The Aegean Region - Turkey with Your Family: From Bustling Bazaars to Historic Sites - page 136

★★★
Even if your children are not
keen on visiting historical sites
while on holiday, you really
must include the remarkably
well-preserved remains of
Ephesus, one of the most famous
ancient cities ever and one of the
finest examples in the world
today, on your agenda. This
extraordinary collection of tem-
ples, columns, dwellings, gates
and a marketplace really can't be
ignored, and you may even find
your most uninterested young-
ster suddenly becomes capti-
vated by the colonnaded street,
which looks as though it belongs
on a film set, or the massive
amphitheatre carved into the
rock. Ephesus is the site of the
Temple of Artemis , one of the
Seven Wonders of the Ancient
World. Today, there are various
buildings to see, including the
Library of Celsus built around
AD 115. That and the
amphitheatre are awesome.

Ephesus

Ephesus, which can trace its
history back to around the 11th
century BC, is located not far
from Ku @ adası and Selçuk. Allow
yourself several hours to see
every nook and cranny, and
really appreciate its magnifi-
cence. There's a museum that
tells its story (see p. 139).
Foça

★★
Foça is neither a historical build-
ing nor a monument, but a small
fishing village that, despite attract-
ing Turkish city folk on day trips
or short breaks, has lost none of
its rustic charm. The old town,
especially, is worth exploring.
Your children will love it. There
are tiny whitewashed houses dot-
ted around a maze of alleyways.
Foça has a small amphitheatre on
the outskirts of the village and a
Byzantine and Genoese castle on
its seafront, but it is the atmos-
phere of dining in an authentic
Turkish restaurant overlooking its
quayside that is memorable.

Library of Celsus, Ephesus

136