Ephesus Location and the distances of Ephesus
The ancient city of Ephesus is located near the modern town of Selcuk, about 50 km south of Izmir (Smyrna) in Turkey.
Ephesus was constructed on a river bend that was late turned into a full harbor near the mouth of the Cayster River, on the western coast of Asia Minor (modern Turkey). Along the coastal plain between Smyrna (modern Izmir) to the north and Miletus to the south, the site is now about six miles from the Aegean Sea. The city changed five distinct locations over time, each within a small area.
The areas where Ephesus was located are:
Ephesus I: Aya Suluk (St. John Area);
Ephesus II: Artemission area;
Ephesus III: Port of St. Paul: base of Mount Koressos;
Ephesus IV: north of Aya Suluk;
Ephesus V: Seljuk (Selcuk) area.

Because of the man-made harbor structure and the flow of the river, a backwash flow caused silting up of the harbor (by 449 BCE we already read of problems documented about the silting. Later, according to the records Ephesus honored Emperor Hadrian for dredging and making navigable the harbor). When cleared, Ephesus was in a location that justified a great seaport. The city was at the convergence of three land routes with a shipping lane from the north via the channel created by the Island of Chios and an opening facing the cities of Macedonia.

The land routes that converged on Ephesus included:

1) The Colossae / Laodicea road (travelling east),
2) The road to Sardis and Galatia (northeast), and
3) The Smyrna (north) main road.

Population:
Some scholars estimate the number of people living at Ephesus to have exceeded 250,000 inhabitants during Ephesus III, which would make it perhaps the fourth largest of its day behind:
1) Rome;
2) Alexandria; and
3) An Antioch. This large a city was an economic stronghold in Asia Minor, and justified the title supreme metropolis of Asia though there is an evidence that its overall economic standing may have been slowly declining

Ephesus, having been once the most important commercial center of the western Anatolia, is now one of the highlights of Turkey that is visited by thousands of tourists. The extensive ruins include the theatre, library, gymnasium, temples and create the special atmosphere of Ephesus. Ephesus was also a religious center of the early Christianity and today, a unique tourism center appealing to the visitors through the world.

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Ephesus Distances