Description of the attraction
Not far from the Turkish city of Kusadasi is Mount Pion, which the locals call Panayir Dagi. The height of the mountain is 155 meters and it offers a beautiful view of the ancient Byzantine wall, surprisingly well preserved to this day. The territory of Mount Pion belongs to the National Park and therefore the hill is covered with its natural vegetation. More than half of the slopes are immersed in dense thickets of Mediterranean macchia. In addition, there grows an evergreen tree, which is very rare for the eastern Mediterranean region - the paddle oak. Its lush and shiny crown with small, smooth leaves can be seen from afar, because usually the height of this oak is about ten meters. The rest of the flora is a mixture of rather tall cypresses and maples along with an abundance of plantain, laurel and oleander. In some places, there are different types of pine.
The famous Cave of the Seven Sleepers is located under the northeastern slope of Panayir Dagi. In it, according to legend, seven young men from Ephesus were walled up alive during the persecution of Christians in the second century. Almost two centuries later, they were found alive and well, but they were in deep sleep. After the earthquake, the passage to the cave opened and the young people woke up, having slept for about 200 years. In this way, God wanted to restore the faith of Christians on a wonderful Sunday. After the death of the youths, the emperor Theodosius ordered them to be buried in this cave and to build a pilgrim fortress in their honor.
On the northern slope of Mount Peony in the tenth century BC, the city of Ephesus, large at that time, was rustling, named after the Amazon of Ephesia, the beloved son of the ruler of Athens. The city quickly became a major trading port and was so rich that it did not even build fortress walls, relying only on the authority of its temples and politicians. The sea level in those days was 57 meters higher than today, so the city was located on the shores of the Aegean Sea. Ephesus is the largest and best-preserved ancient city in Turkey. Ancient objects are perfectly preserved here: the famous Church of the Virgin Mary, the Celsius library, the large Roman theater, baths, Trajan's fountain, and the odeon. The Temple of Athena is also considered an interesting building.
