Exploring the Overlooked Town of Selcuk, Turkey
While researching our trip to Turkey, Andy found that most people visit the ruins of Ephesus as a day trip from either Izmir or Pamukkale. Since we never expected to be in Izmir, that wasn’t an option we considered. We did plan on going to Pamukkale, but it’s three hours away, and spending that much time on a bus twice in one day to see the ruins seemed unpleasant. So when we found out the town of Selcuk is just a few minutes away, we decided to stay there for a few nights.
Staying in Selcuk turned out to be a great decision. We met some really friendly people, like the restaurant owner who ran out to another restaurant to get vodka for my vodka and Coke because he was out and I didn’t want beer. And his cook, who explained to us the extremely long word on the wall above the oven, which turns out to be some kind of prayer for the start of the workday. Then there were the brothers who ran the guesthouse we stayed at, who were always around with helpful information and a bottle opener when Andy needed to open a beer.
The people can really make a place more memorable.
Selcuk was also loaded with history, even aside from its proximity to Ephesus. In the short distance between the train station and our guesthouse stood the ruins of an aqueduct.
From the rooftop dining area of our guesthouse, not only did we have a great view of the city, but we also discovered a castle on a hill. We had no idea there was a castle in Selcuk before we arrived, but since we love castles, this was a huge bonus.
The day after we went to Ephesus, we went to explore the castle and the ruins of St. John’s Basilica next to it. It turned out the castle was closed, so we couldn’t even get that close to it, but the ruins were pretty amazing. And even though there were plenty of tourists there, we seemed to be the only ones who weren’t there in an organized tour group.
We saw what is supposed to be the tomb of the Apostle St. John.
Though we decided we didn’t have time to go see the Temple of Artemis, we realized we could actually see it from the hill the Basilica was located on. I needed my zoom lens to see it well, but it was enough.
One of the interesting things at the Basilica was a model of the area that showed where the shore had been at different times in history. Ephesus was actually built on the coast, though today the shore is miles away.
They also had a model of the Basilica so we could see what it would’ve looked like when it was still intact.
Andy and I spent about an hour and a half leisurely wandering through the ruins and taking pictures. It was definitely worth the 8TL (about 3.50 euro or US$4.50) per person entry fee to explore St. John’s Basilica. Plus the views of Selcuk and the countryside were gorgeous. It was a great way to spend our last day enjoying Selcuk before moving on to Pamukkale.
September 24, 2012 @ 10:16 AM
This is a beautiful post. I really love all the pictures as they show a rich history that Turkey has compared to countries like Australia that only have a European history of 200 years or so and even then we don’t celebrate it properly. The Turkish people have a lot to be proud of about their country and there always seems to be something new that pops up from out of nowhere that makes me just want to jump on a plan and go there.
The picture of the aquaduct ruins reminds of some pictures I have seen from Italy where the aquaducts the Romans built there are still in use today. It really fascinates me how in ancient times the Romans and other civilizations made these major infrastructure projects a reality when they had no electricity or hydraulic equipment to speak of, just manpower and some concepts that like gears and levers that seemed to have worked.
September 24, 2012 @ 3:19 PM
Thank you Matthew! Turkey really was an amazing country. Awesome sights, friendly people, delicious food… I want to go back! I totally agree about the history, it’s so interesting seeing history from a time older than the US. It always makes me want to find out more about the history of the place I’m visiting. And yeah, how did they build such incredible things with very little aside from their own hands? So impressive!
September 24, 2012 @ 6:46 PM
Wicked ruins… love the shots you took!
September 24, 2012 @ 11:03 PM
Thanks, it was a great place!
September 25, 2012 @ 2:13 PM
The people are so amazing in Turkey – your story reminded me!
September 25, 2012 @ 2:41 PM
They certainly are! I always go somewhere expecting people to be nice, but the people in Turkey went far beyond just “nice.” Wonderful country!
September 25, 2012 @ 7:47 PM
Damn, I wish I’d found that little gem when I was in Turkey a few months ago. Wonderful photos, too! On another note, I miss Turkish food… sigh…
September 25, 2012 @ 11:44 PM
Oh, don’t get me started on the food, I miss it too! So delicious! I want to go back just for that!
September 25, 2012 @ 10:52 PM
I love the people in Turkey, they are so friendly. The ruins look like a cool place to visit, I love you last photo with the purple flowers.
September 25, 2012 @ 11:45 PM
Thanks Adela! You’re so right, the people are so amazingly friendly. I love Turkey!
September 26, 2012 @ 5:59 AM
I have still not explored Selcuk even though my base is just a two hour drive away. I have driven through it plenty of times to get to the wine village of Sirince!! Alcohol was calling me! Must get there and take some time to get to know it properly.
September 26, 2012 @ 3:24 PM
I didn’t realize Selcuk is only 2 hours away from you! We didn’t get to spend tons of time there, but enough to know we liked it. We didn’t see a lot of tourists except for a bunch of tour groups at the ruins, and the town just felt laid back and friendly. Definitely work checking out. I can understand the call of alcohol!
September 26, 2012 @ 7:09 PM
I liked that it felt like so many tour buses just went through. It felt like an overlooked place, even though it was bustling enough.
The ruins were a bonus, but I am more than happy to go back and see the castle.
September 27, 2012 @ 9:20 AM
Yeah, I’d love to see that castle up close and look around inside. Such a shame it was closed when we were there.
September 28, 2012 @ 5:14 AM
Wow, Selcuk looks awesome! We haven’t been to Turkey yet, but our recent trip to Jordan has eager to explore more of that part of the world. Love those ruins!
September 28, 2012 @ 10:16 PM
Turkey is an amazing country, you will *love* it!
September 29, 2012 @ 9:36 AM
Beautiful! We’ve only been to Istanbul and I definitely want to explore more of Turkey.
September 29, 2012 @ 2:03 PM
I hope you do one of these days, I think you’ll love it. Turkey is such a great country!