Cave of the Seven Sleepers

On the eastern slope of Mount Pion, about a kilometre from the Ephesus site, the so-called Cave of the Seven Sleepers is a Byzantine catacomb complex carved into the rock — a series of small chambers cut for burial, with the remains of frescoes and inscriptions identifying the tombs of the legendary seven youths. The Christian pilgrimage to the site was already well established by the 5th century.

The cave is small and the visit takes twenty minutes, but the spot is atmospheric. There is a small village teahouse beside the path leading to it where you can sit afterwards. Take the dolmuş from Selçuk town centre, or walk from the Ephesus East Gate in about fifteen minutes.

things to do sight
A story
The legend, recounted in both Christian and Islamic traditions (it appears in Surah 18 of the Quran), tells of seven young men who hid in this cave during the persecutions under Emperor Decius in the 3rd century AD. They fell asleep, woke after what they thought was a single night, and went into the city to buy food — only to discover that 200 years had passed, Christianity had become the state religion, and the coins they were spending had been out of circulation for generations.