Tuesday 3 January 2023

TURKEY

This cover from Turkey depicts 2 stamps, including the stamp on the right corner celebrating Ephesus. Ephesus was a city in ancient Greece on the coast of Ionia, 3 kilometres southwest of present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province, Turkey. It was built in the 10th century BC on the site of Apasa, the former Arzawan capital, by Attic and Ionian Greek colonists. During the Classical Greek era, it was one of twelve cities that were members of the Ionian League. The city came under the control of the Roman Republic in 129 BC. The city was famous in its day for the nearby Temple of Artemis (completed around 550 BC), which has been designated one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Its many monumental buildings included the Library of Celsus and a theatre capable of holding 24,000 spectators. Today, the ruins of Ephesus are a favourite international and local tourist attraction. In 2015, the ruins were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.