We have seen reviews that are up and down, but we were really affected by our visit. This is…read morebelieved to be / could be the final house of the Virgin Mary. The house was destroyed except for the bottom two rows of bricks. It has been reconstructed and is now a shrine. There are 4 springs with "holy water" and a prayer wall. We found it very impactful to possibly be walking where the Virgin Mary and St John the Apostle walked.

Mary shrine. This is pit stop for our trip. This a last home place of Mary. It is a holy place that…read morefor worship due to last Mary Home. The place is very small. Our tour guide warn us about it. Sometimes take two hours to visit this small house. We were visited during the lunch time which is the less tour group here. It takes us 30 minutes.

Ephesus is a great stop if you are in the area. The sighs are unreal to see and a great educational…read moreexperience. Whether you are a history lover or not, make sure to plan for a minimum of 2 hours here. Beware that this is an ancient city and the roads and sidewalks are uneven and often slippery.

Ephesus is a historic landmark in Turkiye, founded around 600 BCE. Originally an ancient Greek…read morecity, it became under Roman rule in 129 BCE. Ephesus remained the most important city of the Byzantine Empire in Asia after Constantinople in the 5th and 6th centuries. Ephesus commanded the west end of a trade route to Asia so it was an important port city in its heyday. It boasted a Temple to Artemis, a Temple to Hadrian, a Library of Celsus, the massive Oedon Theatre, the last known home of the Virgin Mary, and some of the earliest Christian churches. Mark Antony was welcomed by Ephesus when he was proconsul and in 33 BC with Cleopatra when he gathered his fleet of 800 ships before the battle of Actium with Octavius. Ephesus is an ancient city with much historical significance. When we visited with our tour group, we were given a quick overview, entered the state-of-the-art museum, and explored the grounds. The site is massive. The ancient ruins are in fairly good condition considering and it is still an active archeological site. When you visit, marvel at the expansive stone lined streets of the agora, peer up at the arches, and wonder at how far humankind has come over the centuries.

Yedi Uyurlar is the Cemetery of the Seven Sleepers, young men said to have slept ~200 years to…read moreavoid persecution of Christians while Christianity slowly became the norm of the Roman Empire. A church was built over the original caves and the ruins of both are what can be seen today. You can see some of the excavation site, but it's fenced off (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/yedi-uyurlar-sel%C3%A7uk?select=9OMFNXtH6wWtIGeo2s1Yaw#j5JDKR_832bqeilcScxILQ) so you can't get too close. Most of my pictures are holding the camera above the fence or between bars (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/yedi-uyurlar-sel%C3%A7uk?select=9OMFNXtH6wWtIGeo2s1Yaw#oMUnrDGubWM7E0NbODEmbQ). I would give a higher rating, if you could get closer. If you're short on time and trying to decide which places to visit, this was more worth a visit than the Virgin Mary's House, IMO, of course. And no admission fee!