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Day 1 : VISITING THE ANCIENT CITY OF EPHESUS
After landing to Izmir airport, your guide will be waiting you in the arrival guest terminal with a sign that your booking name indicated. After he/she welcomes you and you get on your private van, your unforgettable day in Turkey stop starts.
The ancient city of Ephesus which has been added to UNESCO鈥檚 World Heritage List following a vote in Bonn on July 5 in 2015, is one of the worlds greatest classical sites located in the Western coasts of Turkey. As being the best preserved ancient city in Anatolia so far discovered, each year this place hosts to millions of tourists who come to Turkey.
First of all you follow the way to Selcuk town which is a district of Izmir province. After an hour drive, 50 miles(80 km), you reach to Selcuk town where The Ancient City of Ephesus which is the best preserved ancient city in Anatolia so far discovered and your magical experience through a history starts.
Your first stop with your guide will be the visit to the House of Virgin Mary.
The House of Virgin Mary is located up on a mountain that it is beleived to have been the place where she lived and spent the last years of her life close by to the Ancient City of Ephesus whereas St.John the Apostle lived and passed away in this city.
At the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in Jeruselam, he entrusted mother Mary to St.John who was one of the beloved apostales of himself. After that, as the tradition says, St.John the apostale wanted to take Mary to safer place and he chose to come to the region of Ephesus in between 42 -48 AD back than. They both spent their last years in this area.
This place was officially declared a pilgrimage site of the Roman Catholic Church in 1896. Pope Paul VI visited the shrine in 1967, Pope Jean Paul II in 1979 and Pope Benedict XVI in 2006.
Even mainly a pilgrimage site for the Catholics, with its wonderful spot and peaceful energy up on the mountain in a forest areas, became a respectful place for the millions of people all around the world in which religion they belong to it does not matter鈥
After the visit in the House of Virgin Mary, your next stop will be The Ancient City of Ephesus.
Ephesus was inhabited from the end of the Bronze Age, but the location was changed owing to the silting up process of the river Cayster and because of various rulers. Carians and Lelegians were the city鈥檚 earliest inhabitants(7000 BC.), Ionian migrations began around 1200 BC and Ephesus is chiefly known as an Ionian Greek city. Although there had been a lot of civilizations passed through the region of Ephesus even with its different settlement areas(4 times changing the location of their city), the city that we visit today with all the ruins as being the best preserved ancient city in Anatolia so far discovered is the 3rd location of Ephesus as a Greko-Roman city dating back to the 3rd C BC.
Starting from the upper gate of the city you are going to be following the impressive marble streets of Ephesus with the explanations of your guide who makes you feel like having a journey back to the antiquity and especially to the Roman times as like taking a time machine back into those days鈥
First of all you start with the administrative part of the city where you see the ruins of The State Agora,Roman Baths, Basilica, Buleterion(Odeon),Prytaneion buildings. After ending the Administrative part of the city you reach to the Domitian Square where you see the ruins of Temple of Domitian,Pollio Fauntain,Memmius Monumet,relief of Nike(Victoria) and then the ordinary life of Ephesus starts where the massive buildings keeps welcoming you as well.
One of the most well known main Street in the city 鈥淭he Street of Curettes鈥 where you face the jewel of Ephesus which is 鈥淭he famous Library of Celsus鈥 comes with a panoramic unbelievable view.
This amazing view is going to be a 鈥淲ow鈥 for you. Then you start walking on the Street of Curettes on a colonnaded marble street as following the ruins of Gate of Hercules, ruins of the shops which were located behind the columns, The Trajan Fountain, The Scholastika Bath Complex, The Teracce Houses(the residentials of the wealthy families who lived in the city- Has an extra entrance fee), The Temple of Hadrian, Latrines(public toilets of the Romans),Brothel, famous Library of Celsus.
The Library of Celsus will be the ending of the first main Street and then the second main Street for the city comes as the Marble Street. The Street extends from the Library of Celsus till the famous big Grand Theater of Ephesus which is known as one of the largest example with its seating capacity in Anatolia so far discovered. On the way to the big grand Theater, you are going to get shocked seeing the first advertising in Ephesus on a marble peace on the floor showing the direction of 鈥 (?) Wait to learn from your guide about the funny story of it鈥
The impressive Commercial Agora (Market Place) which used to be the heart of the city as being the trade center of the Asia Minor for the Ephesians comes with an impressive view from a terrace on the Marble Street.
The last highlight comes as the big grand Theater of Ephesus with the capacity of 25.000 people which firstly was built as a Greek theater then later coverted into a Roman style. The Theater of Ephesus was the place where St.Paul the Apostle preached to the Ephesians.
You are going to feel the amazing acoustics inside the theater and you are going to be able to imagine that once there used to be the gladiator fights and wild animal fights were being held in the spot where you are standing today.
