Selçuk is 73 km southwest of İzmir, and houses some of the most important historical sites and artworks of İzmir. It is a religious center with a history dating back to 6000 BC. Selçuk was the paganism center of the antique pagans. The Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, is a precious heritage of both Selçuk and the world. The 125 m. long and 60 m. wide, temple was found in 1869 and is now exhibited at the British Museum in London.

The Basilica of St. John, one of the important places visited by the Christians, is in Selçuk. St.John, one of the apostles of Jesus to whom Virgin Mary was entrusted, spent his last years in Selçuk, where he wrote the first bible and died. His tomb is inside the church where the monograms of the Emperor Justinian and the Empress Theodora are engraved on its column heads. The Selçuk Castle, above the Basilica of St. John, was built by the Aydınoğulları Sultanate. There is a mosque and water cistern inside the castle which has 15 bastions.

The Isa Bey Cami (Isa Bey Mosque), an outstanding artwork of the Selçuk architecture is one of the oldest and most important samples of the Anatolian mosques. The House of Virgin Mary is another sacred place of Selçuk. It is known that 4 or 6 years after Jesus was crucified, Virgin Mary and St.John came to Selçuk. The house was found in 1891 by the Lazarian priests. It has been considered an extremely important discovery to have enlightened the Christian world. The house is considered a place of pilgrimage by the Christians and respected as sacred by the Muslims.

Ephesus

Adress: Site entry 4 km (2½ mi) west of Selçuk on

Selçuk-Ephesus Road Ephesus İzmir

Phone: +90 232 892 60 10

 

Visiting Details

Open everyday

Open from 08:00-17:00

Entrance Fee: 15 TL

3 km west of Selçuk, is one of the most important antique cities of the world. The 24.500 people capacity theatre, the parliament building, the commercial and state agoras, the Celsius Library, the baths, the city gates, the monuments, the fountains, the Temple of Hadrian, the Hillside Houses of Roman nobles and the Cave of the Seven Sleepers, which is one of the sacred places of Christianity, are among the most important and magnificent archaeological sites in Ephesus. Ephesus, one of the most important cities of the Antique Ion Union, is also one of the 7 Holly Churches mentioned in the Bible.

Ephesos Museum

Adress: Kuşadası Caddesi Selçuk/İzmir

Phone: +90 232 892 60 10

 

Visiting Details

Closed on Monday

Open from 09:00-17:00

Entrance Fee: 2.50 TL/ Reduced Fee: 1 TL

1000 pieces of artifact found during the excavations in Ephesos antique city are exhibited on a 5000 m2 area, consisting of a single floor building with four halls and a courtyard. It is Izmir’s most visted museum with artworks of high cultural calue where thousands more are kept in storage rooms due to lack of display space.

Şirince is a lovely mountain village 8 km. from Selçuk. There are two churches, a monastery and houses that reflect the traditional Anatolian architecture. The beautiful houses are used as lodgings nowadays. It is also famous for its homemade wine and tasty pancakes.