Esmirna es la tercera ciudad más grande de Turquia. Tiene 3 millones habitantes. Por cinco mil años, hay habitantes en Izmir. Los primeros colonos eran mujeres guerreras llamadas Amozanas. Esmirna fue el nombre de la reina de Amazónas que se fundado por primera vez aquí. Otra reina de Amazónas fue al sur. Su nombre era Apasas. La palabra Éfeso se deriva de Apasas. La única fuente de información sobre Amazonas son de las epopeyas de Homero. Homero nació en Esmirna en el siglo ocho antes de cristo. Homero era ciego y entretenía a la gente contando historias. Homeros mencionó que los Amazonas eran mujeres guerreras que no les gustaban mucho los hombres pero los utilizaban por razones de fertitilidad. Eran muy buenos arqueros. Para ser más rápidos, se cortan el seno derecho. La palabra Amazon significa sin el seno. Cuando se dice Amazon, lo primero que se recuerda es Brasil. El nombre del río en Brasil. En el siglo XVII, un viajero alemán estaba en Brasil cuando vio guerreras similares mencionadas por Homero. Él nombró el río como Amazones.

Selcuk es el nombre moderno de Ciudad de Éfeso. Se tarda una hora en coche para ir a Selcuk desde Izmir. Vamos a conducir a través de tierras fértiles. Principales productos agrícolas: algodón, melocotón, mandarina, tomate, tabaco, aceitunas, higos... A la derecha, hay un castillo llamado el castillo de cabras. Construido por el imperio bizantino siglo seis. Capturado por los turcos en el siglo catorce.
Nuestra primera parada será la casa de la virgen María. Se cree que Virgen María pasó sus últimos nueve años en esta casa. Cuando Jesús fue crucificado, le dijo a María que considerara a Juan como su nuevo hijo y le dijo a Juan que cuidara a su madre. Después de la crucifixión, Juan y María viajaron juntos. Cinco años después de la crucifixión, llegaron a la ciudad de Éfeso. Éfeso en ese tiempo era la cuarta ciudad más grande del imperio romano. Éfeso tenía un puerto comercial importante. Era la capital de la provincia de Asia del imperio romano. Templo de Artemis en Éfeso era un lugar de peregrinación para los paganos. Vivir en el centro de la ciudad no era seguro para los primeros cristianos. Por lo tanto, Juan y María vivían en una montaña fuera de Éfeso. Maria pasó sus últimos 9 años aquí. Después de la ascensión, Juan viajó a través de Anatolia. (Anatolia es una palabra griega que significa tierra del este donde sale el sol.) El emperador romano Domiciano exilió a Juan a Patmos. Escribió el libro de la revelación en la isla de Patmos. Envió 7 cartas a 7 iglesias de asia menor. La palabra iglesia no significaba un edificio en ese momento. Significaba comunidad de cristianos. La casa se descubre en el siglo diecinueve. Una monja alemana paralizada que nunca ha estado en el lugar vio visiones. En sus visiones, vio dónde vivía la Virgen María, murió y fue enterrada. Un libro escrito. Más tarde las descripciones de este libro, buscadas por la iglesia de Izmir. La casa ha sido una capilla por cien años. Hay monjas y sacerdotes asignados por el vaticano. En mil novecientos sesenta y siete papa paul sexto vino y oró aquí. Hasta ahora llegaron 3 papas. Un millón y medio de visitantes al año. No todos los visitantes son cristianos. Muchos visitantes musulmanes. Los musulmanes consideran a María como la madre de un profeta. Meryem es el nombre de María en el libro del Corán. Meryem es un nombre muy popular en Turquía. La tumba de María es buscada con dispositivos de sonar, pero no hay pruebas científicas. Entre las iglesias cristianas hay diferentes teorías. Los católicos creen que ella pasó sus últimos años aquí.
Éfeso fue fundado al final de una bahía. Cerca de un río llamado Kaistros. Debido a los terremotos, las erosiones, el río llevó los suelos ricos de las montañas y llenó el puerto. Los lagos de agua causaron mosquitos y malaria. La malaria era una enfermedad grande en Éfeso. Debido a esto, la ciudad tuvo que cambiar su ubicación varias veces. Después de Amazones, los griegos llamados Ionianos se establecieron aquí. Los ionianos fundaron 12 ciudades. Donde se localizan las ciudades se llama Ionia. Aquí se crearon columnas jónicas en arqueología. Los ionianos tenían una diosa madre llamada Artemis. Artemisa era conocida por los romanos como Diana. Construyen un enorme templo. Más tarde este templo fue seleccionado como una de las 7 maravillas del mundo antiguo. Éfeso fue gobernado por Lidios luego los persas, en trescientos treinta y cuatro Alejandro Magno vino aquí. Tenía 33 años cuando estaba aquí. Ordenó que la ciudad se ubicara en otro lugar. La ciudad que visitaremos, es fundada por Alejandro y conocida como Éfeso Número 3. El tiempo más rico de Éfeso es el primer y segundo siglo. La ciudad tenía doscientos mil habitantes. Éfeso fue arruinado por terremotos en el siglo IV. El puerto se llena nuevamente. La malaria era una gran enfermedad. Durante el tiempo de Constantino el emperador romano, el cristianismo se convirtió en la religión del imperio. Constantino ordenó una ciudad capital El nombre de la nueva ciudad se cambia a Constantionopolis. Constantinópolis se convirtió en la nueva capital. Hasta el siglo siete vivían en Éfeso. Luego abandonó la ciudad. Los restos de la ciudad estaban debajo de 2-3 metros de tierra. Durante ciento diez años los arqueólogos excavan el sitio. Hasta el momento se ha excavado el diez por ciento de la ciudad. La mayoría de los edificios excavados son edificios civiles. Los edificios residenciales todavía están bajo tierra. Hoy Efeso es el tercer sitio más visitado de Turquía. 2 millones de visitantes al año. Éfeso se conoce con la biblioteca. Tiene la tercera biblioteca más grande del mundo antiguo. Fue construido en el nombre del gobernador llamado Celsus en el segundo siglo. La biblioteca tenía veinticinco mil libros y rollos hechos de papiro y pergamino. El gran teatro de Efeso tiene una capacidad de veinticinco mil personas. Los arqueólogos estiman la población de la ciudad del tamaño del teatro.

