Library of Celsus

The library of Celsus is an ancient Roman building in Ephesus, Anatolia. It was built in honor of the Roman Senator Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaenus.

The interior of the library and all its books were destroyed by fire in the devastating earthquake. Only the facade survived. About 400 AD, the library was transformed into a Nymphaeum. The facade was completely destroyed by a later earthquake, likely in the late Byzantine period.

In a massive restoration which is considered to be very true to the historic building.

The library was built to store 12,000 scrolls and to serve as a monumental tomb for Celsus. Celsus is buried in a sarcophagus beneath the library, in the main entrance which is both a crypt containing his sarcophagus and a sepulchral monument to him. It was unusual to be buried within a library or even within city limits, so this was a special honor for Celsus.