Wishing Wall, House of the Virgin Mary, Ephesus
Scraps of paper and fabric with written wishes attached to the Wishing Wall at the House of the Virgin Mary on Bulbul Hill, 9km from Ephesus, Izmir, Turkey. Pilgrims, who believe the wall to be miraculous, attach their wishes to the wall. This is the place where Mary may have spent her last days. She may have come to the area with St John, who spent several years in the area spreading Christianity. The house of the Virgin Mary is typically Roman, made of stones. In the 4th century AD, a church, combining her house and grave, was built. Today, only the central part and a room on the right of the altar are open to visitors. Ephesus was an ancient Greek city founded in the 10th century BC, and later a major Roman city, on the Ionian coast near present day Selcuk. Picture by Manuel Cohen
