The article discusses the introduction of Ottoman legislation on antiquities and its implication for the Ephesus excavations of 1863–1874, led by John Turtle Wood on behalf of the British Museum. It is argued that instrumental in the termination of the archaeological works at the site was the Ottoman law on antiquities of 1874, which was about to be promulgated and the recurrent difficulties in obtaining renewal of a firman, necessary for any archaeological endeavours undertaken by foreigners. Attention is drawn to the close relationship between the rise of the Imperial Museum in Istanbul, the promulgation and implementation of the Ottoman legislation on antiquities and their effect on circumscribing the archaeological activities of foreign nations. Growing contemporary Ottoman interest in antiquities, reflecting an increased awareness of their role in the re-definition of the identity of the country, laying claim to participation in European culture, is briefly touched upon.