Ephesus
The great Greco-Roman city where Christian legend says seven young men slept in a cave for some two centuries.
- Location
- Near Selçuk, İzmir Province, western Anatolia
- Modern country
- Turkey
- Known for
- Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders; Library of Celsus
- Christian history
- Paul's mission; Council of Ephesus (431)
- Legend
- Seven Sleepers, walled in a cave under Decius (c. 250 CE)
- Status
- UNESCO World Heritage Site (2015)
What is Ephesus known for?
Ephesus was a Greek city on the Aegean coast of Anatolia, near modern Selçuk. It was famed for the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world, and under Rome it became one of the largest cities in the eastern empire, with the Library of Celsus and a great theater. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Ephesus was important to early Christianity. Paul preached there, and a church council met there in 431. The city is also the setting of the legend of the Seven Sleepers: under the emperor Decius, around 250 CE, seven young Christians hid in a cave to avoid persecution and were sealed in. They woke up, believing they had slept one night, in the reign of the Christian emperor Theodosius II, about two centuries later.
The Qur'an tells a related story in Surah 18, the People of the Cave, without naming the place. A cave and church complex on the slopes of Mount Pion at Ephesus has been venerated as the site.
The Christian legend of the Seven Sleepers is set at Ephesus.
Mentioned on these pages
- Rabbit holePeople of the Cave (Seven Sleepers)
- PassageThe sleepers in the cave (Surah 18:9–25)
- PersonDecius
- PersonGregory of Tours
- PersonJacob of Serugh
- PersonTheodosius II
Sources
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre, 'Ephesus'Reference
- Qur'an, Surah 18 (Al-Kahf), Quran.comPrimary text
- Wikipedia, 'Seven Sleepers'Reference
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