On a par with Istanbul as the most visited attraction in Turkey is the quadruple whammy of Ephesus, one of the best preserved ancient cities on the Mediterranean and a vivid picture windows onto life in the Holy Roman Empire. Here you'll see an thriving and orderly city at work, complete with a Town Hall (Prytaneum), loads of temples, a vast marketplace (agora), public baths, a brothel, and even a public latrine. Next to this exceptional collection of antiquity are two outstanding highlights of any visit to the archaeological site: the Library of Celcus, a living monument to the intellect, and the Great Theatre, a dramatic 60 foot high theatre carved right out of the mountainside.

In its heyday, Ephesus was not only a wealthy center of trade, culture and intellect, but a pivotal center in the growth of Christianity. On a hill five miles above the archaeological site is the much revered House of the Virgin Mary. It's a recognized fact that Mary, accompanied by John, settled in Ephesus to live out the remainder of her life, and that these tiny four rooms, now a chapel, have the power to unite people from all over the world.

Nearby, in Ephesus' sister city of Selçuk is the Ephesus Museum, a rich collection of impressive artifacts found in and around the archaeological site that actually found their way into a local museum. While much of the showstoppers were carted away to Austria and England, local authorities finally stood up and took notice, creating a warehouse and ultimately this museum for the ever-increasing bounty of recovered treasures. My personal favorite is the colossal statue of Artemis the fertility goddess, laden with an surfeit of bull testacles, since in her purity, there had to be a reasonable way for her to impregnate the Earth. But I was equally relieved to see Bes, the culprit behind all of these cheesy souvenir stand statues of the three inch god with the 6 inch penis (isn't that about average?).

While Mary was living a solitary life above the city of Ephesus, John resumed the missionary work begun here by his predecessor Paul, living out much of the rest of his life on Ayasoluk Hill. During the reign of Justinian, the St. John's tomb was discovered on the site, and in the Saint's honor, the Emperor had a magnificent domed basilica constructed on the spot. Long one of the most sacred pilgrimage destinations in the middle ages, St. John's tomb, located in the section of the main central dome, is still one of the most holy sites in Christianity. Inconspicuously positioned on the road out of Selçuk towards Ephesus is the lone soaring column of The Temple of Artemis. One of the Seven Wonders of the World, the temple was built on the site of an older temple honoring the Mother Goddess, Kybele, and was in its grandeur, four times as large as the Parthenon. It's not much of a wonder these days, but while you're in the neighborhood, it's definitely worth a go-see.