After the Theater one last main Street comes as the Harbour Streeet(the Arcadiane).The end of this Street was the location of the ancient port of Ephesus which is today about 7 km away from the city itself. Here is another shock for you that after imagining Ephesus was used to be port city and that much silted up by the River Cayster in thousands of years鈥
Following the way through the Harbour streert, some more ruins will be pointed out by your guide as the Theater Gymnasium, some examples of the Sarcophagi(tombs),Church of Mary and the Harbour Baths鈥
As ending your tour with impressive information and wonderful pictures that you had inside the ancient city, you are not going to being taken to the upper gate back again to exit; you are going to exit the ancient city together with your guide from the lower gate and meet with your private van in the parking area.
After exploring the ancient city of Ephesus you might be starving ! So the next stop will be the restaurant where you see all the real traditional Turkish food settled on a buffet which is going to be your heaven with the food..How we Turks cook at home will be the same experience and delicious taste for you to try at this restaurant.
A typical meal starts with soup (especially in wintertime), followed by a dish made of vegetables or legumes boiled in a pot (typically with meat or minced meat), often with or before rice or bulgur pilav accompanied by a salad or cacik (diluted cold yogurt dish with garlic, salt, and cucumber slices). In summertime many people prefer to eat a cold dish of vegetables cooked with olive oil instead of the soup, either before or after the main course, which can also be a chicken, meat or fish plate.
You should make yourselves try all the varieties of the meals on the buffet as much as possible..Good news 鈥 You may have return trips !鈥
Then your next stop comes about the historical part in your program as visiting The Temple of Artemis which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Artemis was the Greek name of the goddess in mythology that in Rome she was called as Diana. Artemis was the protector mother goddess for the Ephesians so she was also totally different than the classical mythology.The goddess of fertility,birth and the nature鈥
Even from the temple itself not much ruins left, this site is something not to miss as being one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, as being the house of the protector mother goddess of the people back in the paganism times, as being the 2nd settlement area for the Ephesians and as facing an impressive view from the location of the temple with some other impressive historical buildings such as The Isa Bey Mosque, The Basilica of St.John and the Ayasuluk Castle鈥
After finishing the visit in the Temple of Artemis, you are going to be taken to your hotel in Kusadasi. Kusadasi is known as one of the most popular resorts area in Turkey that also has another importance as having the major cruise port located there with thousands of visitors coming each day in the summers. Your overnight will be in Kusadasi.
Day 2 : PAMUKKALE ( COTTON CASTLE) AND THE ANCIENT CITY OF HIERAPOLIS TOUR
Here is another natural beauty of the World which is located in Turkey鈥 A daily trip to Pamukkale should be one another place to mark on your 鈥渢o do list鈥 in Turkey鈥
A trip to the healing center of the ancient World waits for you鈥
Today your guide will be meeting you in your hotel by 09:00 am and you are going to be following the way to another city today which is called as Denizli where Pamukkale exists. Pamukkale is located like 17 km away from the city itself. You are going to be having a nice and comfortable drive as you are following the way. You will realize more about the unexpected natural beauties and the countryside of Turkey.
After around 3 hours driving with your guide and private driver, you reach to Pamukkale town with an impressive view of the white terraces welcoming you on the slopes of the hill鈥
After having your lunch in Pamukkale town, your magical experience through a natural beauty and history starts.
Pamukkale, which means 鈥渃otton castle鈥 in English, has always been a very popular settlement where the hot springs were believed to have the healing power. The white terraces were formed by running warm spring water, at a temperature of 35 掳C / 102 掳F containing calcium bicarbonate. When the water loses its carbon dioxide it leaves limestone deposits. The spring water contains lots of minerals inside sof rom the antiquity this area became as a healing center and visited by the people to cure their diseases through the centuries. Pamukkale, with those white travertines, and the ancient city of Hierapolis which nested together at the same area, has been in the World Heritage List since 1988. The city became the center of a pagan cult in antiquity and a spa resort today. Hierapolis ancient city has always known as a healing center with its water. During your tour you will see the magnificently preserved and vast Necropolis of the ancient Hellenistic world, Roman basilica baths, Domitian gate, latrines, Agora, Colonnaded street, Byzantine Gate, Roman fountains, and Grand Theater, as well as other monuments at the site. After being informed about the area, you will be looking forward to have your free time by your guide in the site to enjoy the thermal pools鈥t the end of the tour inside Pamukkale after using the pools, don鈥檛 forget to have look the mirror to see yourself much younger looking..! Why not !
After ending the tour in the site, you are going to be following the same way back to Kusadasi where your hotel is. You have another overnight in Kusadasi before saying goodbye to us鈥
Day 3 : DEPARTURE - AIRPORT TRANSFER
According to your flight time you are going to be picked up from your hotel for the airport transfer to Izmir. Ending our services as saying goodbye to our guests with unforgettable memories and with the wishes to welcome them back again鈥
Payment Terms & Methods :
* Some Advance Percentage of total booking amount
* Airfare/Transport fare to be paid full at one time in advance.
Cancellation & Refund Policy :
* Upon cancellation, refund will be made after deducting the Retention Amount.
* Retention Amount varies as per the number of days left before your package start date.
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Ephesus Ancient City - Temple Of Artemis
Istanbul - Bursa - Gallipoli - Troy - Pergamum - Ephesus - Pamukkale
Srinagar - Pahalgam - Gulmarg - Sonamarg
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