Grand fortress of Selcuk and part of St.John's Basilica in Ephesus.

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Selçuk

Were it not for nearby Ephesus, Selçuk might be just another Turkish farming town with a weekly produce market and ploughs rusting away on side streets. That said, the gateway to Ephesus does have plenty of its own attractions – many topped with a picture-perfect stork's nest: Roman/Byzantine aqueduct arches, a lone pillar remaining from one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the hilltop Byzantine ruins of the Basilica of St John and Ayasuluk Fortress.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Ayasuluk Fortress

    Ayasuluk Fortress

    Selçuk

    Selçuk’s crowning achievement is accessed on the same ticket as the Basilica of St John, once the citadel's principal structure. Earlier and extensive…

  • Ephesus Museum

    Ephesus Museum

    Selçuk

    An essential stop on every Ephesus itinerary, this small museum contains artefacts from the ancient city, including scales, jewellery and cosmetic boxes…

  • Basilica of St John

    Basilica of St John

    Selçuk

    Despite a century of restoration, the once-great basilica built by Byzantine Emperor Justinian (r 527–565) remains a skeleton of its former self…

  • Temple of Artemis

    Temple of Artemis

    Selçuk

    In an empty field to the west of the centre, this lone reconstructed pillar is all that remains of the massive Temple of Artemis (or Artemision), built…

  • İsa Bey Camii

    İsa Bey Camii

    Selçuk

    At the southern base of Ayasuluk Hill, this imposing mosque was built in a post-Seljuk/pre-Ottoman transitional style, when Selçuk was capital of the…

  • Çamlık Steam Locomotive Museum

    Çamlık Steam Locomotive Museum

    Selçuk

    Trainspotters will delight in this open-air museum, in an attractively landscaped site, which has three-dozen rusting steam locomotives, some as old as…

  • Roman & Byzantine Aqueduct

    Roman & Byzantine Aqueduct

    Selçuk

    Running eastward from the southern base of Ayasuluk Hill, the remains of this long and quite tall Roman and Byzantine aqueduct are festively adorned with…

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