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According to legend, seven young Christians living in the reign of the emperor Decius (around 250 AD.) refused to offer the required sacrifices at the emperor's shrine, and escaped from the town to hide in this cave. Some time later they are said to have fallen asleep, and slept for so long that when they woke up and went out for food, they found that the city had completely changed, and along with it the emperor's rule. With some surprise they realise that they have been asleep for 200 years, and that Christianity has spread throughout Ephesus. In the Koran, it is claimed that the sleepers slept 309 years in their tombs. A church has been built above this Grotto by the Christians.
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North Africa/Middle East
