Top Palaces in Izmir in 2026 | Expedia

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

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

Feb 20 - Feb 22

In two months

Mar 20 - Mar 22

Top Cities in Izmir

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

Sign up, it's free

Top Izmir Hotel Reviews

Swissotel Buyuk Efes Izmir

Swissotel Buyuk Efes Izmir

10/10 Excellent

"Shower heads did not give good pressure water."

Find out more about Izmir

Izmir Palaces information

Number of reviews
Accommodation	Palaces
Lowest Price
Highest Price

Explore a world of travel with Expedia

Flights to Selçuk

Car rental Tire

Seferihisar Vacation Rentals

bd2fe1fd-42b4-42a1-8503-4f07eb232e45c6b26c84-f296-43d2-8df8-e82de8221510