Offercemos excursiones privadas de Efeso y aldrededores con guias de espanol. Para obtener mas informacion por favor contactenos:

How much is a taxi from Izmir airport to Kusadasi?
The cost of Taxi from Izmir Airport to Kusadasi is approximately 50 Euros.
There are taxis right outside the terminal building.

Please keep that in mind that, you may not have a great experience taking a taxi in Turkey.
If you are lucky. if you happen to meet by chance with a honest taxi driver, the best you can expect is an acceptable experience: the taxi takes you to where you want to go by the shortest route, and you pay the correct fare as shown on the meter.

Below find some of the examples of the bad experiences.

1. The taxi refuses to take you to where you want to go because the distance is not enough. It does not matter if you have a lot of luggage, or you can not walk well, or you are carrying a baby, or you simply have the legal right to be driven to where you want to go. 

2. The taxi takes you to where you want to go but refuses to run the meter, and you get a very high fare that you can only reduce by arguing unpleasantly with someone who does not speak your language.

3. The taxi runs the meter and takes you to where you want to go by a rotating route that wastes your time and costs a lot more than it should.

4. The trip is fine, but the driver expects a big tip because you are a foreigner (the Turks do not give taxi drivers).

5. The driver drives like a maniac, apparently happy to endanger not only his own life, but that of other drivers, and his as well.

Below please find the links for some articles about the taxi scams in Turkey published on Turkish news papers:

• Up to 10 years in jail sought for Istanbul taxi driver for overcharging Saudi tourist
• British tourist given 3,000-Turkish Lira bill for Istanbul airport-hotel transfer​
• Taxi drivers scamming Istanbul tourists face inspection

Instead of taking an Izmir airport taxi, we recommend you to book a private transfer in advance. So you can be assured to be driven in a luxury vehicle by a professional safe driver for the same price that you can pay for a Izmir Airport Taxi. For more information about our private Izmir airport transfer service, please click the following link:
Private Transfers from/to Izmir Airport to/from Kusadasi, Selcuk (Ephesus) and Sirince 

This weekend we had a day trip to Ancient City of Priene and Doganbey Village with my wife, Doganbey village takes approximately 1 hour drive from Kusadasi. Doganbey is a former Greek village located by the ancient Mykale Mountains across the Greek Island of Samos, the birth place of famous mathematician Phytogoras. In 1924 there was an exchange of populations between Greece and Turkey. Turks living in Greece were exchanged with the Greeks living in Turkey. This is one of the rare exchange villages. Former Greek name was 'Domatia''. Approximately 300 houses were located in this village. After this exchange in 1924 the village was hit by an earthquake in 1959 and abondoned. The villagers founded a new settlement and named as ''Yeni Doganbey" meaning the ''New Doganbey''. Today the villages stone homes are restored by their new owners from big Turkish cities who can afford to restore the ruined homes.

