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Most people pass through the town of Selçuk, Turkey, to visit Ephesus. If you stick around long enough, there are a few minor attractions to explore outside the major archaeological sites and museums.
Introduction to Selçuk
Selçuk is the modern successor to ancient Ephesus. Its original name was Agios Theologos (Άγιος Θεολόγος), which is named after St. John the Theologian. The Basilica of St. John, one of the town’s major archaeological sites, was built there in the 6th century by Justinian I.
Agios Theologos fell to the Seljuks in 1304. Under Turkish rule, the town was known as Ayasuluk, which was a corrupted form of Agios Theologos. Ayasuluk served as the capital of the Aydinids (Aydınoğulları), who formed in 1308 after the decline of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum. It was annexed by the Ottoman Empire in 1426. The name officially changed to Selçuk in 1914 in honor of the Seljuk Turks, who first arrived in the region in the 12th century.
Today, Selçuk hosts tourists from all over the world visiting Ephesus, the Basilica of St. John, the House of the Virgin Mary, the Ephesus Museum, and maybe the Temple of Artemis. Most people stay on cruise ships docked in neighboring Kuşadası and come through on group tours, but it’s worth spending some time in town if you’re traveling on your own.
Selçuk Atatürk Monument
First, near the bus terminal and in front of the town government building is a monument to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881-1938). The monument contains a statue of Atatürk on a pedestal and relief panels of Turkish youth and families on either side.
Ahmet Ferahlı Park
Across the street to the west and in front of the Ephesus Museum is Ahmet Ferahlı Park (Ahmet Ferahlı Parkı). It’s a nice shaded green space with benches. The park is named for Ahmet Ferahlı (1922-1998), a former mayor of Selçuk. I’ve seen families having picnics there, people walking their dogs, groups of friends having conversations, and individuals doing work. In addition to the green space, there are a couple cafés and restaurants on the south side of the park.
Ishak Bey Mosque
On the north end of the park is the Ishak Bey Mosque (İshak Bey Camii). This small mosque was built in 1648 by Ishak Pasha, the governor of Aydın, possibly on the site of an older mosque built by the Aydinids in the 14th century. It was constructed with cut stone and is on a square plan. The mosque is topped by a terra cotta tiled dome and has a detached minaret.
Uğur Mumcu Love Path
Running along the west side of the park is the Uğur Mumcu Love Path (Uğur Mumcu Sevgi Yolu). It honors journalist Uğur Mumcu (1942-1993), who was assassinated by a car bomb outside his home in Ankara.
The path contains a monument dedicated to Mumcu as well as quotes etched in granite panels. The quotes are written in Turkish and English.
Saadet Hatun Hamam
The Saadet Hatun Hamam (Saadet Hatun Hamamı) sits on the southwest corner of the park. It’s thought to have been built in the 16th century. No information has been found about Saadet Hatun, who’s believed to be a descendant of the Aydinids. Depending on the season, you may see a stork nest above the main dome.
Old Selçuk
The hill between the Ephesus Museum and the Basilica of St. John makes up the oldest part of Selçuk, when the town was known as Ayasuluk. It’s a nice quiet area full of historic homes, many that have been converted to boutique hotels.
Ayasuluk Library
In the middle of the neighborhood is the Ayasuluk Library (Ayasuluk Kitaplığı). It was built in 1365 by Aydinid ruler Isa Bey and originally functioned as a soup kitchen. The building is on a rectangular plan and measures 8.4 x 3.3 meters with walls that are 1 meter thick. Ancient stones were incorporated into the building, which has two parts topped by domes. It was restored in 1965 and 1990 and currently functions as a library.
Alpaslan Mosque
The Alpaslan Mosque (Alpaslan Camii), across the street from the Basilica of St. John, was built in the 14th century by the Aydinids. It has a square plan topped by a single dome. The mosque was restored in 1965 and is open for worship.
Isa Bey Mosque
The Isa Bey Mosque (İsa Bey Camii) is one of the finest examples of architecture remaining from the Anatolian beyliks. It’s located just west of the Basilica of St. John and is included in the UNESCO World Heritage listing for Ephesus.
History of the Isa Bey Mosque
The Isa Bey Mosque was built between 1374 and 1375 in honor of Isa Bey, the Aydinid ruler from 1360 to 1390. A bust of Isa Bey stands outside the entrance.
The architect was Şamlı Dımışklıoğlu Ali, who modeled it after the Great Mosque of Damascus. Many of the materials to build the mosque came from the ruined Basilica of St. John, of which some were originally from the Temple of Artemis and Ephesus.
