Due to dwindling finances, we could only really spend 3 weeks in Turkey, and so had to limit where we travelled to. A must see for me was Ephesus.
We went there via Izmir, where we spent a few days. It was also well worth going to, with a great castle, Roman ruins and a nice seaside vibe.
We then caught the train to Selcuk, a lovely town that is only a few kilometres from Ephesus. It is well worth stopping at for a few days as it has a lot to see besides Ephesus – St Johns Basilica, the Virgin Mary’s house, The Temple of Artemis, a number of other interesting older buildings. There’s also a really beautiful village called Sirince just 8km away which is an easy 20 minute trip by local bus.
The main site I wanted to see was the ancient city of Ephesus, once home to 200,0000 people, and now a well-preserved tourist attraction. Here’s some photos of Ephesus and Selcuk.
The Roman aqueduct in Selcuk
Message of prayer at St Mary’s House near Selcuk. A lot of the messages seemed to be prayers for wealth. Very Christian.
Selcuk Castle at night
St John’s tomb in Selcuk
THe view from St Johns Basilicia, Ephesus
The library in Ephesus
The main promenade in Ephesus. Back in the day this path was lined with dozens of statues.
The main amphitheatre at Ephesus, which seats 20,000 people. St Paul make his famous speech here, to try and convert the population to Christianity. It didn’t go down too well.
The main amphitheatre in Ephesus, used for theatre and later on gladiator fights, when the population got bored with theatre.
The one remaining pillar of the once great Temple of Artemis, Selcuk, one of the wonders of the ancient world. NIkki is taking photos of turtles.
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