Red Basilica

This is one impressive pile of red brick. Built during the reign of Hadrian, this temple dedicated to the Egyptian god Serapis (the model for the Greek god Isis) was later to become one of the seven churches of the Apocalypse. The temple was destroyed in the Arab raids of A.D. 716 to 717, and then was significantly altered by the Byzantines to serve as a basilica. The enormous building straddles the ancient Selinus River (today the Bergama Cayi), whose two subterranean galleries provide a canal. True to the ideal that holy ground is always holy ground, a small mosque resides in one of the towers. (The second tower has been recently restored and exhibits works recovered during the ongoing excavations.) Rounding out the trifecta of great religions making use of this site, there are a number of stone tablets engraved in Hebrew, indicating the presence of a vibrant Jewish community here as well.

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