The mosque was damaged by earthquakes in 1653 and 1668. This caused the minaret on the east side to collapse and caused partial damage to the other. By 1829, the mosque was in ruins and the other minaret fell in 1842. It was used as a caravanserai for much of the 19th century. In 1975, the mosque was completely restored and reopened to worship. Another restoration took place in 2005.
Features of the Isa Bey Mosque
The Isa Bey Mosque features a large courtyard with a fountain in the center. 12 columns stand around the perimeter. There are also tombstones on display around the walls of the courtyard.
While the mosque originally had two minarets, only one has been rebuilt. It was built of brick and stands on an octagonal base on the west side. The other minaret stood on the east side.
Prayer Hall of the Isa Bey Mosque
The prayer hall of the mosque contains a modern mihrab because the original was moved to another mosque. It’s quite bare inside other than Iznik tiles decorating the underside of the domes. The domes are 9.4 meters (31 feet) and 8.1 meters (27 feet) in diameter.
Isa Bey Hamam
The Isa Bey Mosque was part of a complex that included the Isa Bey Hamam (İsa Bey Hamamı), which lies in ruins about a block south. It was built around the same time as the mosque of cut stone and brick. The bath contained a cold room, a warm room, and a hot room. All three sections were covered with domes.
Byzantine Aqueduct
One of the most noticeable landmarks in Selçuk is a Byzantine aqueduct that cross through the heart of town running east to west. The aqueduct started in the valley of Şirince to the north, crossed through what is now the modern town center, and emptied into a basin next to the Basilica of St. John.
The tallest pillars of the aqueduct are just west of the train station. They were reconstructed using original materials and reach a height of 15 meters.
Stork Nests in Selçuk
If you’re in Selçuk during the spring and early summer, you’ll see stork nests atop the pillars of the aqueduct. They also build nests on light posts and minarets.
Ephesian Artemis Monument
In the center of town downhill from the Basilica of St. John is a replica of the Ephesian Artemis. It was one of three cult statues of Artemis found at Ephesus on September 18, 1956. The original can be seen in the Ephesus Museum.
Selçuk City Memory Museum
The Selçuk City Memory Museum (Selçuk Kent Belleği Müzesi), on Namık Kemal Street, is a good place to learn about the history of Selçuk. Admission is free (as of October 2023), but most information is presented in Turkish.
The three-story museum is situated in a former tobacco warehouse, which was once the major industry in Selçuk. Exhibits on the first floor chronicle the local tobacco industry as well as excavations at Ephesus. You can find old photos of Selçuk on the west wing of the first floor.
The second floor contains the museum’s ethnographic section. The first section features items used by locals as well as old photographs of the town.
The second section covers immigrants who relocated to Selçuk. Many arrived during the population exchange between Greece and Turkey in 1923 while others came from Bulgaria and other parts of Turkey. Stories and photos of immigrants and their descendants line the walls. Several family heirlooms and other items belonging to these immigrants are on display.
Grotto of the Seven Sleepers
Outside Selçuk on a road between the two entrance to Ephesus is the Grotto of the Seven Sleepers. The entrance to the archaeological site is past a few small restaurants.
The site is a little confusing to first-time visitors because the interpretive panel sits in front of a couple rock-cut tombs. The actual Grotto of the Seven Sleepers is a bit further up the path next to a small building covered by corrugated roofing sheets.
Story of the Seven Sleepers
The Grotto of the Seven Sleepers, on the slopes of Mount Pion, is tied to both Christian and Islamic traditions. Christians believe the legend took place at Ephesus while Muslims believe it took place in the Eshab-I Kehf cave in Tarsus or in Afşin. The Islamic version was quoted in Surah Al-Kahf (18:9–26) in the Quran.
According to tradition, the Seven Sleepers were seven young Christian men who lived during the reign of Roman Emperor Decius in 250. Their names are typically listed as Maximian, Martinian, Dionysius, John, Constantine, Malchus, and Serapion. They were persecuted and given the chance to renounce their faith, but instead chose to give up their possessions and move into a cave to pray. They fell asleep and the emperor ordered the cave to be sealed.
In 447, the owner of the cave decided to open it up and use it as a cattle pen. He found the Seven Sleepers inside. They awoke believing they had slept just one night. Malchus went into Ephesus to buy food. When he entered the city, he was surprised to find buildings with crosses attached to them. He went to pay for his food, the merchant noticed it was an old coin depicting Decius. At that moment, Malchus learned he was actually in the time of Theodosius II and had slept for nearly 200 years.
Malchus returned to the cave and told the others what had happened. They all fell asleep and never woke up again. Local Christians held a funeral for them and built a church over the cave where they were buried. Excavations unearthed a church and several graves.
