Ruin sights in Aegean Coast
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Acropolis
The road up to the Acropolis winds 5km from the Red Basilica to a car park (TL3) at the top, with some souvenir and refreshment stands nearby. A short cut shaves a couple of kilometres from the walk; opposite the Red Basilica, take Mahmut Şevket Paşa Sokak, the narrow lane between Aklar Gıda groceries and a carpet shop, which leads to the Lower Agora.
A line of rather faded (and in some places completely obliterated) blue dots marks a suggested route around the main structures, which include the library as well as the marble-columned Temple of Trajan, built during the reigns of the emperors Trajan and Hadrian and used to worship them as well as Zeus. It's the only Roman…
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Mausoleum
One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Mausoleum was the greatest achievement of Carian King Mausolus (r 376–353 BC). Although Caria had existed for at least 700 years, with a capital in Mylasa (Milas), Mausolus moved it to Halicarnassus. Before his death, the king had planned his own tomb, to be designed by Pythius (architect of Priene's Temple of Athena). When Mausolus finally died, his wife (and sister), Artemisia, oversaw the completion of this enormous, white-marble tomb topped by stepped pyramids.
Incredibly, the Mausoleum stood relatively intact until the Knights Hospitallers needed building material for the Castle of St Peter; between 1406 and 1522,…
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Hierapolis
Hierapolis' location atop the tourist magnet that is the 'Cotton Castle' seems to have blessed it with a budget rather more ample than that of most Turkish archaeological sites. The orderly paved pathways, well-trimmed hedges, flower-filled expanses, wooden bridge walkways and array of shady park benches make Hierapolis far more genteel than Ephesus (or anywhere else in Turkey). Wild and raw it is not, but for those wishing, or needing, to see an ancient site on flat and well-maintained terrain, this is the place.
The curvaceous mountaintop means that the city's ruins are relatively compact, with the main sites easily accessible. The ruins evoke life in a bygone era, in…
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Library of Celsus
The early 2nd-century AD governor of Asia Minor, Celsus Polemaeanus, was commemorated in this magnificent library. As a Greek and Latin inscription on the front staircase attests, Celsus' son, Consul Tiberius Julius Aquila, built it in 114 to honour his deceased father, who was buried under the library's western side.
Capable of holding 12,000 scrolls in its wall niches, the Celsus was the third-largest ancient library (after Alexandria and Pergamum). The valuable texts were protected from temperature and humidity extremes by a 1m gap between the inner and outer walls. Originally built as part of a complex, the library looks bigger than it actually is: the convex facade…
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Temple of Artemis
Just beyond Selçuk's western extremities, in an empty field, stands a solitary reconstructed pillar. All that remains of the massive Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, it's now just a 20-second photo opportunity.
At its height, the structure had 127 columns; today, the only way to get any sense of this grandeur is to see the better-preserved Temple of Apollo, in Didyma (it had 122 columns originally).
Artemis' Temple underwent many reconstructions, being damaged by flooding and various invaders over a 1000-year lifespan. But it was always rebuilt – a sign of the great love and attachment Ephesians felt for their fertility avatar, the cult of…
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Upper Ephesus
First you'll encounter the Varius Baths – as in other ancient cities, situated at the main entrances so that visitors could wash before entering. Greco-Roman baths also had a social function as a meeting and massage destination.
Next comes the Upper Agora, a large square used for legislation and local political talk. The structure was originally flanked by grand columns and filled with polished marble. In the middle was a small Temple of Isis – a testament to the strong cultural and trade connections between Ephesus and Alexandria in Egypt. The agora's columns would later be reused for a Christian basilica, which was a typically Byzantine three-nave structure with a…
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Harbour Street
Formally the Arcadian Way, Harbour St was built by Byzantine Emperor Arcadius (r AD 395–408) in a late attempt to revive the fading city. At the time, it was Ephesus' most lavish thoroughfare, illuminated at night by 50 streetlights on its colonnades, while water and sewerage channels ran beneath its marble flagstones. It greeted visitors after they patronised the Harbour Baths. Look for the high column at the arcade's end to see how far inward the sea reached in those days.
After exiting the Lower Gate, the ruined Gymnasium of Vedius (2nd-century AD) had exercise fields, baths, toilets, covered exercise rooms, a swimming pool and a ceremonial hall. Further along is the…
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Shipyard
The recently restored Ottoman shipyard stands just beyond the marina. In 1770, Russia destroyed the entire Ottoman fleet at Çeşme; rebuilding it occurred in boatyards like this. It was fortified when pirates menaced in the 19th century. Although the shipyard's tower occasionally hosts art exhibitions, it's essentially a children's playground. Old tombstones, dating from the period when the Latin alphabet was replacing Arabic, are kept above. There are good views from here, too.
