Turkey / Ephesus / Library of Celsus

— Ancient Ruin

Library of Celsus

Last updated: August 2026 Read time: 3 min

Location Ephesus Ancient City

Hours 08:00–21:30 (Apr–Oct) 08:00–18:00 (Nov–Mar) Last entry: 1 hour before closing

Ticket price from $44 (Ephesus general admission)

Typical visit 20–30 minutes

Nearest transport Midway along the main Ephesus path

Library of Celsus Ephesus — The Library of Celsus is a monumental Roman library facade in Ephesus, built between 110 and 135 AD as a funerary monument for Roman Senator Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, once the third-largest library in the ancient world. Its two-story facade is the single most photographed structure in Turkey’s ancient ruins.

Why visit the Library of Celsus? (Library of Celsus Ephesus)

Celsus’s son, Tiberius Julius Aquila, commissioned the library to honor his father, a distinguished Roman official who governed Asia — combining a monumental public library with Celsus’s own tomb beneath the building, an unusual dual function for a structure of this scale. The facade, with its two levels of columns and niches originally holding statues representing wisdom, knowledge, intelligence and virtue, survives largely intact despite the building’s interior having been destroyed by fire and later earthquakes. Though only the facade remains standing, it consistently exceeds visitor expectations regardless of how many photographs they’ve seen beforehand — the scale and detail read very differently in person.

Source: UNESCO World Heritage — Ephesus.

What should I know before visiting?

Included within general Ephesus admission — no separate ticket required.
The area in front of the library gets crowded quickly once cruise-ship tour groups arrive, typically mid-morning.
Photography is unrestricted; early morning light works best for the facade.
The library sits partway along the site’s main path, roughly midway between the Upper and Lower Gates.

How much are tickets and what are the hours?

Covered by the general Ephesus admission of approximately €40. Open daily, roughly 08:00–18:00, with extended summer hours until 21:30 from April through October.

How do I get to the Library of Celsus from Ephesus center?

The library sits along the main site path, roughly a 15–20 minute walk downhill from the Upper Gate, or a shorter walk up from the Lower Gate.