1.
Unique Ephesus Tours will meet you at the kusadası port
1 minute
2. Kusadasi
Kusadasi Turkey is the most popular in Aydin Province, which is located around 56 miles south of Izmir at the Aegean Coast of Turkey. It is called since from an angle from the sea, the peninsula resembles the head of a bird, thus, "kus" for bird and �ada� for island as Kusadasi..
It is usually said Kusadasi is one of the most beautiful cities facing the Aegean Sea since the scenery and landscape of the area is just as fascinatingly beautiful. Kusadasi has been a center of art, culture and history not only of Turkey but also of many civilizations since it was founded in 3000 B.C. Today, Kusadasi resembles a modern European city. Because of hot Mediterranean climate for roughly 92% of the year, so Kusadasi in Turkey has become one of the most traveled destinations in Europe.
The city has an open sea side at the back of the peninsula, where public beaches are located. Among the most popular swimming spots in Kusadasi district is the Ladies Beach, Bird Island Beach and on and on
3. Ancient City of Ephesus
According to Greek mythology, the ancient city of Ephesus was established by Greeks in 11 Century B.C. by Androclos, the son of legendary King of Athens. He asked the oracles in Delphi where and how he could find a new settlement for Greeks. The answer of oracles was very interesting and simple.
According to oracles a wild boar and a fish would lead them to the site of the new settlement. One day, Androklos and his friends were cooking fish on an open fire, when a fish flew from the pan into the nearby bushes. Sparks from the fire also ignited the bushes and as they flared up, a wild boar ran out of the bushes to escape from the flames. Androklos pursued and killed the boar. Then he recalled the words of the oracles and built his city on this site.
2 hours
4. Meryemana (The Virgin Mary's House)
It is known with certainty that the Virgin Mary went to Ephesus and lived there for some time. Whether or not she died in Ephesus was not known until Anne Catherine Emmerich’s vision. The stigmatized German nun who had never been to Ephesus had a vision of the House of the Virgin Mary and described it in detail to the German writer Clemens Brentano who later published a book about it. Catherine Emmerich died in 1884. In 1891 Paul, Superior of the Lazarists from Izmir read about her vision and found a little building which corresponded with Emmerich’s descriptions. Archeological evidence showed that the little house was from the 6C AD but that the foundations were from the 1C AD.
This place was officially declared a shrine of the Roman Catholic Church in 1896, and since then it has become a popular place of pilgrimage. Pope Paul VI visited the shrine in 1967, Pope John Paul II in 1979 and Pope Benedict XVI in 2006.
45 minutes
5. Kusadasi Castle
Kuşadası's small, picturesque Byzantine fortress stands on the causeway-connected Güvercin Adası (Pigeon Island) and has recently been renovated. It's now part of a popular and well-kept public park. A path winds around the island past excellent information boards and a small lighthouse, providing fine views of Kuşadası. Inside the fortress there's a skeleton of a 14.5m fin whale and a few models of sailing boats.
6. Selcuk
An ideal base camp for exploring the Aegean coastline, Selcuk draws big tourist crowds due to its proximity to the ancient city of Ephesus. The ruins of this ancient Greek settlement represent one of Turkey's best-preserved archaeological sites, allowing visitors to peel back nearly 3,000 years of history and learn about the region's rich cultural heritage. Selcuk itself remains a relatively small town, making up for its lack of modern tourist attractions with hospitality and a laid-back atmosphere. Walk through the compact city center to see the remains of an ancient Roman aqueduct and the ruins of a Byzantine citadel.
7. The Temple of Artemis
Artemis was the Greek goddess, the virginal huntress and twin of Apollo, who replaced the Titan Selene as Goddess of the Moon.
At Ephesus a goddess whom the Greeks associated with Artemis was passionately venerated in an archaic icon. The original was carved of wood, with many breast-like protuberances apparently emphasizing fertility over the virginity traditionally associated with the Greek Artemis. Like Near Eastern and Egyptian deities (and unlike Grek ones), her body and legs are enclosed within a tapering pillar-like term, from which her feet protrude.
On the coins minted at Ephesus, the many-breasted Goddess wears a mural crown (like a city’s walls). She rests either arm on a staff formed of entwined serpents or of a stack of ouroboroi the eternal serpent with its tail in its mouth. Like Cybele, the goddess at Ephesus was served by hierodules called megabyzae, and by maidens (korai).
A votive inscription dating from about the 3rd century BC associates Ephesian Artemis with Crete: “To the Healer of diseases, to Apollo, Giver of Light to mortals, Eutyches has set up in votive offering (a statue of) the Cretan Lady of Ephesus, the Light-Bearer.”
For a more in-depth look at Artemis of Ephesus and the role she played in Ephesian life and religion, please see our special article on Artemis of Ephesus.
30 minutes
8. Ephesus Terrace Houses
A cluster of ancient 2-story homes spread across three tiers, the Ephesus Terrace Houses reveal how wealthy Romans lived during the city’s glory days. Glass floors let you admire geometric mosaics and still-colorful frescoes gleaming on the walls—it’s a small wonder some compare the site to Pompeii.
30 minutes
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