more than a ruin. Where the temple once stood, there is a swamp with a stork nest and a lonely column of 11m high covered with rubble on the ground. This column was made by the remains on the site and was put together to appear as one of the originals.

Fire removed during the original statues of Artemis, Selcuk, exhibited in the Ephesus Museum in Turkey and other remnants of the temple at the British Museum in London, England. Of course, the great temple of Artemis at Ephesus is only one of many temples dedicated to the Greek goddess. The Temple of Artemis Amarysia in Amarynthos was discovered in 2017 on the Greek island of Evia. To see the unique beauty of Ephesus you can take a

Look at our Izmir Ephesus & Mary's House Tour and take advantage of our Izmir Airport Transfer Service