Ephesus was a very important city located on western seaboard of present day Turkey. Over the centuries, a succession of empires, Greek, Persian, Roman, Byzantine and, finally, Ottoman ruled over the port city. Ephesus commanded the west end of the great trade route into Asia, the silk road, and had a harbor which exported products to Greece, Italy and the rest of the Roman lands.

After Christianity became the dominant religion, Ephesus fell into decline. The streets, once adorned with statuary, highly maintained and lighted by the oil lamps at night, fell into decay and darkness. Earthquakes had reduced access to the sea to frequently silted up rivers and Ephesus was never again a great city of trade and importance.