Microsoft founder visits top tourist attractions in Turkey’s west

ISTANBUL

Microsoft founder Bill Gates has visited Turkey’s southwest, disembarking his super-luxury yacht to take a short tour of the top tourist destinations in the region.

Gates, the world’s fourth-richest person, went on a tour with a private helicopter after his Cayman Islands-flagged yacht was anchored off the resort town of Kuşadası.

He first visited Meryem Ana Evi (House of Virgin Mary), where the assumption or bodily ascent of the Virgin Mary to heaven is believed to have taken place, in İzmir’s Selçuk district.

Later, he visited Ephesus, an ancient city located in the same area and also one of the most renowned historical attractions in the country, with his private bodyguards.

Entering the area through the upper door of the settlement, Gates was seen wearing a baseball hat and a mask while getting out of the vehicle.

The lights in the ancient city were turned on since it was dark, and tour guides accompanied the businessman during the visit.

This is not Gates’ first visit to Turkey’s west coast. In 2005, he visited tourist spots in the region, such as Marmaris and Bodrum in the southwestern province of Muğla.

The billionaire dropped by Bodrum one more time in July of this year, where he had dinner with his close friends.