Aegean Coast Regions Guide - excursions

Ephesus
Ephesus is the biggest and best-preserved ancient city in the country and is one of the world's spectacular historical sites. The city was established with a harbour on the mouth of the Cayster River, and in the 2nd century BC it became the most important port and commercial trading centre in Anatolia, from Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic period to capital of Roman Asia under Augustus in 133 BC. The city went into final decline during the Byzantine era with the silting up of the harbour and by 527 AD it was deserted. The city is also important as the early seat of Christianity, visited by St Paul, whose letters to the Ephesians are recorded in the New Testament. The site needs little imagination to see what a functioning Roman city would have looked like, but guides are available and can offer a rich insight into the history and architecture of the ruins. Among the amphitheatres, murals and mosaics, baths, fountains, brothels and columns, the chariot-worn streets lead to some of the highlights, including the enormous Library of Celsus, the impressive Temple of Hadrian, a row of public latrines and the Grand Theatre where Paul preached to the Ephesians. The city was originally dedicated to the goddess Artemis and her once-magnificent temple was considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Pamukkale
Calcium-rich mineral springs surging over the edge of a mountain plateau for thousands of years has resulted in an intriguing natural masterpiece. The rock formations of Pamukkale ('Cotton Castle') are a series of natural shelves and ridges, terraces that have been turned white from the solidified chalky calcium deposits left behind as the thermal waters tumble into further basins clinging to the cliff edge below. From a distance it appears to be a dazzling white fairytale castle, with a formation of tiers rising from the ground containing warm water pools. The hot springs have been used since Roman times to cure certain ailments. On the plateau is the Pamukkale Thermal enclosing the bubbling 'sacred pool of the ancients', the main source of the springs creating the white terraces, and its mineral waters are open for public bathing. Pamukkale is also the site of the ancient Roman spa-city of Hierapolis, and there are several ruins scattered about the area, including an impressive Roman theatre. It was considered a sacred site for its magic healing waters and was the weekend destination of kings and emperors of the Pergamum and Roman Empires.

Ancient Troy
For about 3,000 years the fascinating story involving the destruction of the prosperous city of Troy in a long war fought over the legendary beauty, Helen, was thought to be fiction. The story, told by Homer in the Iliad, was regarded as just a myth, until the ruins of the city were found in western Turkey at Hisarlik in the mid-19th century. Today the romantic story draws tourists and archaeologists alike to the site, where not a great deal remains to be seen beyond the ancient walls and a replica of the famed Trojan horse which enabled the final conquering of the city. The setting is also spectacular, offering views of the Dardanelles and the hills of Gallipoli. The recent Hollywood epic film, Troy, has revived interest in this piece of ancient history.

Resorts: Altinkum | Bodrum | Gumbet | Izmir | Kusadasi