Library of Celsus

The Library of Celsus is not a separate site: it stands inside Ephesus, and you reach it on the Ephesus ticket, at the lower end of Curetes Street. Enter at the Upper (South) Gate and you approach the facade head-on as you walk down the street; from the Lower (North) Gate it is a few minutes' walk past the Great Theatre.

What stands is the two-storey facade, re-erected by archaeologists in the 1970s. The reading hall behind it is in ruins, so expect a paved floor and wall outlines behind the facade rather than an interior. In the niches are copies of four female statues personifying Wisdom, Virtue, Intelligence and Knowledge; the originals are in the Ephesos Museum in Vienna. Beside the library, the Gate of Mazaeus and Mithridates leads into the Commercial Agora. The steps in front are where everyone takes their photo. Fifteen to twenty minutes here is enough, but allow three to four hours for Ephesus as a whole.

The square in front of the library gets crowded from late morning, so come early if you want a photo without people. The square has no shade, and the marble is slippery; wear shoes with good grip. Many finds from the area are in the Ephesus Museum in Selçuk. Check the hours on the Ephesus page.