Ayasuluk Fortress (Selçuk Castle)

Located north of the Basilica of St. John at the highest point of the hill, the inner citadel was, according to recent research, built on the site of the earliest settlement of Ephesus. The existing walls bear traces of the Byzantine, Aydınid and Ottoman periods. Built of stone, brick and mortar, they are reinforced by 15 towers, and the citadel can be entered through gates on its east and west sides. These gates open directly to the outside and are not connected to the outer fortress.

On the inner side of the walls, narrow staircases lead up to the bastions and battlements. Within the citadel are stone-paved streets, cisterns of various sizes, a mosque and, at the highest point, the remains of a church. The apse of the church was converted into a cistern, with some additions, during the Aydınid period. To the west of the mosque, the remains of a structure that may have been the citadel's bath have also been found. With its historical and architectural riches, the fortress is an important monument that sheds light on the past of Ephesus.