Were it not for nearby Ephesus, Selçuk might be just another Turkish farming town, with its lively weekly markets 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.

Like all small places catering to short-term visitors, there is plenty of competition in the local tourism trade, which can result in both good deals for visitors and less-than-welcome pressure. Yet all in all, Selçuk remains a likeable, down-to-earth place, mixing a traditional country feel with a tourist buzz and family-run pensions offering a taste of Turkish hospitality and home cooking.

Ephesus – The ruins of Ephesus  is one of the best preserved ancient cities of the world. It was built by Attic and Ionian Greek colonists in the 10BC and it is a very important UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE site. The city was famed for the nearby Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Ephesus is also an important place for Christians. Ephesus was one of the seven churches of Asia Minor.

The original site of Ancient Ephesus was most likely established on the Aegean coast, on the shores of that sea which today is located 8 km. away from the archaeological excavations. Over the centuries, in fact, the rubble brought onto the plain of the “Kucuk Menderes” has enlarged the alluvial plain surrounding the archaeological zone, leaving behind in actual fact the shores of the Aegean.

Ephesus is considered one of the greatest outdoor museums of Turkey, in fact perhaps of the world.