Day 01
Ephesus Ancient City and House of Mother Mary
- Connect with your tour representative to start the program itinerary.
- Begin with a visit to Ephesus, which became a trade center of the ancient world because it stood at the point where trade roads ended by land and continued to Europe by sea through the city's harbours. Ephesus was also an important cult center of the Mother Goddess, Kybele or Artemis, in the Greek period, and later these female figures were associated with Mother Mary. It is considered one of the best-preserved ancient cities from the Greco-Roman period, where you can easily imagine how people lived 2,000 years ago.
- Head to the ruins of the ancient city of Ephesus and walk through its original 2,000-year-old streets. Enter from the upper gate, which leads into the official part of the city. First, visit the Bouleuterion, the parliament building of the city. Do not expect to see a king's palace here, because Ephesus was never a kingdom. After Greek colonization, the city became part of a Greek federation, and in the 1st century B.C., Ephesus became a state of the Roman Empire. That is why you will see Greek and Roman styles together in the city's architecture.
- After walking down to Domitian's Square, see the beautiful Nike relief.
- Next, pass through the Hercules Gate, where you will have a general view of the city center. Stroll by the Trajan Fountain, Hadrian Temple, and public toilets, and reach the most important monument in Ephesus, the Library of Celsus.
- The last exploration point will be the great public theatre, which has a capacity of 25,000 people and is one of the biggest in the world. Another visit during the tour will be the House of the Virgin Mary. It is believed that after Jesus' crucifixion, he left his mother in the care of St. John the Evangelist. Because of his mission, St. John travelled to Ephesus with Mother Mary, where the Virgin Mary spent her last days and died. The Vatican has recognized this small house as the final resting place of the Virgin Mary. Before the Christian period, Ephesus was the major center of Artemis worship, and one of the most spectacular temples of all time was built here for Artemis. We call it the Artemision, or Temple of Artemis. The Temple of Artemis was a pilgrim center for pagans of that time and was also the very first example of banking in history, as merchants left their valuable belongings to the mercy of Artemis. Today, only one column remains from the temple, but the view from the site is spectacular.
- Afterwards, proceed to Isabey Mosque, situated in Selçuk town, in the old center of Selçuk and surrounded by old Turkish houses. This mosque dates from the 14th century, during the Turkish period, and was built before the conquest of Istanbul, which makes this modest mosque very different from imperial Islamic architecture.
- There will be excursions for local arts, such as a pottery lecture on giving shape to clay, a weaving course on gathering silk from cocoons and weaving handmade carpets, and also visits for local tastes, including traditional Turkish food.
- Later, also go to the leather fashion show.
Tour ends.
