The ancient era Ephesus which is today one of Turkey’s leading tourist attractions, was connected to a harbor on the Aegean Sea with a broad canal

The ancient city of Ephesus, an ancient Greek city on the coast of Ionia, located in the western province of İzmir (Smyrna), is set to once again have a harbor on the Aegean coast, according to an ambitious new project, Hurriyet reports.

The ancient era Ephesus which is today one of Turkey’s leading tourist attractions, was connected to a harbor on the Aegean Sea with a broad canal, but the port and the canal have silted up by the Cayster River in the years since.

The area around Ephesus has turned into near-swampland and currently the city is at a six kilometers distance from the sea.

An “Antique Canal Project” would refill the canal and gradually link the ancient harbor to the sea once again. A 6,130-meter section of the canal has been covered with alluvium over the centuries.

The project would also deepen and enlarge the canal, adding that the tender for the project will take place on October 19 this year, with construction starting in February or March 2018.

Ephesus was an ancient Greek city on the coast of Ionia, three kilometres southwest of present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province. It was constructed in the 10th century BC on the site of the former Arzawan capital by Attic and Ionian Greek colonists.

During the Classical Greek era it was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League. The city flourished after it came under the control of the Roman Republic during 129 BC.

History of Ephesus

The name "Ephesus" may ultimately derive from Hittite Apasa) and was famed for the nearby Temple of Artemis (completed around 550 BC), one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Among many other monumental buildings are the Library of Celsus, and a theatre capable of holding 25,000 spectators.

Ephesus was one of the seven churches of Asia that are cited in the Book of Revelation.The Gospel of John may have been written here. The city was the site of several 5th century Christian Councils.

The city was destroyed by the Goths in 263, and although rebuilt, the city's importance as a commercial centre declined as the harbour was slowly silted up by the Küçükmenderes River. It was partially destroyed by an earthquake in 614 AD.

he ruins of Ephesus are a favourite international and local tourist attraction, partly owing to their easy access from Adnan Menderes Airport or from the cruise ship port of Kuşadası, some 30 km to the south.

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