Ayasuluk fortress
Currently closed to the public.
The citadel or the acropolis of Ayasuluk was built by the Byzantines, although the exact date of its construction is unknown. Due to finds of Mycenaean pottery and other artifacts here, it is thought that the acropolis was used by indigenous Anatolian people before the arrival of the Ionian Greeks around 1000 BC (see History of Ephesus).
The Turks rebuilt and added to the fortress, which has 15 watchtowers and contains numerous cisterns, a Byzantine church and a small mosque.
On the hillside to the right of the citadel is the walled precinct around the Basilica of Saint John the Evangelist (see gallery 1, pages 5-13). The Turkish name Ayasuluk (Ottoman Turkish, Ayasluğ) is a corruption of the Greek name of Saint John, Agios Ioannes Theologos (Ἅγίος Ἰωάννης Θεολόγος).
Because the fortress was until recently used by the Turkish military, it was inaccessible to the public for many years. Following renovation and restoration work it was opened to the public, but then closed again, apparently because of unsafe structures.
See more photos of the Ayasuluk citadel on gallery 1, page 14. |
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