The ancient city of Aphrodisias

The ancient city of Aphrodisias

The ancient city of Aphrodisias, once the capital of the province of Lydia, is located near the village of Geyre in the district of Karacasu 38 km south of Nazilli.In ancient times, the attractive marble buildings of Aphrodisias no doubt shone out, as they do now, from amidst the rich vegetation of the Dandalaz valley with its almond, pomegranate and poplar trees.

Tetrapylon - The ancient city of Aphrodisias

Tetrapylon - The ancient city of Aphrodisias

One of the most attractive features of Aphrodisias is the ornamental gate constructed in the middle of the 2nd century. The name Tetrapylon refers to its being composed of four groups of four columns.

The Temple of Aphrodite - Aphrodisias

The Temple of Aphrodite - Aphrodisias

Located in the northern section, in ancient times the Temple of Aphrodite formed the centre and nucleus of the city. All that remains of the ancient temple consists of fourteen of the over forty Ionic columns that once surrounded it and the foundations of the cella section.

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Tuesday market in Tire

Tuesday market in Tire

This is a colorful and lively event which covers a large segmet of this historic town. Sellers are mostly women from neighbouring villages who offer their own garden produce.

Buys include olive oil, homemade soaps, local cheeses, herbs, painted felt mats, wicker baskets, hemp, ironwork and -in season- the unique mulberry ice cream.

The ruined synagogue, sole reminder of the town's once- flourishing Jewish community, serves as a junkyard.

Where is the Tire Market: Tire town centre

Arpaz, near Nazilli

Arpaz, near Nazilli

A residential catle in quasi-European style stands on the edge of this village, once the seat of a far-reaching feudal estate.

An older palace on the site was destroyed by the legandary bandit Bald Mehmet of Atca during a revolt in 1829. The present tower was built later in the 19th century in imitation of mediaeval Crusader architecture of Rhodes by a Lord of Arpaz who spent some time as an exile in that island.

The estate, now derelict, is owned by descendants of the Arpaz family and can be toured by persuading the housekeeper.

How to get to Arpaz: 10 km S of Nazilli, dir. Bozdogan.

Arpaz castle

Becin castle near Milas

Becin castle near Milas

A great flat-topped rock rising over the plain of milas is crowned with the citadel of the lords of Menteshe who ruled this region in the citadel was until recently inhabited by villagers.

Many medieval remnants -a mosque, a caravanserai, a medrese and a Byzantine church- stand outside the fortress.

The tomb of Ahmet Bey, a menteshe ruler, is visited by the faithful who revere him as a saint.

How to get to Becin Castle: 4 km S of Milas (dir. ören); marked turnoff.

The Carian princess in Bodrum Castle

The Carian princess in Bodrum Castle

A woman's skeleton unearthed near Bodrum in 1989 was reconstituted by a Manchester University team into a marvel of modern forensic technology.

Dead since 2350 years, she appears to have been a member of the Hecatomnid dynasty wich ruled.

Halicarnassus in the 4th century BC. most probably she was Ada, ayounger sister of mausolus the tyrant.

She was adopted by Alexander the Great as a surrogate mother and tired in vain to wed her niece to him.

She is now on display in the Bodrum castle, wearing her original finery.

Sirince village near Selcuk

Sirince village near Selcuk

An attractive hill village surrounded by vineyards and peach gardens, Sirince retains its traditional apperance almost intact.

Most houses, built in a wattle-and daub technique with projecting upper storeys, date from the 19th century when the village was populated by greeks.

Unusually for a turkish village, the present inhabitants make and sell wine, and they are not averse to inviting visitors to their homes to have ataste of their vintage.

How to get to Sirince: Turnoff (marked) at N end of Selcuk, then 8 km.

The Terrace Houses in Ephesus

The Terrace Houses in Ephesus

A group of private residences inhabited from the 1st to 6th centuries AD, the Terrace Houses were brought to light in excavations carried out since the 1980s.

Along with those in Pompeii, they constitute some of the most vivid examples of Roman domestic architecture to survive to the present.

Patrica, on Cunda Island near Ayvalik

Patrica, on Cunda Island near Ayvalik

The town of Cunda is as close as it gets to "Greek island" atmosphere in Turkey. The area arround the town is spoiled by new housing colonies, but the back (north) part of the island remains untouched.

Two timeless little hamlets here bear the common name Patrica. A path leads from the second of the two to a deserted cove where a derelict Greek monastery -- formerly St Demetrios of the Moonlight-- stands by clear sea. It is an evocative site at full moon.

How to get to patrica: 5 km from Cunda-town to Patrica; 2 km walk to monastery. A dozen seafood restaurants alond the Cunda waterfront oofer excellent meze & fish.