Where the Seven Churches of Revelation are today: the modern name of each city, its province, road distances from İzmir and Selçuk, what you can see at each site and short 2 to 4 day plans. Practical notes from a licensed guide; you arrange your own transport and hotels.
Ephesus is beside Selçuk town: about an hour from İzmir Airport by train or car, 30 minutes from Kuşadası, and a short flight plus a drive from Istanbul.
After twenty years of guiding, here is the orientation I wish every first-time visitor had read on the flight over — my beginner's guide to Christian Turkey.
Ancient Smyrna sleeps under modern Izmir, and the region around it is packed with apostolic history. Here are my top 10 Christian sites in Izmir and nearby.
Irenaeus of Lyon grew up in Smyrna, today's İzmir, learned from Saint Polycarp and became bishop of Lyon, where he wrote Against Heresies.
Ignatius of Antioch wrote seven letters at Smyrna and Troas while Roman soldiers took him to die in Rome: to Ephesus, Magnesia, Tralles, Rome, Philadelphia, Smyrna and Polycarp. A licensed guide from Kuşadası tells their story, the first "catholic church" and what survives of them.
Saint Polycarp of Smyrna, disciple of the Apostle John and bishop of ancient İzmir, was burned in the stadium of his city. The full story of his arrest, trial and martyrdom from the Martyrdom of Polycarp, and where to remember him in İzmir today, from a licensed local guide.
The story of the church of Smyrna in Revelation, from the ancient city under today's Izmir to the martyrdom of Bishop Polycarp.
Ray Charles sang in the Great Theater of Ephesus on July 7, 1987, at the very first International Izmir Festival.
Jethro Tull played the Ephesus Ancient Theater on July 15, 1991, and the concert can still be watched on video.
Selcuk town is a small town in İzmir Province that grew on and around Ayasuluk Hill, right beside Ephesus Ancient City. This is where you find…
A short guide to the city center of Izmir: Konak Square and the Clock Tower, Kemeraltı Bazaar, the Agora of Smyrna, two museums and the Kordon seafront.
The biggest earthquakes in Turkey in modern times include Erzincan in 1939, Gölcük in 1999 and the two Kahramanmaraş earthquakes of 6 February 2023. The records…
Homer and Troy go together because Homer is the poet behind the Iliad, the old Greek epic about the war for Troy. The poem is a…
Ephesus Ancient City is in Selçuk district of İzmir Province on the Aegean coast of Turkey, about 3 kilometers from Selçuk town and 20 to 30 minutes from Kuşadası.
The city of Aydın has the fame to fascinate everyone with its historical buildings and natural beauties. There are many places to see in Aydin. It…
Kemeraltı Bazaar is the old market quarter in the center of Izmir, with crafts, mosques, synagogues and caravanserais along its lanes.
