It didn’t take me long to find the best leg of Turkey’s Efes-Mimas Trail. It was the first leg, beginning in Efes, the Turkish name of the Roman city of Ephesus. There are some amazing sites along the way, including
the South Gate of Ephesus
a golden, 3-meter statue of the Virgin Mary
the actual, freaking walls of Ephesus that follow the spine of Mount Koressos (Turkish, Bülbül Daği) south of the site
views down on the city of Ephesus
St. Paul’s Prison at the far end of the old harbor
In fact, the starting point of the trail is the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
The end point isn’t bad either: Pamucak Beach, an undeveloped expanse of sandy beach about 2 km long, looking out across the Bay of Ephesus at the Greek Isle of Samos.
With that written, the hike is a challengine one, a 4 out of 5 in difficulty. Hikers should expect to scale some guard towers (a climb of 3-4 meters) and at places the trail leaves the wall and weaves through sharp-leaved holly shrubs. I got lost at the end of the hike and nearly missed the beach, which should have been the easiest landmark to spot.
The Basics
Name: “The Walls of Ephesus Trail”
Distance: 12 km
Challenges: Very difficult. At two places hikers must scale watch towers, a climb of 3-4 meters. About 3 km run along the top of the city wall with drop-offs on either side. On top of the mountain the trail leaves the wall at times and winds through scratchy holly shrubs.
Take me there, Jay!
OK, here’s goes.
Leg 1: “The Sacred Way”
Begin at the temple of Artemis (free admission) is sunken several meters below the modern terrain. Not much is left of the temple, only one reconstructed pillar — huge but still 3 meters lower than the originals were. But this site is rich for the imagination and for the soul. It was a place of pilgrimage for 1000 years.
Every year on the goddess’s birthday, May 6, a parade left the temple and circled through Ephesus along the “Sacred Way,” a special course lined with statues, memorials, and graves of the pious. You can follow this sacred way out of the temple along a wide, paved, tree-lined path next to the highway.
Cross over the highway where you see a cemetery, and follow a trail among the orange groves on the western side of a viaduct. That will take you to a road that circles around the western side of Mount Pion, connecting the north and south entrances of the ancient city. Turn left (south). Just 150 meters further is the site of the Cave of the Seven Sleepers. Follow side roads around the base of the mountain, and you will pass the Magnesia Gate, once the south gate of the Roman City and the place were crowds of residents would meet the ancient procession and follow the idol of Artemis through the streets.
Leg 2: the Walls of Ephesus
Continue past the South Entrance of the city. About 100 meters on is a large, golden statue of Mary (a pilgrimage site dedicated to her is about 5 km further, at he end of the road. About 80m uphill from the statue, the road curves left and a trail disappears to the right, right in front of an ancient stone arch.
This is the Walls of Ephesus portion of the trail. The pathway zigzags uphil about 200m through holly shrubs. Once hikers reach the ancient wall, they are at the coolest trail in Turkey. The walls are 3m wide — wide enough to hike comfortably. There are a few places where the path is blocked by guard towers, and a climb of 3 or 4 meters may be necessary. (I’m sure there are ways to go around the towers, but the climbs are a light challenge.)
As I climbed the towers, I thought of my German ancestors. How proud they would be to see me climbing Roman walls!
I recommend following the walls about 800m to the crest of the Mount Koressos. There one finds great views of the site of Ephesus and the unmissable Roman theater. I also recommend turning back at this point and returning to Selcuk. This is the best part of the trail.
Leg 3: The Rest of the Way to Pamucak
Should hikers continue on, the wall goes another 4 km along the crest of Mount Koressos. Every 150m or so there are new views of the city, and at the end of the wall one has a good view of the fortress called St. Paul’s Prison — which was really a guard house for the old harbor and had nothing to do with the apostle.
The challenge with this leg is that the wall has collapsed in many places and the hiker must find their way through scrub and scratchy holly bushes. It isn’t easy hiking, and one gets lost if she ends up on the wrong side of the wall from the trail.
At the base of the far side of Mount Koressos, the trail goes into farm roads. I got lost in this last leg and ended up walking southward down the highway towards Kusadasi. From the end of the “walls” portion of the trail, it is about 2 or 3 km due westward to Pamucak Beach, and one must cross a busy highway (there are some nice stands there selling blackberry juice and farm products).
Pamucak Beach is an undeveloped, wide, sandy beach — a great place to relax for those who prefer more rustic settings. There is one cafe and a couple of Tekel shops if you want something to drink.
Why is the “Walls of Ephesus Trail #1”?
I think it’s pretty clear. It begins at one of the world’s Seven Wonders and passes by some of the most interesting sites in western Turkey. It goes along the top of an old Roman wall, providing unforgettable views of the ancient city of Ephesus.
It is an unforgettable experience.