Selçuk, one of the favorite districts of İzmir, manages to attract the attention of many people thanks to its cultural richness. The history of the district, which dates back to 9000 years ago, makes it lucky in terms of historical buildings. When you come to Selçuk, you can still hear the breathing of history.
İzmir’s Selçuk district, which hosts another secret at every step of its geography, is not one of the places to visit superficially. When you come here, it is useful to give your full attention to the sightseeing places.
Valuable structures give you information about history, culture, civilization and religious developments. Prehistoric, Byzantine, Archaic, Roman, Hellenistic, Seljuk, Aydınoğulları and Ottoman periods are all together in Selçuk. In addition, these artifacts from centuries ago have even adapted to daily life.
Places to Visit in Izmir Selcuk District
Ayasuluk Castle
Another name for this place is Selçuk Castle. In addition, Ayasuluk Hill has a great meaning for Ephesus. This place, which is the first settlement of the district, is also very lucky in terms of archaeological artifacts.
Witnessing the Byzantine, Aydınoğulları and Ottoman periods, the fortress has 15 towers and 2 gates. The mosques, cisterns and baths here still carry the characteristics of the first day.
To reach Ayasuluk Castle, it is enough to head for the hill on the left after entering Selçuk with your own vehicle. The cost of climbing Ayasuluk Hill and watching a magnificent view of Selcuk is only 15 TL.
st. John’s Basilica
Another place you can see when you come to Ayasuluk Hill is St. John’s Basilica.
Hz. St. John, the youngest and also his favorite apostle of Jesus, came to Ephesus with the Virgin Mary. He is keeping an eye on her at the request of Jesus. This basilica, which is very important for Christians, was built on the tomb of St. John.
Right after the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, St. John’s Basilica is also on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
You can visit this place, where millions of Christians come to be pilgrims every year, by paying an entrance fee of 15 TL.
Isa Bey Mosque
Isa Bey Mosque, which was completed in 1375 and is one of the first mosques in Anatolia, is located on Ayasuluk Hill.
You can be enchanted when you enter this mosque, which was built by Isa Bey, one of the most important leaders of the Aydınoğulları Principality. It is possible to find yourself in a completely different world as soon as you step into the mosque through a magnificent door.
You can visit the Isa Bey Mosque, which displays the most beautiful examples of cut stone, without paying an entrance fee.
The Temple of Artemis
In ancient times, it was quite a development that the main material of a building was marble. The Temple of Artemis, dedicated to the Goddess Artemis , is a marble structure that is 125 meters long, 25 meters high and 65 meters wide. This place, which made a lot of noise at that time, was a place used by the Ephesians to express their belief in the goddess. Also, this place was used as a marketplace at certain times.
You can visit this place, which has very few works now, for free. After entering Selcuk, you can take the small minibuses at the terminal or you can reach the Temple of Artemis with a 15-20 minute walk.
If you are going to come here with your own vehicle, it is enough to take the road to the Ancient City of Ephesus and proceed a little.
Ephesus Ancient City
Ephesus Ancient City is the most important place at the top of our list of Ancient Cities in Izmir and making the name of Selçuk known. Every year, millions of local and foreign tourists hit the road to see this place.
This structure, which includes the Hellenistic and Roman periods, can be seen as the best example of urbanization. This place, whose urban planning is quite good, is also quite solid. Artifacts reflecting the Roman period, giant monuments, magnificent city gates, trade houses, sanctuaries, areas special to the upper classes of the city reveal the conditions of the period.
You need to spend more than 3 hours in order to visit the city, which is built on a wide area.
You should definitely see Liman Street, Meryem Church, Celsus Library, Marble Street, Love House and Curetes Street in the city.
You can reach the ancient city of Ephesus, which is 3.5 km away from Selçuk, from the center by your own vehicle or by minibuses.
If you use Müzekart , you have the right to enter here twice in a year, and if you use Müzekart+, you have unlimited access. The normal entrance fee is 60 TL.
the House of the Virgin Mary
The House of Virgin Mary is of great importance for both Christian and Muslim people. Hz. Jesus’ mother It is believed that Mary lived here with St. John and died here.
There are opening and closing hours for the House of Virgin Mary, which Christians see and visit as a religious ritual. These hours change from 08.00-17.00 in summer to 08.00-18.00 in winter.
You can follow the signs or choose minibus services to reach the House of Virgin Mary, located on the upper side of the Ephesus Ancient City.
The entrance fee is 10 TL for domestic tourists and 35 TL for foreign tourists.
How to go to Selcuk?
You have multiple options to reach Selçuk. If you are going to come here from a very far place , the easiest way to reach Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport is by plane. If you wish, you can reach Selçuk within 1 hour by renting a car from here and entering the İzmir – Aydın highway.
If you want to use the rail systems, you can reach Selçuk by taking İZBAN from İzmir and transferring at Tepeköy. You have to pay an additional fee for this trip to 2.60 İZBAN fees.
If you want to reach Selçuk from Basmane Train Station, it is enough to take the Denizli train. After a 1-hour journey, you can get off at Selçuk Train Station.
If you want to go to Selçuk without transferring and using a single vehicle, many bus companies now have flights to this place. You can choose the buses that go to Selçuk from your city. The duration of the journey will of course differ depending on the city you will come to Selçuk.