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Terraced Houses
Across from the Temple of Hadrian, the Terraced Houses cost an additional TL15, but they're worth it. The whole residential area was used originally as a graveyard – the Romans built the actual terraces for their homes over this and other Hellenistic structures. The roofed complex here contains (at present) seven well-preserved Roman homes. As you ascend the snaking stairs throughout the enclosure, detailed signs explain each structure's evolving use during different periods. In dwelling 2, keep an eye out for wall graffiti: these hand-scrawled images include everything from pictures of gladiators and animals to names and love poems. Dwelling 6 once contained a huge…
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Agora
The ancient Agora, built for Alexander the Great, was ruined in an earthquake in AD 178, but rebuilt soon after by the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. Colonnades of reconstructed Corinthian columns, vaulted chambers and arches give you a good idea of what a Roman bazaar must have looked like. Later, a Muslim cemetery was built on the site and many of the old tombstones can be seen around the perimeter of the Agora. The site is entered on the south side, just off Gazi Osman Paşa Bulvarı.
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Red Basilica
The cathedral-sized Red Basilica was originally a giant temple to the Egyptian gods Serapis, Isis and Harpocrates, built in the 2nd century AD. It's still an imposing-looking place, though rather scattered and battered-looking these days. Be careful as you make you way around as several sections of the basilica's high walls are severely damaged.
During its pagan pomp, this must have been an awe-inspiring place. In his Revelation, St John the Divine wrote that this was one of the seven churches of the Apocalypse, singling it out as the throne of the devil. Look for a hole in the podium in the centre, which allowed a priest to hide and appear to speak through the 10m-high…
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Asclepion
An ancient medical centre, the Asclepion was founded by Archias, a local who had been cured at the Asclepion of Epidaurus (Greece). Treatments included mud baths, the use of herbs and ointments, enemas and sunbathing. Diagnosis was often by dream analysis.
Pergamum's centre came to the fore under Galen (AD 131–210), who was born here and studied in Alexandria, Greece and Asia Minor before setting up shop as physician to Pergamum's gladiators. Recognised as perhaps the greatest early physician, Galen added considerably to knowledge of the circulatory and nervous systems, and also systematised medical theory. Under his influence, the medical school at Pergamum became…
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Ancient Theatre
On the Gümbet road, ancient Halicarnassus' restored theatre (capacity 13,000) lies in the hillside rock, and still functions for summer concerts.
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Temple of Athena
Right on top of the hill in Behramkale village is this 6th-century BC Ionic temple. The short tapered columns with plain capitals are hardly elegant, and the concrete reconstruction hurts more than helps, but the site and the view out to Lesvos are spectacular and well worth the admission fee.
Villagers set up stalls all the way up the hill to the temple, touting local products from bags of dried herbs or mushrooms to linen and silverware.
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Other Ruins
Scramble down the hill from the Temple of Athena, or walk along the road to Assos, to find the necropolis. Assos' sarcophagi (from the Greek, 'flesh-eaters') were famous. According to Pliny the Elder, the stone was caustic and 'ate' the flesh off the deceased in 40 days. Other ruins include the remains of a late-2nd-century-BC theatre and basilica.
Ringing the hill are stretches of the city walls of medieval Assos, which are among the most impressive medieval fortifications in Turkey.
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Myndos Kapısı
The restored remains of Myndos Kapısı (Myndos Gate), the only surviving gate from King Mausolus' 4th-century-BC 7km-long walls, stand in west Bodrum. Before them are the remains of a moat that took the lives of many of Alexander the Great's soldiers in 334 BC.
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Marble Street
The Marble St was Ephesus' third-largest, and connected the Library of Celsus and the Great Theatre (it remains closed due to excavations). Instead, you'll cross the Lower Agora – a 110-sq-metre former textile and food market that once had a massive colonnade.
After exiting, you'll see the Great Theatre. Originally built under Hellenistic King Lysimachus, it was reconstructed by the Romans between AD 41 and AD 117. However, they incorporated original design elements, including the ingenious shape of the cavea (seating area). Seating rows are pitched slightly steeper as they ascend, meaning that upper-row spectators still enjoyed good views and acoustics – useful,…
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Curetes Way
Named for the demigods who helped Lena give birth to Artemis and Apollo, the Curetes Way was Ephesus' main thoroughfare, ringed by statuary, great buildings, and rows of shops selling incense, silk and other goods.
Walking this street is the best way to understand Ephesian daily life. There are many subtle details to look for along the Way. Regular circular depressions and linear grooves are sporadically gouged into the marble, to keep pedestrians from slipping on the slick surface. This was important not only during winter rains, but also during the searing summer heat; shopkeepers would regularly douse the slippery marble street with water from the fountains to cool the…
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