A visit to Ephesus, once the commercial center of the ancient world, is a highlight of any visit Turkey. The city, whose wealth and patronage supported its splendid architectural program, was dedicated to the Goddess Artemis. Her enormous temple, once considered one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world and rebuilt several times, dates in its latest form from the third century B.C. The ruins also include a theater, gymnasium, agora and baths, as well as the Library Celsus. The nearby town, Selçuk, is dominated by a Byzantine Citadel which stands close to the 6th century basilica of St. John built on the site of the Apostle’s tomb. The 14th century Isa Bey mosque, next to the basilica is accessed through its typical Selçuk portal. The archaeological museum houses an impressive collection statues and other finds recovered during the excavations of Ephesus. It is recorded that St. John brought Virgin Mary to Ephesus after the death of Christ and that she spent her last days in a small house built for her on Bülbüldağı (Mt. Koressos). Now a popular place of pilgrimage for Christians and Muslims the house has received the offical sanction of the Vatican and Christians observe a commemoration ceremony every year on August. The tour will start from your hotel or airport and the duration is fullday. The lunch will be served in a local restaurant. The drop off will be at your hotel or at the İzmir airport.

Once a great center of culture, survives as one of Turkey’s finest archaheological sites. On the Acropolis, a hill above the modern town, are the remains of the celebrated library, a steep and impressive theatre, the temples of Trajan and Dionysus, the monumental altar of Zeus, the sanctuary of Demeter, a gymnasium laid out on three terraces and the Agora. The Asclepion, located to the southwest of the lower city, was a sanctuary dedicated to the God of health, Asclepios. The Archaeological Museum nearby is the site of a temple dedicated to Serapis, later one of the Seven Churches of Apocalypse and subsequently converted by the Byzantians into a basilica. The ruins of ancient Sart (Sardis), once the capital of the Lydian realm of Croesus, lie on the Sart river ( Pactole River). Here the first coins were minted. The Temple of Artemis and a restored gymnasium testify to the city’s past splendor, as does the important third-century A.D. synagogue.