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The inner fortress situated on the highest point
of the hill to the north of the St John’s Church
superposes the very first settlement of Ephesus
as the recent research has revealed. The walls
which are seen today belong to the Byzantine,
Ottoman and Aydınoğulları periods. Built with
stones, bricks and mortar, the walls are
reinforced by 15 towers. Entrance to the
fortress is through the gates in the east and
the west. These gates directly open to the
outside without any connections with the outer
fortress. In the inner side of the walls are
narrow staircases providing access to the
bastions and crenellations. There are
stone-paved streets, cisterns of various sizes,
a mosque and ruins of a church on the highest
point.
The apse of this church was made into a
cistern with some additions in the Aydınoğulları
period. Further, the ruins of a building which
might be a fortress bath is seen to the west of
the mosque. |
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