3 Days Ephesus Pamukkale Pergamon Private Tour from Kusadasi

Overview

Day by day itinerary

1. 1Ephesus Full Day Tour⌄

   Ephesus; Ancient Greek city of Asia Minor, near the mouth of the Menderes River, in what is today West Turkey, South of Smyrna (now Izmir). One of the greatest of the Ionian cities, it became the leading seaport of the region. Its wealth was proverbial. The Greek city was near an old center of worship of a native nature goddess, who was equated with the Greek Artemis, and c.550 B.C. a large temple was built. To this Croesus, who captured the city, contributed.

   House of Virgin Mary is located on the top of the "Bulbul" mountain 9 km ahead of Ephesus, the shrine of Virgin Mary enjoys a marvelous atmosphere hidden in the green. It is the place where Mary may have spent her last days. Indeed, she may have come in the area together with Saint John, who spent several years in the area to spread Christianity. Mary preferred this remote place rather than living in crowded place.

   The Temple of Artemis is known as one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. It has been built in the areas of Ephesus on a flat area which has over the centuries turned into a swamp. If you visit Ephesus today, you can only see the ruins of the foundations of this marvelous construction of the Hellenistic Age, entirely made of marble and full of sculptured columns' capitals and shafts. The most beautiful remaining of this temple are today exhibited in the London British Museum. The oldest remaining found date back till the 6th century BC. It was surrounded by 36 huge columns, later enlarged upon the orders of the Lydia King, Kreisos, during the 6th century BC. Most of the exhibits in the London British Museum belong to this period.

   Meals: Lunch

2. 2Pamukkale Full Day Tour⌄

   Pamukkale is a city is located in southwestern Turkey, known for its hot springs and travertines (terraces of carbonate materials that are typically a remnant of flowing water). In the total area, there are 17 thermal springs which range in temperatures from 35 degrees Celcius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) all the way up to 100 degrees Celcius (212 degrees Fahrenheit), so some of the pools will not be suitable for swimming. Don’t even get close to the hottest springs!

   Pamukkale is a unique and beautiful place. Pamukkale, which means “cotton castle” in Turkish, is a natural site in Denizli in southwestern Turkey. The area is famous for a carbonate mineral left by the flowing water.

   Hierapolis is an ancient city located on the top of Pamukkale and is a World Heritage site. There is a mixture of Pagan, Roman, Jewish and early Christian influences. Since the hot springs of Pamukkale were used as a spa since the 2nd century, people came to Hierapolis to soothe their ailments and often retire and die. The ruins sprawl over a large area and there is a large necropolis filled with sarcophagi. The baths were made from large stone blocks and there are various open and closed areas linked together. The complex was constructed in the 2nd century and there are few historical facts known about the origin of the city. Many of the statues were transported to museums across the world and in 1970 a museum was built onsite.

   The Roman Theatre was built over two stages; the first theatre was destroyed by an earthquake, so the second was hollowed out of a slope in the mountain. Most of the stage is still visible, as well as some decorative panels and VIP seating areas. At full capacity, the theatre could hold 12,000 – 15,000 people. The theatre is divided by eight vertical passageways and nine aisles. The theatre is constantly undergoing excavation projects and new relics and statues depicting mythological figures are continually being discovered.

   Once a Roman bath, the Archeological Museum is near the Antique Pool atop the travertines at Pamukkale. If you’ve already visited the ruins of Hierapolis and the Roman theater, this is the next logical stop for anyone with a fairly lively interest in Roman archeology.

   Situated above the Pamukkale white travertine pools is one particularly spectacular location fed by the same hot springs. Here you can bath in the same waters in which Cleopatra once swam! A professionally run modern spa facility allows you to enjoy these historical healing waters. Unlike the white water of the lower pools the Antique Pool favored by Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, is pure clear warm water. Once it was surmounted by a Roman Temple to Apollo with ornate roof held up with Doric columns. Imagine how Cleopatra must have experienced this when you imagine it in it's glory day.

   Meals: Lunch

3. 3Pergamon Full Day Tour⌄

   The Acropolis, which means Upper Town “ has the most important remains of Pergamon. The acropolis has been largely founded on a hill is one of the unique masterpieces of the old settlements as cut-mountain town due the lack of the natural plateu. The upper town is divided three main parts ; The highest and sheltered parts of the acropolis has the kings’ palaces, temples, water reservoirs, wells and cisterns, fountains that belongs to royal family with the aristocrats. The city walls which were built during the reign of Eumenes II are in good condition today and it tells us to live in upper town was quite safe. In this part, you can visit Trajan temple, Zeus Altar known as Satan’s seat by early believers is the largest temple, palaces of the kings, the world’s steepest theatre with 10.000 seats in capacity facing to the Asclepium and heroon where the heros were buried. Here is the administration part of Pergamon kingdom.

   The Asklepion Temple in Pergamon was built in the 4th century B.C. In the Prehistoric Era, it was a medical center as famous as Epidaurus and Kos. The medical center was dedicated to the God of Health, Asklepios. The Asklepios was an important medical center in the Roman Era, with its galleried yard, theater with a capacity of 3,500 people, the cult hall which belongs to Emperor Hadrianus, and the circular Asklepios Temple. In its time, it was known as ‘The Place Death Was Not Allowed To Enter.’ The serpentine column, which is the symbol of pharmacy, greets visitors in the place known as the Holy Road. In the southern part, there are three small temples from the Hellenistic Era, sleeping rooms, a holy spring, and pools. The diseases were cured by resting sleeps in the sleeping rooms; and with water sounds, mud, healing and hunger treatments, musical therapy, and many other ways of therapy in the holy spring and pools.

   Bergama‘s Red Hall (Kızıl Avlu) or Red Basilica (map) was built for worship of the Egyptian gods Serapis, Isis andHarpocrates at a time in the 2nd century AD when Egyptianreligion was reaching into the Roman Empire. Faced with marble and surrounded by a colonnade, the huge building looked very different in Roman times. A stream ran beneath it in stone channels, its waters used for ritual bathing and ablutions.

   Meals: Lunch