Turkey
One of the great Greek cities of Asia minor, Ephesus was originally founded by Ionian Greeks around 1000 BC at the mouth of the now silted Kayster river. The city flourished during the 7th 6th centuries BC and again from the 4th century BC when it came under the authority of Alexander the Great and his Hellenistic successor Lysinachus. Under Roman rule Ephesus became the principle port and commercial centre on the Aegean, and the city was also a key to the development of Christianity.
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Ephesus, Turkey 298. The small stone chapel is known as the house of the Virgin Mary, on the top of Bulbul mountain, 8 kilometres from the centre of Ephesus. It's believed that St. John the evangelist brought Mary here after the crucifixion of jesus, and that Mary spent the last years of her life here. According to archaeologists, the building dates from around the 7th century AD, although it’s possible that the foundations are older, perhaps dating from the 1st century AD. the shrine, known as the meryemana kultur parki, is revered by both Christians and Muslim pilgrims and has been visited by Popes Paul VI and John Paul II. In 2006, Pope Benedict XVI celebrated mass here.
