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Seven Sleepers

Seven Sleepers of Ephesus by -Emmanuel Tzanes / Selcuk, Ephesus, TurkeySeven Sleepers of Ephesus --- by Emmanuel Tzanes Selcuk, Ephesus, Turkey
Located on the northern slopes of Mount Pion, near Ephesus, The Grotto of Seven Sleepers has been discovered by both Christians and Muslims with a growing interest. According to the Christian legend seven young men were walled in during the reign of Decius (250) and yet were seen alive in the streets of Ephesus during the reign of Theodosius II some years after the Council of Ephesus (431). In the Koran, it is claimed that the sleepers slept 309 years in their tombs. 
 
During excavations in the area, the church and several tombs have been discovered. Some inscriptions of the Seven Sleepers have been discovered on the walls of the church.  

This cave is located to the east of Mount Pion and is an important site to the world of Christianity. In the  year 250AD seven Christian youths fled the city of Ephesus to avoid persecution and took refuge in this cave. They slept for two hundred years here. When they awoke after two hundred years they saw that Christianity was now the official religion. When the youths died it is believed they were buried in the same cave and a church was built at the site.


It is thought that the Christians  were in a dispute with the Roman state over the subject of an imperial cult where they refused to sacrifice animals at an imperial temple. The young men fled to a cave and after a while they fell asleep and when they woke up they went to city to buy food. To their amazement, they found out that they had slept not for one night but for two hundred years, and that Christianity had spread to every corner of the Roman Empire. When Emperor Theodosius II heard of the incident, he accepted it as evidence of resurrection which was being discussed in the churches at the time.

When these young men died, following an impressive funeral, they were buried in the cave on which a church was built later. The excavations carried on here during 1927-28 brought to light a church and several hundred graves which were dated to the 5th and 6th centuries. Inscriptions dedicated to the Seven Sleepers were found on the walls of the church and in the graves.



It is likely that the youths were tortured to death in various ways and buried in the cave. The resurrection story confusion came from the phrase “went to sleep in the Lord” which was used to describe the death of Christians, and 479 is when their relics were discovered. Their names were

  • Constantinus
  • Dionysius
  • Joannes
  • Malchus
  • Martinianus
  • Maximianus
  • Serapion

 What Our Clients Are Saying - 

Absolutely the best tour option for Ephesus if you want to see it properly
Chris, Mehmet and Mete, thank-you for the most fantastic day at Ephesus. I research many options online in advance of my holiday bookings to find the best options for us and I wanted the Ephesus experience that would give us the most time at the archeological site seeing the things we wanted to see. We got that with a really engaging driver (Mehmet) and guide (Mete) as well. We were met at the ferry port terminal right on time and Mehmet and Mete were waiting for us as promised. Mete is the best guide - so engaging and knowledgable about his subject matter, and just such a genuine person too - so wonderful to talk to over lunch. We loved seeing the Terrace Houses at the site - don't miss this as it really gives you a perspective on life during the peak time in Ephesus. We did the trip as a day trip from Samos in Greece where we were staying. In the end it was easy but no one can confirm the ferry times from Samos until the end of May (for the summer season), so don't even try organising it before then if you are trying to do it from Samos. If you are intending on doing it from Samos, once the ferry times are confirmed, it was very easy to do. The trip took a bit over one hour from Samos. Both ferries out and back were on time.

The booking process for our Ephesus tour was made very easy by Chris (who is a native English speaker) and all communication was really clear and prompt. We would love to come back and see more of Turkey and we would definitely use No Frills again (and perhaps get to meet Ted the dog next time!). We are generally independent travellers but found that the quality of the guide with No Frills really made the day great for us at Ephesus and added to the quality of the experience. I'm not sure why anyone would use any other company for their Ephesus Tour. They are very professional, friendly, do what they promise, and the guide is top quality.

Visited October 5, 2017

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No Frills Ephesus Tours Location
Selcuk, Ephesus, Turkey