Byzantine Aqueduct

Beginning east of the Basilica of St. John (St. Jean), the Byzantine aqueduct still stands intact within the town of Selçuk, especially around the train station, and continues northward through the Şirince Gorge. The aqueduct carried drinking water from the springs at Pranga, between Belevi and Selçuk, to the Byzantine settlement on Ayasuluk Hill in Selçuk and to the Basilica of St. John, an important pilgrimage center of the Middle Ages.

The piers of the sturdy, 15-meter-high arches that survive around the station were built from reused (spolia) marble blocks brought from Ephesus and the Temple of Artemis and re-dressed for the purpose. Among these blocks, the Archaic-period Ionic capitals now displayed in the Great Courtyard of the Selçuk Ephesus Museum are especially important. Brick was used for the upper arches.

At the end of the aqueduct on Ayasuluk Hill, on the east side of the Gate of Persecution, a large water reservoir, or cistern, has been excavated and restored in recent years. This reservoir, with its arched and vaulted superstructure, incorporates fluted columns brought from Ephesus and 2nd-century capitals of the Composite order. These structures are important examples of the region's skill in water engineering and architecture.