Eshab-i Kehf

Grotto of Seven Sleepers - Yedi Uyurlar Mağarası - Yediuyurlar Mağarası

Useful Information

Location:	Ephesus, on the northern slope of mount Pion. 18 km from Kusadasi between Kusadasi and Selcuk. Acarlar Köyü. (37.943698, 27.353599)
Open:	APR to SEP daily 10-19:30. OCT to MAR daily 8:30-18. [2020]
Fee:	Adults TRL 100. [2020]
Classification:	Cave Tomb
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Efes Harabeleri, 35920 Selçuk/İzmir, Tel: +90-232-89260-10, Tel: +90-232-89260-11. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1926–1928	cave rediscovered by Austrian archeologist Franz Miltner.
2015	inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Description

The Turkish name is Yedi Uyurlar Mağarası, as today it is located in Turkey. Ephesus, known from the Bible, is the place where St. Paul worked around 55 AD. The earliest versions of the legend spread from Ephesus, so it was quite obvious to look for the cave in the vicinity. An early Christian catacomb was associated with the legend, attracting scores of pilgrims. Finally in 1928 excavations by the Austrian archeologist Franz Miltner of a religious site on the slopes of Mount Pion revealed a cave. Several hundred graves dated to the 5th and 6th centuries were found. In the 5th century a church had been constructed over the catacomb. Inscriptions dedicated to the Seven Sleepers were discovered on the walls of the church and in the graves.