Sublime Artemis

8/16/2013 - Selçuk, Turkey

The best part of a great, full day in Ephesus was the Temple of Artemis. The Temple, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, is mostly ruins. Hardly any people were nearby. A few dirty dogs ran around the overgrown ruins. Unlike many ancient sites in Ephesus, we did not have to pay to see it. 

Despite how little was left standing, it was still a sublime experience to walk through it. The story of the Temple of Artemis is incredible. Oddly, its story is similar to a book I was reading earlier in the day: Yukio Mishima's Temple of the Golden Pavilion, about the Kinkakuji temple in Kyoto. Linking Ephesus's Temple of Artemis with Kyoto's Kinkakuji gives them both a more personal connection to me.

Pictured: The Temple of Artemis sits in front of a great mosque, church, and citadel, showing off milennia of history.