Mount Aladag: A Sacred Mountain
Turkey has something to impress you every corner. On an island, nearby a beach or on top of a steep mountain… Mount Aladag is a mountain nearby the ancient city of Ephesus. Its importance comes from a fact that it hosts a very special house. On the top of Mount Aladag, stand the House of Virgin Mary. A tiny stone house is known as where Mary lived from 37 A.D. Until her death in 48 A.D and spent her last days after Christ’s Ascension to Heaven. It is the retreat house of Saint Mary, that is now a place of pilgrimage. People are wishing wealth, health and their desires on the wishing wall and discovering the rooms where Mother Mary slept and ate. The house was visited by the Popes Leo XIII, Pope John XXIII, Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI; so the validity of the place is proven. If you would like to join this spiritual journey, back your bags and hit the road.Frequently asked questions about Mount Aladag
What is Mount Aladağ known for?
The mountain above Ephesus is known for the House of the Virgin Mary, the small stone house on its slopes that tradition holds was Mary’s home in her final years. It is a place of Christian pilgrimage rather than a climbing destination, and most visitors come for the house rather than the mountain itself.
Where is Mount Aladağ?
It rises above the ruins of Ephesus near Selçuk, in İzmir province on Turkey’s Aegean coast. Do not confuse it with the Aladağlar range in the Taurus Mountains of central southern Turkey, which is a separate and much higher massif.
Which popes have visited the House of the Virgin Mary?
The shrine has been visited by Leo XIII, John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI. Those visits are a large part of why the site is so widely recognised among Catholic pilgrims.
How do you get to the House of the Virgin Mary?
The road runs up from Selçuk, a few kilometres past the main entrance to Ephesus. There is no public bus to the summit, so visitors come by taxi, hire car or on an organised Ephesus tour, which almost always includes the house.
What else is there to see nearby?
Ephesus itself, one of the best-preserved ancient cities in the Mediterranean, sits at the foot of the mountain. The Temple of Artemis, the Basilica of St John and the Ephesus Archaeological Museum are all in Selçuk, and the hill village of Şirince is a short drive away.
Where is Bülbül Dağı?
The House of the Virgin Mary stands on Bülbül Dağı, nine kilometres from Selçuk in İzmir, above Ephesus; Lazarist priests identified the site there in 1891. (Ministry of Culture and Tourism — Kültür Portalı)
Current status: This hill is above Ephesus in İzmir province — not in the Aladağlar range of the Taurus Mountains.