One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
Once the grandest temple in the Greek world, the Artemision now survives as a single reassembled column rising from a quiet field in Selçuk, Turkey — steps from the ancient city of Ephesus. Here's how to visit, for free, and make the most of your day.
What you'll find today
A single column, and 2,500 years of history
The Temple of Artemis was more than twice the size of the Parthenon — 127 marble columns, each over 18 metres tall. Antipater of Sidon, who listed the Seven Wonders, said that beside it "the other Wonders were placed in the shade."
Today the temple lies in a marshy field, its foundations traced in stone and one lone column — rebuilt from scattered fragments — crowned with a stork's nest. It's a short, free, open-air visit, and the perfect prelude to the ancient city of Ephesus next door.
Read the full historyA masterpiece in marble
The greatest temple of the ancient world
Step into the mysterious world of the Temple of Artemis — known to the Romans as the Temple of Diana — a colossal structure counted among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Rising in the heart of ancient Ephesus, near modern Selçuk in İzmir, Turkey, it has captivated historians, pilgrims and travellers for thousands of years. Though only a few marble fragments survive today, the spirit and significance of the site still draw lovers of history and archaeology from around the globe.
Architecture: an engineering marvel
Rebuilt on a colossal scale around 550 BC under the fabulously wealthy Lydian king Croesus, the Artemision was the first temple in the Greek world built entirely of marble — an achievement far ahead of its time. It measured roughly 115 metres long and 55 metres wide, ringed by 127 Ionic columns each about 18 metres high. The columns nearest the entrance were carved at their bases with life-size reliefs (columnae caelatae). Filled with bronze and marble sculpture by the finest artists of the age and gleaming with gold and silver, the temple was as much an ancient art gallery as a place of worship — designed by the Cretan architect Chersiphron and his son Metagenes.
Fire, fame and ruin
The temple's magnificence was tested by disaster again and again. Its most infamous chapter came in 356 BC, when a man named Herostratus burned it to the ground — not for religion or politics, but simply to make his name immortal. The Ephesians executed him and forbade anyone to speak his name, yet history recorded it anyway, giving us the term "Herostratic fame". Legend holds that the fire broke out the very night Alexander the Great was born — the goddess Artemis, it was said, was away attending his birth.
The Ephesians rebuilt the temple grander than before (Alexander later offered to fund it in return for having his name inscribed on it — they politely declined). It was sacked by the Goths around 262–268 AD, and as Christianity spread the Artemision was abandoned; its marble was quarried for later buildings — some, by tradition, reused in the nearby Basilica of St. John and even Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. Its very location was lost until 1869, when the British archaeologist John Turtle Wood rediscovered the foundations. Read the full history →
The goddess herself: the Ephesian Artemis was no Greek huntress but a great Anatolian mother-goddess of fertility and abundance, fused with Cybele. Meet Artemis of Ephesus →
Why it's worth a stop
Stand where a Wonder once stood
Small in what remains, vast in what it means — here's why travellers add the Artemision to their Ephesus day.
A true Wonder
One of only seven Wonders of the Ancient World — and the one most travellers never realise they can visit.
Free & open-air
No ticket office, no queue. Walk in any day and take your time among the ruins and wildflowers.
Steps from Ephesus
Five minutes from one of the world's best-preserved ancient cities and the Ephesus Museum.
A photographer's icon
The solitary column with its stork's nest, framed by the İsa Bey Mosque and the hills of Selçuk.
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Everything you need to know
The History
From King Croesus to the arsonist Herostratus — how the greatest temple of antiquity rose and fell.
Read the storyVisiting Today
Hours, what to expect, how long to stay, accessibility and the best time to go.
Visit guideGetting There
From İzmir, Kuşadası, Selçuk and the cruise port — by car, train, bus or tour.
How to get thereGood to know
Frequently asked questions
In the Selçuk district of İzmir Province, Turkey — in the heart of the ancient Ephesus area. It sits on flat ground about 1.5 km from the Ephesus Ancient City and the Basilica of St. John, easily reached on foot or by car.
The original temple no longer stands — fires, earthquakes, looting and river silt destroyed it over the centuries. Today you'll see a single column restored from stacked marble drums, plus scattered foundation blocks across the field. It's atmospheric rather than grand — you're standing where a Wonder once rose.
Yes — the open-air site is completely free, with no ticket or Museum Pass required. (The nearby Ephesus Ancient City and Ephesus Museum are ticketed.)
It was famously set ablaze in 356 BC by Herostratus, whose only goal was to make his name immortal — an act that gave psychology the term "Herostratus syndrome". Rebuilt afterwards, the temple was finally sacked by the Goths around 268 AD and later abandoned.
Ancient writers were awestruck by its unprecedented scale, its all-marble construction, its 127 towering columns and the masterpieces of art it held. Antipater of Sidon, who had seen the Pyramids and the Hanging Gardens, wrote that beside the Temple of Artemis the other Wonders were "placed in the shade".
The most important reliefs and fragments recovered in the 19th century are in the British Museum, London. Other statues, votive objects and the famous Artemis figures are in the Ephesus Museum in Selçuk and the Ephesos Museum in Vienna.
Reach Selçuk from İzmir (or İzmir Airport) by İZBAN train, bus or minibus. From Selçuk town centre the temple is a flat 10–15 minute walk, or a few minutes on the Selçuk–Ephesus dolmuş. See full directions →
About 20–30 minutes at the site itself. To make a full day of it, combine the temple with Ephesus, the Ephesus Museum, the Basilica of St. John and the House of the Virgin Mary.
Where to find it
The Temple of Artemis on the map
On the edge of Selçuk, on the road to Ephesus — about 1 km from the town centre and a short hop from the ancient city.
Ready to explore Ephesus & the Artemision?
Book a guided tour with skip-the-line tickets and hotel or port pickup — Temple of Artemis included.