Visitors can enjoy seeing typical Greek homes from 19th century and can walk on the cobble stone streets. The streets and majority of the homes are restored and in very good condition. A picturesque town. We were impressed with beauty of the homes and cleanliness of the streets and great views of the Aegean sea and fresh air. There are no shops or anywhere to stay or eat. The village today is like an open air museum. The village is so quite in the winter, it was like visiting a ghost town. Majority of the home owners come to the village to spend their summers.

The visit to the village of Doganbey can be combined with Ancient City of Priene and you may lunch at a fish restaurant located at the coastal village of Karina. For custom private tours feel free to contact us.


Pictures of Doganbey Village

New York Times had an article about Kusadasi on November 06, 1966 By ANNE LAMBTON.

I truly enjoyed reading about it. It is so funny to hear there is hardly to see someone. It is totaly different than how it is today. Writer says Kusadasi is awating an Immenent Discovery:

KUSADASI BEFORE TOURISM ARRIVES; Turkish Village on the Aegean Coast Is Awaiting Imminent 'Discovery'
KUSADASI, Turkey The Aegean coast of Turkey is one of the few remaining corners of Europe little known by tourists. It is possible to spend an entire day in this wild, unspoiled countryside without seeing another living soul, except perhaps a shepherd tending his flock, or boys fishing off the rocky coast in a boat.

The below pictures will also show you the big change:

We have just received the following Ephesus Tour Review by Harris Armstrong whom we served in December:

Just received the below e-mail from a client that we served last month. We are very gald that our guests are pleased with our services.

Hello Denizan,

Firstly I would like to say how pleased all our group were with Sam
(Sami) as our tour guide on September 28th. He was very knowledgeable on subjects we talked to him about and on the  sites themselves.  He was also a lot of fun to be with.

The bus size was perfect for our 12 and it was in excellent
condition.  Also it was punctual. Ephesus, was a real surprise and a highlight to the group, we talked
about it a lot. We had a lovely Gozleme lunch at a small village which everybody
enjoyed.

And we got back in time for the girls to spend some time shopping in
the bazaar. Some may even want to return to Turkey, at varying times, as a result
of the visit and the service we received.

Please pass on our expressions of thanks, from all of our group to Sam
(we had to teach him Aussie, Aussie Aussie), and let him know that if he is in
Perth (which I believe he may be) he is welcome to contact us.  My details
below.  We would be happy to recommend your company to any fellow
travellers.  I also did a review on Trip Advisor per below.

Kind Regards

Alan J Rew
Financial Controller
Galaxy Resources Limited

Wir haben die folgenden Ephesos Tour-Bewertung empfängt nach einen unserer Kunden, die wir im Dezember serviert:

A continuación encontrará una revisión de cliente para nuestra excursion privada a Efeso. Servimos a estos clientes el 1 de diciembre. Llegaron al puerto de Izmir con Norwegian Jade.

Para obtener más información sobre nuestras excursiones privadas a Efeso, por favor haga clic aquí.

Siguiente encontrara un opinion de uno de nuestros clientes que serviamos:

Si querria hacer una excursion privadas de Efeso y la casa de la Virgen Maria tambien,  No dude en contactar con nosotros. Para obtener mas informacion clic siguiente: Excursiones privadas de Efeso

There are around 35,000 Catholics in Turkey. Majority live in Istanbul. During our walking tours of Istanbul for the ones who are interested we visit some of the active Roman Catholic churches of Istanbul.:

Church of St. Mary Draperis
An active Roman Catholic Church located at Istiklal Avenue. Current building was built in 1769. During the 19th century Church of St. Mary Draperis became one of the most prestigious Catholic  Churches in the city of Istanbul. The church is still run by reformed Franciscan Friars who offer daily masses in Italian and mass in Spanish every Sunday. In the main altar of the church visitors can notice the icon of the Virgin Mary from 16th century from the house of Clara Maria Draperis which the church was named after her. Clara Maria Draperis donated her house with a tiny chapel  to Franciscan Friars of Constantinapolis in the 16th century.

