Selçuk’s crowning achievement is accessed on the same ticket as the neighbouring Basilica of St John. Excavation is ongoing and, at the time of writing, entry was by intermittent guided tours; hopefully regular access will soon be established. The digs here, begun in 1990, have proven that there were castles on Ayasuluk Hill going back beyond the original Ephesian settlement to the Neolithic age. The partially restored fortress' remains today date from Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman times.
Guides will likely point out ruins including a hamam , basements and mescit (small mosque) with discernible mihrab (niche indicating the direction of Mecca).
One section of the castle, the mostly ruined Fortress Mansion , made waves when excavated in 2009, because it had last been mentioned by British traveller John Covell in 1670. Built for a ruling Ottoman family, the structure was probably created by the same architects as nearby İsa Bey Camii.
Excavations of the Inner Fortress here have also uncovered the remains of three houses in the Kale Mosque, an area comprised of 15 bedrooms now dubbed the Southern Terrace . Since 2010, more than 100m of the western walls and towers have been restored using original materials.
