This library is one of the most beautiful structures in Ephesus. It was built in 117 A.D. It was a monumental tomb for Gaius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, the governor of the province of Asia; from his son Galius Julius Aquila. The grave of Celsus was beneath the ground floor, across the entrance and there was a statue of Athena over it. Because Athena was the goddess of the wisdom.

The scrolls of the manuscripts were kept in cupboards in niches on the walls. There were double walls behind the bookcases to prevent the them from the extremes of temperature and humidity. The capacity of the library was more than 12,000 scrolls. It was the third richest library in ancient times after the Alexandra and Pergamum.

The facade of the library has two-stories, with Corinthian style columns on the ground floor and three entrances to the building. There are three windows openings in the upper story. They used an optical trick that the columns at the sides of the facade are shorter than those at the center, giving the illusion of the building being greater in size.

The statues in the niches of the columns today are the copies of the originals. The statues symbolize wisdom (Sophia), knowledge (Episteme), intelligence (Ennoia) and valor (Arete). These are the virtues of Celsus. The library was restored with the aid of the Austrian Archaeological Institute and the originals of the statues were taken to Ephesus Museum in Vienna in 1910.

There was an auditorium ,which was for lectures or presentations between the library and the Marble Road, was built during the reign of the Emperor Hadrian.
#History Photo Contest
#ancient
#InStone
#Lifeatexpedia
#UNESCO World Heritage sites
#culture

Inns in Izmir

Change your mind
Book hotels with free cancellation
Treat yourself
Sign in to save 10% or more on thousands of hotels
Sign in
Be picky
Search almost a million properties worldwide

Check prices for these dates

Next weekend

In two weeks

In one month

In two months

Our top choices for Izmir inns

Hotel Rudis

Narlidere

Susan

RM342 total

includes taxes & fees

16 Dec - 17 Dec

In-room safe, desk, blackout curtains, free WiFi

Bade Gölcük

Odemis

Jennifer

RM365 total

includes taxes & fees

16 Dec - 17 Dec

Alachi Hotel

Alaçatı

Melissa

Casa Rubino Alacati

Alaçatı

"Serkan Bey ve çalışan personeller çok ilgili ve kibardı. 5 gün konakladık. Deneyimlerimizden bahsetmek isterim; kahvaltı oldukça çeşitliydi. Temizlik evimizde gibi hissettirdi. Banyo, tuvalet, nevresimler tertemizdi. Odada klima, havlular, duş ürünleri, sabun, saç kurutma makinesi mevcut ve oda çok güzel kokuyordu. Konum olarak çarşıya yürüme mesafesinde ve ulaşım çok kolay. Otelin önünden servisler geçiyor. Havuzu 170 cm ve tertemiz. Sıcak havalarda çok serinletti. Havuz için duş alanı mevcut....

Fatma Nur

Meglen Konak

Selçuk

On the beach, free beach shuttle, sun-loungers, beach umbrellas

Gaia By The Sea - Adult Only

Çesme

Juan

RM1,705 total

includes taxes & fees

3 Jan - 4 Jan 2026

1870's Taş Konak Üç Oda

Urla

Claire

Individually decorated, individually furnished, free WiFi

Marina Lora Butik Otel Sığacık

Seferihisar

reyhan

Agon Ephesus

Selçuk

Samar

In-room safe, desk, laptop workspace, blackout curtains

ALAZ URLA ROOMS

Urla

Güneykan

RM360 total

includes taxes & fees

29 Dec - 30 Dec

Premium bedding, soundproofing, free WiFi, bed sheets

Zevkliler Alaçatı

Alaçatı

Anissa

Yerli Otel Alacati

Alaçatı

Abhishek

Nefes Evlerim

Selçuk

Herakles Butik Otel

Cesme

"We saw the hotel from the Turkish TV series fatmagul. On the website I booked the room that the series had shown but unfortunately we stayed in another one. The place is beautiful, clean with parking and in a good location. We were looking forward to breakfast but unfortunately we learned that it would start at 9:30 in the morning and we had to leave at 8pm. We told the owner about this problem and he gave us a gift of 20 euros to have lunch. The food was quite delicious and the people very...

Anonymous traveller

Ilcayto Suites

Foça

"Tek gece konaklama icin bence uygun degil. Sadece havuzu icin tercih edilebilir belki de. Kahvalti dahil konsepti var diye secmistik ancak kahvalti vasatin da altiydi dusa kabin muslugu tikaliydi dus almak icin soyledik. Baska bir oda gostereceklerdi ancak orasi da odayi acinca vaktik kullanilmis sonra tekrar odaya donup mekanin sahibi başlığı degistirerek oldu. Mekan sahibi guler guzu ve yaklasimindan yana sorun yok ancak. Kahvalti ce mekana verilen ucrete degmedi. Merkezde daha uygun fiyata ce...

Yasin

La Berca Boutique Hotel

Alaçatı

RM198 total

includes taxes & fees

4 Jan - 5 Jan 2026

Portakal Cicegi Alaçatı

Alaçatı

"We had the best stay here! We were 3 girls visiting from Canada and felt so welcomed from the moment we arrived. The hotel is family-run and you can truly feel the warmth — they were incredibly kind and helpful throughout our stay. The room was beautiful, clean, and very comfortable. Breakfast was absolutely amazing every morning, with so many delicious options. They also went above and beyond with recommendations and even helped us organize transportation, which made everything so much easier....

Bade

kai urla

Urla

Enver

Soundproofing, iron/ironing board, free WiFi

Aral Turkuaz Butik Otel

Alaçatı

8 Design Urla

Urla

RM488 total

includes taxes & fees

16 Dec - 17 Dec

View all properties

Save an average of 15% on thousands of hotels when you're signed in

Top Izmir Hotel Reviews

ALVES HOTEL

10/10 Excellent

"Very nice hotel with all that is required for a short stay. This property is ideal as a base to visit nearby Ephesus and other interesting sites. It is located near the Izmir main station and about 10 min walk to the down town water front area. There are many take aways around serving Turkish food. The hotel is good value for money / quality"