Shore Excursions from Kusadasi Port
Tours Detail
When
your cruise ship docks your professional tour guide will be awaiting you with a
board where your name is written at the arrival gate of the Port. Then you will
join your guide to get to the van. After 30 min. driving you will be arrived to
Selcuk town where Ephesus ruins stand.
Firstly,
you will stop in Ephesus Ancient City. The
extensive ruins which include Varius Bath Complex, The Odeon, State Agora, The
Temples of Dea Roma, Prytaneion, Domitian Square, Hercules Gate, Curetes
Street, The Fountain of Trajan, The Baths of Scholastica, Temple of Hadrian,
Celsius Library, The Gymnasium, Great Theatre.. And much more monuments stand
in the special atmosphere of Ephesus, charming each one. Once it was a commerce
and trade center of the ancient world, later on became a sacred religious place
of the early Christianity and today, a famous and unique tourism center proving
all its perfects to the visitors as one of the biggest open air museum in the
world.
Next
stop is to visit The House of Virgin Mary, the
place where it is believed that she had spent last years of her life. It is
considered that St. John brought Virgin Mary to Ephesus after the crucifixion
of Jesus Christ and that a small house was built for her on Bulbul Mountain. On
July 26, 1967, Pope Paul VI visited The House of Virgin Mary and declared one
of the pilgrimage center.
Then
drive to the Isa Bey Mosque which was
constructed in 14th AD as a first mosque of turkish people in Asia Minor. Then
we are going to visit one of the oldest mosques of Turkey, Isa Bey Mosque was
built by order of the leader of Turks(Mr. Isa) in 1375. It is the first example
among all mosques which was constructed with a courtyard in Turkey. You can see
transitional differences from Seljuks to Ottoman architecture.
Then
drive to the Temple of Artemis which was
one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, although there is one single
column left today, magnificient temple had been built for the goddess of
fertility and hunters, Artemis, known as Diana after city passed under the rule
of Romans.
To
the end of your tour you are going to have chance to see a cooperative where
turkish hand-made rugs carpets and klimms are weaven by ladies who comes from
different villages around ephesus ancient city. Drive back to the port.
Ancient
city of Ephesus it's an open air museum and includes
2 km. walking. Sun-cream-umbrella or hat is really recommended.