Selcuk History
Selcuk history is long and very diverse. One of the most important historical places in Selcuk is the Temple of Artemis. Lydian King Croesus initiated the construction of the Artemis Temple in 550 BC. Artemis is the moon goddess in Greek mythology. The Temple of Artemis is also known as the Diana temple. Diana is the luna goddess in Roman mythology. So, the Temple of Artemis is a temple of pagan culture. After Christianity became widespread in this region, people did not care about the Temple of Artemis. That’s why people bought and used the stones of the Artemis Temple for their homes. There were 127 columns 17 meters high in the Artemis temple. Unfortunately, today we can only see two columns in the Ephesus Artemis Temple. Nowadays, you do not need to pay any fee to enter the Artemis Temple.
Virgin Mary came to Ephesus after the death of Jesus. St. John brought the Virgin Mary here and took care of the safety of the Virgin Mary. The house of the Virgin Mary is on the Nightingale Mountain. Virgin Mary lived here until the last day of her life. That’s why historians think that the tomb of the Virgin Mary is here. Unfortunately, nobody has found any graves of the Virgin Mary. Today, many Christians worship in the house of the Virgin Mary. Just above the Virgin Mary’s house, there is Seven Sleepers Cave. Seven Sleepers cave is also a sacred cave for Christianity. 7 Christians who fled because of their beliefs slept for 200 years in this cave. They have never come out of the cave for 200 years. Two hundred years of sleep seemed like a day to them. The seven sleepers’ story is quite interesting.
Şirince Greek Village near Selcuk
If you have come to Selcuk, another place you can go is Sirince Greek Village. Sirince is 15-20 minutes away from Selcuk by car. Şirince became quite famous in 2012 thanks to Mayan prophecies. According to Mayan Prophecies, on December 21, 2012, apocalypse would break out in the world. One of the places that would not be affected by the apocalypse was the village of Sirince in Selcuk. That is why many people from around the world came to Sirince in 2012. Sirince Grek Village became popular in this way, but this is not the only feature Şirince has. Another fame of Sirince Grek village is fruit wines. You can find the wine of many different fruits in Şirince. Some examples of fruits are kiwi, black mulberry, melon, strawberry, banana, peach, and apple.
You can also visit many historical areas in Şirince Village. The most popular historical place of Sirince Village is the Church of St. John the Baptist. This Church is 200 years old. Nowadays, the Church is private property, and you can visit the Church. It is possible to find a wine cellar under each building in Şirince Village. You have the chance to do a wine tasting at the Church of St. John the Baptist. Also, You can taste the special Aegean breakfast and wines in many restaurants in Şirince Greek Village. Another popular place in Şirince is Nesin Mathematics Village. In Nesin Mathematics Village, teachers teach children both mathematics and a sense of responsibility. Also, Şirince Greek village has rock tombs. If you go to the Şirince Village hill, you will see both Şirince Village from a beautiful view, and you can see the rock tombs closely.
What to do in Kuşadası?
Selçuk is also very close to Kuşadası. There is a 20-25 minute period between Kuşadası and Selçuk by personal vehicle. So when you come to Selçuk, you can easily visit Kuşadası. As in Şirince Village, you can try the special Aegean breakfast in many restaurants in Kuşadası. Aegean breakfast is a type of Turkish breakfast. The special feature of the Aegean breakfast is its olive oil. Of course, there are other activities you can do in Kuşadası. Kuşadası has very clean and famous beaches. You can easily swim in Kuşadası. Also, daily boat tours are another activity option. Güvercinada Castle is another important place in Kuşadası. Famous Ottoman Pasha Hayreddin Barbarossa built the Güvercinada Castle for sea safety. Many pigeons have lived on this island in the past. That’s why the name Güvercinada comes from a bird, a pigeon. You can see this castle from many hills in Kuşadası.
How can I go to Selcuk From İzmir, Kuşadası, Şirince?
There are several different ways to come to Selçuk. First of all, you may have reached Izmir by plane. In this case, İzmir’s rail public vehicle Izban train is the first option. There is an Izban train stop at Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport. You can travel comfortably by taking a train from Izban stop to Selcuk direction. After arriving in Selçuk by Izban, you can walk, take a taxi or take minibusses to go to historical places. Ephesus Artemis Temple, Ayasuluk Castle, Ephesus Ancient City, and St. John’s Basilica are 15-20 minutes walking distance. A second way is that you came to Izmir by bus. Unfortunately, there is no Izban stop at the Izmir bus terminal. Some minibusses regularly go from Izmir Bus terminal to Selcuk bus terminal. Selcuk Bus terminal is not far from Selçuk İzban Station. So you can use the same transportation methods to visit historical places.
The last method is to come to Selcuk with a personal vehicle. Even if you do not have a private car, you can rent a car in Izmir. Many companies can assist in car rental as soon as you get off the airport. You can easily travel anywhere in Izmir using google maps. Selçuk is also very close to touristic areas such as Şirince and Kuşadası due to its location. You can find minibusses from Selçuk bus terminal to Kuşadası and Şirince direction. You can visit Şirince and Kuşadası daily by using these minibusses. Also, you can use these minibusses to come to Selçuk from Şirince and Kusadasi. Sirince and Kuşadası have different locations. Therefore, there are different minibusses for Şirince and Kuşadası. Since Sirince is closer to Selcuk, you can reach it by car in 15-20 minutes. Since Kusadasi is farther, this time may exceed 30 minutes.