The hill of Ayasuluk is where old Ephesus went to live when the harbour silted up. As the sea retreated from the ancient city and the Cayster river filled the bay with mud, the people drifted north-east to this ridge, which already held a shrine to St John, and a new town grew around it. Tradition says that John the Evangelist spent his last years in Ephesus and was buried here, and in the sixth century the emperor Justinian built a huge domed basilica over the supposed tomb, with a marble floor and a nave of great length. The ruins stand on the slope today, with fragments of columns and arches, and you can walk among them in the shade of cypresses.
Above the basilica, a fortress crowns the summit, its walls Byzantine in origin and later rebuilt by the Seljuk Turks and others, and the view from the ramparts is wide, taking in the town of Selcuk, the plain, the ruins of Ephesus in the distance and, on a clear day, the sea. At the foot of the hill, the Isa Bey Mosque, built in 1375, is one of the oldest mosques in Anatolia, a calm courtyard with a dark prayer hall. Nearby, a single reconstructed column marks the site of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world, which once stood here with more than a hundred columns and now lies mostly under reeds and standing water.
Selcuk is an easy town to enjoy. It has about thirty thousand people, a Saturday market, storks nesting on old Roman arches, and small restaurants where you can eat grilled meat and salad in a courtyard. The ride visits the Lydian burial mounds of Bin Tepe, far to the east, and the Greek island of Samos, across the water, reached by ferry from Kusadasi. Heading east, the roads cross the fertile valley of the Kucuk Menderes river, past fig orchards, cotton fields and olive groves, then rise into the hills, with plenty of curves and pleasant views.
Fuel stations are along the main roads, and there is no need to worry. Summer is hot, with temperatures often above thirty-five degrees, so early starts are sensible, and the best months are April to June and September to October. Be careful in town, where the streets are narrow and the drivers impatient, and watch for tour buses near the main sites. Climbing the hill takes half an hour, and the fortress is usually open in the day, with a small entry fee, so bring water and a hat.