Mediterranean

EPHESUS
The Magnesia Gate entrance leads to a downhill, marble-paved road into the ruins of this Roman provincial capital and continues past the Odeum, the Celsus Library, the Temple of Hadrian, the Fountain of Trajan and the Great Theatre. The theatre had seating for 25,000, and is the site where St. Paul preached to the Ephesians.

BASILICA OF ST. JOHN
Built by the Emperor Justinian over the tomb of St. John the Apostle, the Basilica, now in ruins, apart from a number of graceful columns and colourful mosaics, once rivaled St. Sophia in size.

HOUSE OF THE VIRGIN MARY
The Vatican has recognised this small house in the Solmissos Mountains as the final resting place of the Virgin Mary. A small shrine dedicated to St. Mary was found when the ruins of the house were first discovered.

EPHESUS MUSEUM
This small museum in Selcuk boasts an incredible collection of Hellenistic and Roman statues, carved reliefs and artifacts unearthed from the ruins of Ephesus.

ST. MARY'S CHURCH
Located inside Ephesus, the church was used for the education of the Ephesian priests and is believed to be the first church dedicated to the Virgin Mary in the World. The Third Ecumenical Council was held in this building in 431 A.D.

MILETUS
These ancient ruins lie on a hill near the Aegean Sea and feature an ancient theatre, built around 4th-century B.C. to accommodate over 15,000 spectators along with the well-preserved Bath of Faustina, named after the wife of Marcus Aurelius, who ordered their construction.

DIDYMA
The entrance to the Temple of Apollo, one of the largest temples from the Helenistic Period, is marked by a marble Persian lion. A grand stairway leads to 103 remarkably well-preserved Ionian columns, some still stretching toward the heavens. The colossal scale of the monument, intended to dwarf the pilgrim, placed man in an inferior relationship with the gods.

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