Church of St. Anthony
Largest active Roman Catholic Church of Istanbul. The original church was built in 1725 by the local Italian catholic community of Istanbul, but was later demolished and replaced with the current building which was constructed on the same location. The current church of St. Anthony, along with its adjacent buildings on Istiklal Avenue, was built in 1906 in the Venetian Neo-Gothic style. Pope Giovanni XXIII, preached in this church for 10 years, when he was the Vatican's Ambassador to Turkey before being elected as Pope. He is known in Turkey with the nickname "The Turkish Pope" because of his fluent Turkish and his often expressed love for Turkey and the city of Istanbul.

Cathedral of Saint Esprit
Also known as the Cathedral of Holy Spirit. In 1846 built by the famous architect brothers Giuseppe and Gaspard Fossati who built Russian Colsulate, Dutch consulate and restored Hagia Sophia. Today It is one of the principal active Catholic Churches of Istanbul.  It is the second largest Roman Catholic church in the city after St. Anthony at the Istiklal Avenue. Built in Baroque style. St. Esprit has been a destination of several papal visits to Turkey, including those of Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II, and Pope Benedict XVI. A statue of Pope Benedict XV stands in the courtyard of the cathedral. Giuseppe Donizetti, a musician at the court of Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II, is buried in the vaults of the church.

Giuseppe Donizetti who started to be called Donizetti Pasha later played a significant role in the introduction of European music to the Ottoman military. Apart from the training of the European-style military bands of Ottoman`s modern army, he taught music at the palace to the members of the Ottoman royal family. Donizetti Pasha is believed to have composed the first national anthem of the Ottoman Empire, supported the annual Italian opera season in Pera, organised concerts and operatic performances to famous visitors visiting Istanbul.

We organize walking tours of Istanbul and stop at these fascinating churches of Istanbul. Let us take you to the above Roman Catholic Churches of Istanbul. For more information please contact us.

Today I had a half day walking tour with Joseph Stanley Group. I picked them from their hotel in Cihangir which is a trendy neigbourhood. We walked down the hill to Findikli and got on the tram to Oldcity and Sultanahmet district. Had Doner Kebap Wrap (Gyro). Visited Hipodrome, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Local Markets and Spice Market. Sampled some Turkish Delight in Spice Market and had some baklava at a local Baklava store in Tahtakale. Enjoyed some Turkish cofee and tea and had a rest there.

During the walk to the Spice Market. Local Municipalities had an electronic booth where people can learn about events in Istanbul and also an opportunity for a memory picture. We had a try if it works. Below is the result :)

Afterwards we continued our tour, walked on the Galata Bridge in front of fish restaurants. Walk through Camando stairs by the Criemean War Seasmens Hospital to Galata Tower and to Serdar-i Ekrem Street. Enjoyed great photo opportunities of 19th century houses. Walked on Istiklal Avenue. Visited Pera Palace Hotel. Stopped by St. Anthony Church and smapled hot halva at Koska. Walked through Beyogle Fish Market and Navizade Streets.

It was a little bit cold but an enjoyable day. I will continue touring with the smae group on Tuesday. We will do a fullday tour of Grand Bazaar, Bosphorus Cruise, Asian Side of Istanbul, Camlica Hill and Beylerbeyi Palace.

If you would like to do such a walking tour of Istanbul. I will be in Istanbul till May 7th.
For more information please visit: Walking Tours of Istanbul.

Denizhan Pekoz
Tour Guide

Lonely Planet has now listed the Mısır Çarşısı (Spice Market) as number five on  its Best Fresh Food Markets List. And just last July the Hagia Sophia made it on  to the same organization’s list of the Ten Most Beautiful Buildings in the World.

Lonely Planet`s list for Ten Most Beautiful Buildings of the World:

1. Guggenheim Museum in Bilboa, Spain
2. Potala Palace, Tibet
3. Library of Alexandria, Egypt
4. Sagrada Família, Spain
5. Taj Mahal, India
6. Imam Mosque, Iran
7. Winter Palace, Russia
8. Crac de Chevalliers,  Syria
9. Church of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul
10. Museum of Oscar Niemeyer, Brazil

To see two of the above mentioned places Spice Market and Chucrh of Hagia Sophia contact us for your personalised private tour program.