Ephesus Museum in Seljuk, Turkey Near the Ancient City of Ephesus

The Ephesus Museum is located in Seljuk, Turkey, just two miles from the ancient city of Ephesus. This museum has many of the wonderful artifacts found during the excavations of Ephesus since 1964, and is well worth an hour or so if time allows. Cruise ship shore excursions from Kusadasi sometimes include a stop at the museum after the walk through Ephesus.

The Ephesus Museum has some wonderful statues of the goddess Artemis from Ephesus, but these statues did not come from the most famous Ephesian site, the Temple of Artemis. This temple, completed in 550 BC, was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Unfortunately, the Temple of Artemis was destroyed, reconstructed, and destroyed again. Today, all that remains of the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus is a marshy field and one column. A few remnants of the reconstructed Temple of Artemis excavated by 19th century archaeologists can be found in the British Museum in London.