New tourist route in Turkey's Aegean resort offers gateway to 9000 years of history

SELCUK, IZMIR (A.A) - August 17, 2011 - A new tourist route in Izmir's Selcuk town, the home of the ancient city of Ephesus and the House of the Virgin Mary, is set to open next year to take its visitors on a journey through 9000 years of local history.
The route includes the Pagan temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, Saint John Basilica and the Isabey Mosque, one of the oldest and most impressive works of architectural art remaining from the Anatolian beyliks, and the Ayasuluk Fortress. 
"Artemis Temple, the Saint John Basilica and the Isabey Mosque meet at a unique sacred place. The Saint John Basilica sits atop the hills as if telling paganism and the Artemis Temple, 'Look, I am bigger than you are,' and the Isabey Mosque is located in the city to be among the people in the modesty of Islam," Mustafa Buyukkolanci, head of the project, told the Anadolu Agency on Wednesday.