So amazing to be able to visit the Temple of Apollo at Didyma. Also known as Didymaion, it was the…read morefourth largest temple in the ancient Greek world. Lucky to be able to visit on a sunny day with Ahmet from Tura Turizm. He pointed out so many unique features from sculptures of Medusa to the details on the soaring columns. Loved the history lesson followed by free time to explore the massive ancient temple. The temple's oracle, second in importance only to that at Delphi, played a significant role in the religious and political life of the Greco-Roman world. Many powerful rulers, from Alexander the Great to the Roman emperor Diocletian visited the oracle seeking the guidance and favor of Apollo. The temple was later converted into a church during the 5th or 6th century CE. The Didymaion was the third and largest temple that the Greeks built around the site of a natural spring. The spring was believed to be the source of the oracle's prophetic power. After the second temple was plundered and destroyed, legend stated that the sacred spring ceased to flow until Alexander the Great passed through on a conquest of his own and re-consecrated the site in 331 BCE. Not so coincidentally, the first recorded pronouncements of the reestablished oracle were in favor of the young Macedonian king. As was common for Greek temples of such an immense size, construction continued for centuries and the temple was never completed. For hundreds of years, the temple lacked a pediment and sculptural ornamentation. Several of the massive columns remained unfinished. Even so, the ruins today are still magnificent. While the exterior of the Didymaion appeared similar to an ordinary Greek temple, the interior was quite unique. Since the temple at Didyma was built around a sacred spring, the floor of the adyton had to be at ground level surrounding the sacred waters. To compensate for this issue, the ancient architects had to come up with a unique solution. They constructed two narrow vaulted tunnels that led from the top of the temple platform back down to the grassy floor of the adyton. This clever design allowed the Milesians to build a traditional-looking temple that rivaled the Artemision in Ephesus while also preserving the natural spring that had long been considered the sacred source of the oracle's power. The inner chamber of the Didymaion was open to the sky. This allowed the temple staff to cultivate a grove of sacred trees on the adyton floor. In this peaceful environment, nestled between trees and the sacred spring, stood a much smaller temple that held the cult statue of Apollo. Such a beautiful and impressive site. Definitely worth a visit to explore this ancient architectural masterpiece.

Such a historic site with the marble slab walkways and ancient ruins still standing. Close your…read moreeyes and you can imagine this beautiful place filled with the hustle and bustle of people walking down the streets. Ephesus is considered one of the greatest cities of the Western world and one of the 7 churches mentioned in the Holy Bible, thus an important part of Christian history. Highlights include the Theater carved into a hill, the Temple of Hadrian, The Gates of Hercules, The house of Mary and the impressive Library of Celsus. Our private guide walked us downhill which was a more impressive route than walking uphill like others were doing. The walkways can be slick in wet conditions, so take a walking stick to help. I don't think a trip to Turkey can be considered complete unless you come here to witness this amazing city formed back in 1000bc.

Ephesus is a historic landmark in Turkiye, founded around 600 BCE. Originally an ancient Greek…read morecity, it became under Roman rule in 129 BCE. Ephesus remained the most important city of the Byzantine Empire in Asia after Constantinople in the 5th and 6th centuries. Ephesus commanded the west end of a trade route to Asia so it was an important port city in its heyday. It boasted a Temple to Artemis, a Temple to Hadrian, a Library of Celsus, the massive Oedon Theatre, the last known home of the Virgin Mary, and some of the earliest Christian churches. Mark Antony was welcomed by Ephesus when he was proconsul and in 33 BC with Cleopatra when he gathered his fleet of 800 ships before the battle of Actium with Octavius. Ephesus is an ancient city with much historical significance. When we visited with our tour group, we were given a quick overview, entered the state-of-the-art museum, and explored the grounds. The site is massive. The ancient ruins are in fairly good condition considering and it is still an active archeological site. When you visit, marvel at the expansive stone lined streets of the agora, peer up at the arches, and wonder at how far humankind has come over the centuries.

Neat ruin site. Admission covered by museum Turkey pass. Not a ton of interpretive content on…read moresite so read background before visiting. Parking near site available. Not a destination but a nice stop if in Ephesus.

Another great place! So cool to visit where John, the beloved, was laid to rest. It's known he…read morereturned to Ephesus, after being exiled on Patmos, and that was where he passed away. So this is where his tomb is and in the 6th century, this large basilica was built over his tomb. However, earthquakes and the encroachment of the Turks resulted in the church being abandoned and relics lost. The original design of the church was laid out like a cross. Most of it is gone today, but you can still kind of see how it was set up. They have a replica of the grounds for Ephesus and the basilica so you can have an idea of what things looked like and how far apart they were. The renderings of the buildings are pretty cool. Such amazing history here!

Beş yildiz. Why? Because THIS is the symbol of Izmir. A…read morecity that I fell in love with back in 2007. It's located in the municipality of Konak. Pretty much all the financial areas and government buildings are in that area. The clock is super old. Like 1901 old. If you're in the 35 (Izmir's regional code) you should take a look.

Historical ruins... combination of Greek and Ottoman ruins... very well restored... they are still…read moreworking on bettering the place... they are currently building a visitor center.

We have seen reviews that are up and down, but we were really affected by our visit. This is…read morebelieved to be / could be the final house of the Virgin Mary. The house was destroyed except for the bottom two rows of bricks. It has been reconstructed and is now a shrine. There are 4 springs with "holy water" and a prayer wall. We found it very impactful to possibly be walking where the Virgin Mary and St John the Apostle walked.

Mary shrine. This is pit stop for our trip. This a last home place of Mary. It is a holy place that…read morefor worship due to last Mary Home. The place is very small. Our tour guide warn us about it. Sometimes take two hours to visit this small house. We were visited during the lunch time which is the less tour group here. It takes us 30 minutes.

I didn't research Bodrum at all before we arrived, so I was pretty impressed when the tour company…read morerepresentative mentioned one of the seven wonders of the ancient world being in Bodrum. The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus is well worth a visit if you're in the town, even just to say you've been and check out some rocks. Pretty much it's just a site of rubble, but you can't really complain - it was built in 350 BC. It's really easy to get to if you're in town, perhaps a 10 minute walk from the water taxi drop off. It's a simple site - just pay your 10 lira (£3) entrance fee and head in. The site is all laid out in front of you and it's a nice place for a walk around, you can go down right in to the base of it. There is an exhibition to the side with some explanatory panels and a TV room if you want to watch a presentation about it. There's seats too if you need to take a break (it gets very, very hot in the sun) and a toilet block. My favourite part about this is that the Mausoleum influenced the building of the Shrine of Remembrance in my home town, Melbourne. There's also some of the artwork from the Mausoleum at the British Museum if you fancy seeing more of it!

The ruins of one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Worth a visit but no high expectations…read more Some former knowledge of the Mausoleion's history is required.