You will find scenic highlights, well-preserved archaeological sites and fascinating museums that bring its rich history to life. Besides, sea excursions and water sports are very popular activities that attract most visitors.
W E S T E R N T U R K E Y T O U R S
Aphrodisias, stadium 262 m long 54 m wide, 30.000 seats capacity.
Ephesus theatre is the most magnificent structure in the ancient city. The Great Theatre is built to rest on the slope of the hill, opposite the Harbor Street. It was first constructed in the Hellenistic Period, in the third century BC during the reign Alexander's general Lysimachos.
Pergamon, Trajanus Temple
Sardis, ruins of the Temple of Artemis
Croesus consulted the oracle. Pythia said " King if you attack the Persians you will destroy a great empire ". Croesus attacked but he destroyed his own empire.
In the plateau of Sardis two armies confronted each other. Lydians were on horse back. Cyrus King of Persian Empire got frightened of Lydians and consulted his wise men. Harpagus, one of his generals advised him to use camels against the horses. He said horses can not face the camels as they hate camel smell.
Milesians got rich from sea born trade, they had 90 trade colonies set along the coast of Anatolia.
Miletus was home for many distinguished philosophers, orators, planners and engineers. Thales predicted the eclipse of sun on the 28th May 585 BC, on the day two armies, Lydians led by king Alyates and Persians commanded by Cyraxes in a fierce battle. They stopped fighting as they thought the eclipse was the sign that Gods do not approve this fight.
Aspasia, the fine lady, the wife of Perikles was also from Miletus.
Didyma, ruins of the Temple of Apollo.
Famous sacred site in the ancient Greek world, temple of oracle and Apollo that attracted pilgrims. The temple was second in importance to Delphi.
After the battle of Lade 494 BC the archaic Didymaion temple was destroyed and its treasures, including the statue of Apollo, were taken away. The priests, Branchidae behaved cowardly and without resitance they handed over the treasures of the temple to the conquerors, Persians. Then fearing the wrath of the Milesians, they begged Persian king, Xerxes to take them with him. Centuries later, the descendants of these priests were discovered by Alexander the Great and their settlements were raised to the ground on the advice of the Milesians.
The statue of Apollo was brought back to Didyma from Ecbatana by Seleucus Nicator, founder of Seleucid dynasty in Syria.
Nysia was famed to be an educational center that drew pupils from all over the Asia Minor. Many philosophers opened schools here.
There was a shrine called plutonium dedicated to Pluto, the god of the underworld. The plutonium was a famous healing center. according to strabo the plutonium was enclosed in a richly-ornamented sacred precinct. the healing center was in a natural cave above the shrine. the sick, who lodged in the nearby village were sometimes placed by the priests inside the cave where they remained in quiet like animals in their lurking-holes, without food for many days. Patients were cured by the treatment prescribed by the gods which was revealed to them or sometimes to the priests in their dreams.
Only the sick and the priests were allowed in the cave for all others it was a dangerous and forbidden place.
