SAMOS
Samos is a Greek island in the North Aegean Sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese, and off the Ionian coast of Turkey.
SARDIS
Sardis, also Sardes (Lydian: Sfard, Persian: Sparda), modern Sart in the Manisa province of Turkey, was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia, one of the important cities of the Persian Empire, the seat of a proconsul under the Roman Empire, and the metropolis of the province Lydia in later Roman and Byzantine times. As one of the Seven Churches of Asia, it was addressed by the author of the Book of Revelation in terms which seem to imply that its population was notoriously soft and fainthearted. Its importance was due, first to its military strength, secondly to its situation on an important highway leading from the interior to the Aegean coast, and thirdly to its commanding the wide and fertile plain of the Hermus.
SELÇUK
Selçuk is the central town of Selçuk district, İzmir Province in Turkey, 18 km (11 miles) northeast of Kuşadası, 3 km (2 miles) northeast of Ephesus. Its original name was Ayios Theologos, from which the Ottoman Turkish name Ayasluğ is derived. In 1914 it was renamed Selçuk, after the Seljuk Turks who settled in the region in the 12th century.
Selçuk is one of the most visited touristic destinations within Turkey, known for its closeness to the ancient city of Ephesus, House of the Virgin Mary and Seljukian works of art. The 6th century basilica of St. John the Apostle, which, some claim, is built on the site of the Apostle's tomb, is also inside the town. With the vast majority of tourists only using Selçuk as a stopping point for Ephesus and not visiting the town itself, the old quarter of Selçuk remains generally undisturbed and undeveloped, retaining traditional Turkish culture and locality.
Ayasoluk Hill dominates the surrounding area, with several historical buildings on its slopes, including the İsa Bey Mosque built by the Seljuk Turks in 1375, and the Grand Fortress.
The Ephesus Airport and Selçuk Training Center of the Turkish Aeronautical Association is only 3 kilometers away from Selçuk, offering piloting, parachuting, and microlight training.
The annual camel wrestling championship takes place in Selçuk in the Winter, near Ephesus
SIDE
Side is one of the best-known classical sites in Turkey, and was an ancient harbour whose name meant pomegranate. Side is a resort town on the southern coast of Turkey, near the villages of Manavgat and Selimiye, (75 km from Antalya) in the province of Antalya. It is located on the eastern part of the Pamphylian coast, which lies about 20 km east of the mouth of the Eurymedon River.
Settlers from Cyme (Cumæans) in Aeolis, an ancient region of northwestern Asia Minor, founded the city in the seventh century BC. Possessing a good harbor for small-craft boats, Side's natural geography made it the most important place in Pamphylia - the region in the south of Asia Minor between Lycia and Cilicia, from the Mediterranean to Mount Taurus. This location made Side one of the most important trade centers in its time. Today, as in yesteryear, the ancient city of Side is situated on a small north-south Peninsula about 1 km long and 400 m across.
ST. JOHN'S BASILICA
The Basilica of St. John (St. Jean Aniti) was a great church in Ephesus constructed by Emperor Justinian in the 6th century. It stands over the believed burial site of St. John, who is identified as the apostle, evangelist (author of the Fourth Gospel) and prophet (author of Revelation).
The basilica is on the slopes of Ayasoluk Hill near the center of Selçuk, just below the fortress and about 3.5 km (2 miles) from Ephesus.
ST. POLYCARPE CHURCH
The Saint Polycarp Church is the oldest church in Izmir and represents ancient Smyrna's role as one of the Seven Churches of Revelation.
Saint Polycarp was converted by the John the Apostle and became Bishop of Smyrna. He was martyred by the Romans at age 86 in 155 AD at Kadifkale, which was atop the hill near modern-day Izmir. According to tradition, when they tried to burn Polycarp at the stake, the flames wouldn't touch him. They finally stabbed him to death.
The Church of Saint Polycarp in Izmir was reconstructed in 1620.
ST. SOPHIA or HAGIA SOPHIA
Hagia Sophia or Saint Sophia is a former patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey. Famous in particular for its massive dome, it is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture. It was the largest cathedral in the world for nearly a thousand years, until the completion of the Seville Cathedral in 1520. The current building was originally constructed as a church between A.D. 532 and 537 on the orders of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian, and was in fact the third Church of the Holy Wisdom to occupy the site (the previous two had both been destroyed by riots). It was designed by two architects, Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles. The Church contained a large collection of holy relics and featured, among other things, a 50 foot (15 m) silver iconostasis. It was the patriarchal church of the Patriarch of Constantinople and the religious focal point of the Eastern Orthodox Church for nearly 1000 years.
In 1453, Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Turks and Sultan Mehmed II ordered the building to be converted into a mosque.[1] The bells, altar, iconostasis, and sacrificial vessels were removed, and many of the mosaics were eventually plastered over. The Islamic features - such as the mihrab, the minbar, and the four minarets outside - were added over the course of its history under the Ottomans. It remained as a mosque until 1935, when it was converted into a museum by the Republic of Turkey.
For almost 500 years the principal mosque of Istanbul, Hagia Sophia served as a model for many of the Ottoman mosques such as the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque of Istanbul), the Şehzade Mosque, the Süleymaniye Mosque, and the Rüstem Pasha Mosque.
Although it is sometimes referred to as Santa Sophia, the Greek name in full is, Church of the Holy Wisdom of God. It was to this, the Holy Wisdom of God, that the Church was dedicated (Sophia being a Latin phonetic spelling of the Greek word Wisdom). So Santa Sophia should be understood as the title of the church, Holy Wisdom, rather than a reference to some Saint Sophia.
SÜLEYMANIYE
The Süleymaniye Mosque (Turkish: 'Süleymaniye Camii') is an Ottoman imperial mosque located on the Third Hill of Istanbul, Turkey. It is the second largest mosque in the city, and one of the best-known sights of Istanbul.
