YAY for ephesus
We don’t normally capitalise our headings but for this one, we had to! To be inducted into the UNESCO World Heritage List is no easy feat.
Following a vote on July 5, Ephesus was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List and so this called for us to cheer!!
A visit to Turkey is usually bound to include a visit to Ephesus. And for us, UNESCO collectors, it was no different except the fact that back in 2013, Ephesus was NOT on the list yet. This came as a great surprise to us back then as to how it could not already be.
Every year, it brings in about 2 million visitors and seriously on the day we were there, we were sure half of that number was there. There were apparently three cruise liners in for the day at Kusadasi, which explained the crowd numbers. Maybe it’s always like that but for us, it felt like we were at a theme park.
The sun was up and there was little shade so apart from the crowd and the heat, we had nothing to “truly” complaint about.
We were wow-ed from the start when we could see the ruins of the pillars and amphitheatres.
Then to walk the old stone streets, see the mosaic art, admire the different sculptures and structures all the while weaving past the wandering local cats.
The most famous structure and probably the epitome of Ephesus is the Library of Celsus. We could see it from the distance and we couldn’t wait to stand below and gawk at it!
And gawk at it we did…
Congratulations to Turkey for getting Ephesus recognised as a UNESCO Heritage Site 🙂
Ephesus was listed as a UNESCO Heritage site in 2015.
To see the other UNESCO sites we have visited, visit our unofficial bucket list
Leave us a comment here
wise monkeys abroad 
August 15, 2015 at 5:52 pm
Love your term “UNESCO collectors”…. my husband and I are as well. We’ll make big detours while traveling to see World Heritage sites, and are never disappointed when we do so. I’m heading next to check out your list!
August 16, 2015 at 4:34 pm
Thank you so much for visit out blog 🙂 And so glad to meet a fellow UNESCO collector!! It’s always so exciting to visit those places…
July 31, 2015 at 8:13 am
I’m just like you – I couldn’t believe it wasn’t already a UNESCO site! This is on my bucket list, both for the library and the incredible theatre!
July 31, 2015 at 9:29 am
We have no doubt that you would love it when you go. Have you been to Turkey?? We really enjoyed our time there! Have a sensational weekend!
July 31, 2015 at 6:03 pm
No I’ve never been, but it’s on my wish list!
July 31, 2015 at 7:00 am
Such gorgeous ruins – I’d absolutely love to visit Ephesus one day even with the crowds there but I can’t believe it’s only just been unesco listed this year!
July 31, 2015 at 9:28 am
Oh Shikha … you have to go to Turkey! It was such a mixed bag of unexpectedness for us… Crowds are almost the thing of the norm now when we go to places that we’ve pretty much become immune 🙂 Hope you have an amazing weekend ahead!
July 30, 2015 at 7:20 pm
Amazing! Always wanted to go to Turkey! Those pillars and the sculptures! Ahhh…
July 30, 2015 at 8:40 pm
Oh Turkey is just in a league of its own when it comes to wonders and is soooo unassuming!
July 24, 2015 at 1:45 am
Wow, absolutely beautiful! You can see why it’s been added to the list 🙂
July 24, 2015 at 8:08 am
Ephesus is a beautiful place 🙂 We are so pleased it’s finally on the list!! Hope you are well 🙂
July 23, 2015 at 12:46 am
Congrats. Yes. We too loved it.
https://sabretoothedchickenstour.wordpress.com/2014/04/08/week-31-roaming-asia-minor/
July 24, 2015 at 8:12 am
Turkey rocks though, huh?
July 24, 2015 at 1:59 pm
Absolutely! We loved it!!
July 22, 2015 at 9:32 pm
Even with all the people there it must have been amazing to visit this place. Our strategy is to stand back and let them pass by because when they’re connected with a tour, people usually move pretty fast. They don’t have time to stop and enjoy and take it all in. Lovely photos.
July 24, 2015 at 8:14 am
Yes! We learn to look past all the people… Literally! You should visit Turkey sometime if you haven’t yet… It’s really something there 🙂
Great tip about letting the hordes past!!! They ‘eventually’ get out of the way. The worst was in the Hermitage! That was a nightmare!!
July 25, 2015 at 1:11 pm
It’s on the list! We find school groups are the worst, but they move very quickly so we just step back and let them go by.
July 22, 2015 at 7:26 am
Great news – it’s a great place to visit. However, how strange that it wasn’t already on the list!
July 22, 2015 at 5:39 pm
There are plenty of unexplainable things in this world…. Hope you had a great day!
July 22, 2015 at 5:40 am
That’s terrific! How many do you have left to go?
July 22, 2015 at 5:39 pm
Oh, we have soooooo many more to go! We have to update our list actually…. thanks for reminding us! And then we can at least do a count of how many we have been to 🙂
July 22, 2015 at 5:00 am
I love Ephesus but how’s this, the day I visited there were a grand total of FOUR of us there, lol, oh how the times have changed! 🙂
July 22, 2015 at 5:38 pm
FOUR?? Not 400 or 4000?? You LUCKY LUCKY thing…. We would wait for these massive cruise groups to pass and the next wave of them came through…. it was never ending!!
July 23, 2015 at 4:47 am
Yep, just the four of us – me and a couple with a local playing guide – I get the impression Ephesus has changed a little since I was there, lol! 🙂
July 24, 2015 at 8:11 am
No way!!! This has definitely changed a thousand fold 😉
July 22, 2015 at 3:41 am
What an awesome historical spot! How wonderful to walk and touch places from long, long ago. If pillars could talk…
July 22, 2015 at 5:36 pm
Yep!!! It was such a treat being able to wonder through the different buildings that once were. So fascinating!! And then to see an “ancient” public toilet shows that life wasn’t THAT different 😉
July 21, 2015 at 10:45 pm
Yay indeed! This is great news for Turkey as well as for you guys 🙂
July 21, 2015 at 10:46 pm
Thanks Namz…. We were happy to be able to “retrospectively” add it!