The ancient city of Aphrodisias

The ancient city of Aphrodisias, founded in 4800 BC, is located 95 km southeast of Aydın. Famous for sculpture production workshops in ancient times, Aphrodisias began to lose this feature in the 5th century AD and with the adoption of Christianity in the 6th century AD, all the sculpture production workshops were closed.

The city, which returned to an agricultural village in the 12th and 13th centuries, became vacant as a result of the migration of people to new settlements in the surrounding area. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the Turks, who had adopted the city, called it Kayra, and in later years it was called Geyre. Those who want to go to the ancient city of Aphrodisias by private cars can easily reach the ancient city by following the signs on the Aydın-Denizli highway and turning from Kuyucak turnoff.

Distance to the ancient city from:

Aydin 95 km Denizli 110 km Ephesus 130 km Izmir 220 km Kusadasi 140 km Pamukkale 130 km Visiting hours: April 15, October 2, between 08:00 to 19:00 October 3, April 14 between 08:30 to 17:30 The museum cardholders can visit free of charge for a fee.

The ruins of the ancient city of Aphrodisias: Sebasteion (Temple of the Emperor): The building, built in the 1st century AD, was dedicated to the emperor Sebastos. In front of the temple is a long street called sacred street. On the second floor of the 3-storey building, which is located right next to the street, there are reliefs symbolizing the triumphs and power of the empire. The relief panels are under protection and are exhibited in the Aphrodisias Museum since 2008.

Aphrodisias Ancient Theater:

According to an inscription found in the theatre in the second half of the 1st century AD, it was built by Octavian s slave Zoilos for Aphrodite and the people of the city. The theatre, which has a capacity of 8,000 people, has 6 vaulted dressing rooms, 4 of which open to the stage. On the walls of the stage, the building is the letters of the emperors and the inscriptions describing the citys historical and parliamentary provisions. The theatres orchestra, which has survived to the present day with its magnificent appearance, has been modified to make it suitable for a wild animal and gladiatorial fights in the 2nd century BC. In 1966, the National Geographic started the excavation and maintenance work in the theatre and at the end of many years, it was restored.

Town square with pool:

There are two squares in the ancient city, North Agora and South Agora. These side-by-side agoras were built with a rectangular plan. The North Agora was built in the 1st century AD The South Agora was built in the 2nd century AD because the North Agora was not enough for the increasing population. In the middle of the South Agora, there is a 260-meter-long and 25-meter-wide pool. It is estimated that the pool was built to control the waters coming out of the ground after the earthquake that occurred in 360 AD.

Bath:

It was built in honour of Emperor Hadrian Anatolian crusade in the 2nd century AD. It is a planned form of building in which there are rooms such as cold, warm and hot. It has 2 galleries and consists of underground corridors and water canals. The sculptures and other artefacts found in the excavations carried out here in the 1900s are exhibited in the Aydın and Aphrodisias museum.

Odeon:

After the Hadrian bath, there is an odeon at the end of the road which is surrounded by fruit trees. Discovered in 1962, the building consists of 12 divided rows of seats adorned with semicircular lions. The building, which served as a council building in the first years of its foundation, suffered great damage in the earthquake that occurred in 360 AD. After the earthquake, only the lower steps of the damaged building were repaired and continued to be used, the superstructure has not been closed and this area has been transformed into an Odeon for outdoor music shows. As it is understood from the carved writings in the seats, this area has hosted conferences and various shows.

Palace Episcopal Center:

The large building community at the back of the Odeon-Assembly building is considered a palace. According to the excavations and findings, the building has been used as a palace of the city government since the early Roman period. The building was used as a bishop palace in the 6th and 7th centuries AD.

Temple of Aphrodite:

The high columns in the city centre are part of the Temple of Aphrodite, which has been home to the gods for hundreds of years. The building dates back to the 6th century BC The marble remains of the temple today were built in the 1st century BC. In the 6th century AD some elements of the temple, which was the centre of the rituals, sacrifices made for Aphrodite, were transformed into a church and served as a church for several centuries. The sanctuary of the temple was completed during the reign of Hadrian. From the excavations and finds around the temple, the structure is estimated to have 13 columns on octagonal sides and 8 columns on sides. Some of the standing columns have the names of people who donated to the temple. The excavations inside and outside the temple are exhibited in the Aphrodisias museum today.

Stadium:

Built in the 1st century AD, the stadium is one of the magnificent buildings that survived to the present day without any damage. The stadium of the city, which has a population of 15 thousand people, was built for 30 thousand people considering that people can come from the settlements in the distant and close surroundings. It is understood that the names of the lodges located in the seating steps of the stadium, the people of the surrounding cities and the artisans participated in the competitions here intensively. The stadium, which is 270 meters long, has 30 rows of seats and has been designed not to obstruct the view of the audience. The stadium is used for traditional sports such as running, long jump, javelin throw, disc throw and wrestling. The stadium was later used for gladiatorial and wild animal fights and was later transformed into an arena where bloodshed sports were performed by the Romans.

Tetrapylon (Quad door):

The door to the entrance to the large sacred area of the temple of Aphrodite was built in the 2nd century AD. Tetrapylon is a monumental gate built to welcome visitors to the temple of Aphrodite. In the pediment of the columns, descriptions of Eros and Nike hunting between the leaves of Akhantus are easily seen.

Aphrodisias Museum

Opened in 1979, the museum exhibits beautiful and different types of sculptures and reliefs. The marbles of different types, engraved and sculpted in the 6th century AD, are fascinating. Wandering among the artefacts exhibited in the museum gives the visitors the feeling of wandering through the mythological ages. Across the museum, there is a hall opened for archaeologist Kenan Erim for his contributions, excavations and services in the ancient city of Aphrodisias. It is highly recommended for those who have time to visit this hall.