The tour starts with pickup from your hotel at about 9 am. First you go to the house of Virgin Mary, a Catholic and Muslim shrine located on Mt. Koressos (Bülbüldağı, "Mount Nightingale") 7 kilometres from Selçuk. Catholic pilgrims visit the house based on the belief that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was taken to this stone house by Saint John and lived there the last years of her life.
Next you go to the ancient city of Ephesus, which was first an ancient Greek city, and later a major Roman city. It was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League during the Classical Greek era. In the Roman period, Ephesus had a population of more than 250,000 in the 1st century BC, which made it one of the largest cities in the Mediterranean.
After lunch you visit the site of the temple of Artemis which was one of the seven wonders in the ancient world. Only one of the columns of the temples has survived the fire and numerous earthquakes.
After that you go to the Basilica of St John, which was built in Ephesus. It was constructed by Justinian I in the 6th century. It stands over the believed burial site of John the Apostle. It was modelled after the now lost Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople.
You can also visit the Isabey Mosque, built in 1374-1375, one of the oldest and most impressive works of architectural art remaining from the Anatolian beyliks. It was built by the architect Şamlı Dımışklıoğlu Ali in honor of the Aydinid İsa Bey. In the 19th century, it was also used as a caravanserai.
*This tour is also available as a private tour (for the minimum of 2 people)
