ITINERARY

• Ephesus ancient city or Museum of Ephesus or both. The ancient city of Ephesus awaits its visitors with its magnificent architectural structures in the ancient city, which date back to the 9th millennium BC and is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Ephesus Ancient City, which contains the symbols that shed light on the superior urbanization, architecture, and religious history of the Hellenistic and Roman periods, has the most important architectural and urban planning examples from different periods. Ephesus Archaeological Museum, besides the antiques, excavated from the ancient city of Ephesus and its vicinity, which are belong to Mycenean, Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk, and Ottoman periods as important works of the cycle, as well as its cultural activities and visitors capacity stands out among one of Turkey's most important museums.
• In the House of Virgin Mary, declared holy by the Vatican, Muslims as well as Christians from all over the world pray and make offerings to fulfil their pilgrimage. In the Virgin Mary House, which is a sacred place for Christians all over the world, believers from all religions pray, and tourists make their visits. Olive trees on both sides of the path leading to the house of the Virgin Mary were planted by Lazarist monks in 1898. The statue of Mary, located at the end of the road with olives, is the gift of a religious community in Izmir and bears the date of 1867. The visit to the Virgin Mary House ends with three fountains reached by descending the stairs on the right after leaving the church. Drinkable water flows from the fountains, and from the wells next to the church. Visitors do not only taste this water in the belief that it is healing but also take the water with them.
• Ephesus Museum is one of the most important museums in Turkey with its cultural organizations and the number of visitors, exhibiting distinguished works from the Mycenaean, Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman periods. Since the finds of the ancient city are mainly exhibited in the museum, the remains are grouped according to the place where they were excavated instead of a chronological and typological presentation. For this reason, the halls of the museum are arranged as Hillside Houses and House Antique Hall, Coin and Treasure Hall, Grave Antique Hall, Ephesus Artemis Hall and Imperial Cult Hall. In addition to these halls, various architectural and sculptural works in harmony with the garden decor are exhibited in the inner and middle gardens. Among the most famous statues are the two great Artemis, Head of Eros, Eros with Dolphin and Head of Socrates.
• The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, In Ionia, the "Lady of Ephesus", a goddess identified by the Hellenes as Artemis, was the principal deity and played a major role in the fame of the city. She embodies the characteristics of multiple gods and that is the reason why pagan cultures of the time embraced her. Ancient pagans believed Artemis to be the continuation of Hittite Kubaba and Phrygian Kybele. The consensus among historians is that Kybele had transformed into Artemis over time, phase by phase. Artemis Temple kept its distinguished place all through the Hellenistic and Roman periods, hosting visitors from all around the world on its vast lands and also functioning as an international bank.
• The church stands near the remnants of the Temple of Artemis, creating a matched set of two great religious landmarks now fallen into ruin. The basilica, is a promontory that overlooks the town of Selcuk and the surrounding valley. Its scattered stones and low-lying walls only hint at the immense building that once stood here. Built in the 6'th century by the Emperor Justinian, it was once one of the largest and most important churches in Christendom. The building had great prominence because it was believed that the body of the apostle John was buried there. Now it must be said that although the historical evidence is strong for Paul’s presence in Ephesus, John’s connection to the area is less certain. But while there is no biblical mention of John’s being here, early Church tradition strongly links the apostle to that city. One possibility is that John came to Asia Minor to assume leadership of the growing Church communities there after the martyrdom of Peter and Paul in Rome.