On the last day of the mobility, we had breakfast in Şirince, a touristic village with preserved historical architecture. We visited the ancient city of Ephesus, which is on the UNESCO world cultural heritage list, the Ephesus museum, the house of the Virgin Mary.
Sirince
Şirince is a village with a population of 600 in the province of İzmir, located approximately 8 kilometers east of Selçuk district and approximately 8 kilometers from Ephesus. The surrounding of the village has a history dating back to the Hellenistic period (323-31) BC. The pottery finds made by Ersoy and Gürler around the village between 2001 and 2002 indicate the existence of seven ancient and medieval villages and nine farms in the region. As the village was an important water source for ancient Ephesus, you will see the remains of a few Roman aqueducts on your way up. Today the village is engaged in agriculture (olive oil, peach, wine) and tourism. It is well preserved and is a rare and attractive example of Ottoman Christian architecture.Isabey Mosque
It is located between the Temple of Artemis and the Church of Saint Jean in the Selçuk district of İzmir. It was built in 1375 by Aydınoğlu İsa Bey. It is the work of the architect Şamlı Ali. Isa Bey Mosque is one of the oldest and most spectacular works of Turkish architectural history from the Anatolian Principalities period. It was also used as a caravanserai in the 19th century. The two entrance doors of the mosque, which was built on an unsymmetrical plan, are on the west and east sides. The western door is decorated with inscriptions and geometric shapes. The west side walls are covered with marble, while the other facades are made of cut stone. Its facade, window edges and the pulley of both domes are decorated with Seljuk tiles. One of the two minarets rising above the east and west doors of the mosque was completely destroyed, and the other one above the balcony was destroyed by earthquakes in the middle of the 16th century. The roofs of the mosque were also destroyed in the same earthquakes. In 1975, the roof and walls were repaired and opened for worship with the improvement works made by the Seljuk Mufti Abdullah Arılık in 1975.Ephesus Archeology Museum
Ephesus Archeology Museum is an archeology museum of the Ancient Greek city of Ephesus in Selcuk. It houses finds from the nearby Ephesus excavation site. Its best-known exhibit is the ancient statue of the Greek Goddess Artemis, taken from the goddess temple in Ephesus.The House of the Virgin Mary
Virgin Mary's House, Mt. Koressos is located around Ephesus, 7 kilometers from Selcuk in Turkey. The house was discovered in the 19th century by following descriptions in reported visions of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774-1824), a Roman Catholic nun and visionary, published as a book by Clemens Brentano after her death. While the Catholic Church has never expressed the authenticity of the home for or against, the site has received a steady stream of pilgrimages since its discovery. Anne Catherine Emmerich was born on October 3, 2004, to Pope Paul II. He was canonized by John Paul. Catholic pilgrims visit the house in the belief that Mary, mother of Jesus, was taken to this stone house by St. John and lived there for the rest of his life.Ephesus
Ephesus is an ancient Greek city on the Ionian coast, three kilometers southwest of present-day Selcuk, in Turkey's Izmir province. It was built in the 10th century BC, on the site of the former Arzawan capital, by Attic and Ionian Greek colonists. During the classical Greek period, it was one of the twelve cities that were members of the Ionian League. The city came under the control of the Roman Empire in 129 BC. The city was famous for the nearby Temple of Artemis (completed around 550 BC), which at its time was designated one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Among its many monumental structures are the Celsus Library and a theater with a capacity of 25,000 spectators. The city was destroyed by the Goths in 263. Although it was rebuilt later, its importance as a trade center decreased as the port was slowly filled by the Küçükmenderes River. It was partially destroyed by an earthquake in 614. It was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015.
