Seven Congregations of Revelation in Turkey: Our Visits and a Suggested Route

The Bible names seven congregations at Revelation 1:11: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. My wife and I visited these places in western Turkey and wrote separate guides with photographs and notes on what we saw.

If you want to connect the seven places on a trip, the route below is a suggested geographic loop beginning in Izmir. It is not a record of the order we travelled, which I no longer remember. We have not assigned driving times or a fixed number of days: check a current map and choose a pace that suits you.

A suggested route through the seven cities

Izmir (Smyrna) → Bergama (Pergamum) → Akhisar (Thyatira) → Sart (Sardis) → Alaşehir (Philadelphia) → Laodicea near Denizli → Ephesus near Selçuk → Izmir. You can begin elsewhere or reverse the loop. This is a travel order, not the order in which the cities appear at Revelation 1:11.

1. Smyrna — Izmir
2. Pergamum — Bergama
3. Thyatira — Akhisar
4. Sardis — Sart
5. Philadelphia — Alaşehir
6. Laodicea — near Denizli
7. Ephesus — Selçuk

Smyrna: Izmir

Our visit to ancient Smyrna in modern Izmir.

Begin in Izmir, where the remains of ancient Smyrna sit within the modern city. We found the excavated area compact and spent about an hour there. Finding parking in central Izmir was the harder part; our Smyrna guide includes the garage we used beside the site.

Read our full Smyrna visit guide.

Pergamum: Bergama

The theatre at Pergamum, photographed for our visit report.

Continue north to ancient Pergamum, usually called Pergamon in our article. We explored the archaeological area and wrote about its temples, theatre and other remains. Our discussion of the “throne of Satan” at Revelation 2:13 considers possibilities; no surviving structure can be identified with certainty as the one meant in that verse.

Read our full Pergamum visit guide.

Thyatira: Akhisar

An inscription pictured in our Thyatira article.

Head toward Akhisar, the modern city associated with Thyatira. Our article concentrates on the city’s trades, especially copper work and purple dye, and on Lydia, who was from Thyatira. Some of the objects discussed are in a museum in Manisa, away from the ancient site. Read the guide to decide whether that additional museum stop interests you.

Read our full Thyatira visit guide.

Sardis: Sart

A site photographed for our Sardis guide.

From Thyatira, continue toward Sardis near Sart. We photographed ruins and considered three details that made the message to Sardis in Revelation 3 more vivid to us. Our interpretations are impressions from visiting the place, not proof that any particular ruin was mentioned in the Bible.

Read our full Sardis visit guide.

Philadelphia: Alaşehir

The compact excavated area in modern Alaşehir.

Next is ancient Philadelphia in modern Alaşehir. We found a small excavated area amid the modern city and noticed inscriptions from different periods. Our stop at the ruins took about 20 minutes. The article shows exactly what we saw and discusses the message to Philadelphia without claiming that a particular carving proves its meaning.

Read our full Philadelphia visit guide.

Laodicea: near Denizli

Piping we photographed at Laodicea.

Continue toward the archaeological site of Laodicea near Denizli. The remains we photographed include water piping and other evidence of daily life. Our guide considers three details alongside the message to Laodicea in Revelation 3. Distinguish what is visible at the site from an interpretation of what a Bible verse may allude to.

Read our full Laodicea visit guide.

Ephesus: Selçuk

The theatre in our Ephesus visit report.

Finish at Ephesus near Selçuk, south of Izmir. This was one of the larger archaeological sites we visited. Our guide brings together eleven Bible connections, site photographs and map links, including details about entrances and a separate ticket we needed for the Terrace Houses when we visited. Check the current ticket arrangements before you go.

Read our full Ephesus visit guide.

Before you set out

• Use current maps. The ancient sites are spread across different modern towns. Confirm the entrance and driving route for each stop before leaving.
• Check access and admission. Our photographs and practical notes describe visits from earlier years. Opening hours, prices, museum displays and site conditions may have changed.
• Allow different amounts of time. We found Philadelphia and Smyrna relatively compact, while Ephesus has much more ground to cover. Let your interests determine how long to spend at each place.
• Keep sites and museums distinct. A few objects described in our guides are held in museums away from the ancient city where they originated. Follow each article’s location notes before planning an extra stop.

These seven cities are one part of our travels. Explore our Bible History Travel page for places in Turkey and beyond, or read about us and how we document our visits.