This Greco-Roman Turkish trading city is the Mediterranean’s best-preserved ancient site, and gives you a fine impression of daily life in classical times.The main street of Ephesus, lined with triumphal arches and statues, leads past important buildings. Don’t let the monumentality distract you from the detail, however.
Only the arched facade and back wall remain of the Temple of Hadrian, built in 138, but it has an attractively delicate appearance and elaborate carvings, notably Tyche, goddess of luck, a troupe of Amazons, and a snake-haired Medusa whose evil eye warded off misfortune. The central arch showcases the architectural magic of its keystone, which has hung suspended in place without any mortar through two centuries of storms and earthquakes. Stand beneath and take your chances.