Discovered in a vision by a bedridden German nun in 1812, this stone building is believed by many Catholics and Muslims to be where the Virgin Mary lived her last years. There is also a healing fountain.

The Church of the Holy Cross on Akdamar Island is a ruined Armenian cathedral dating from 921 AD. Beautifully situated on Lake Van, the church is famed for its fascinating medieval sculptures.

In ancient times it was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, but today the Temple of Artemis is represented by a single column standing in a swamp.

This huge brick edifice was built in the 2nd century as a Roman temple to the god Serapis and later converted into a Byzantine church.

Founded by the Seleucids in the 3rd century BC, Pisidian Antioch became an important Roman colony. It was visited by St. Paul and hosted the first fully Gentile Christian community.

According to legend, seven Christian boys were locked in this cave by the Romans in c.250 AD, fell asleep, and woke up in the 5th century. It became a place of burial and pilgrimage.

A small lakeside town in northwestern Turkey, Iznik is the modern successor of the Byzantine city of Nicea, where a famous church council was held in 325 AD.

One of the most sacred cities in the ancient Greek world, Didyma had an oracle of Apollo that rivaled Delphi. Today, its massive Temple of Apollo is still majestic in ruins.