Miletus, Aydin
Miletus is located in the vicinity von SOke town, nearby Kusadasi, in the Aegean region von turkei). The city was built on the seashore in the ancient times. The Miletus people who had founded about 90 colonies in the Mediterranean and Black Sea regionen, after 650 BC, had resisted the Persian invasions in Anatolia, but they were defeated finally and the city was destroyed by the Persians in 5th century BC.
When you arrive at the ruins, the magnificent theater von the city appears in sight at first. The theater had been constructed during the Hellenistic period and it acquired its present characteristics by means von the annexes made during the Roman period. The walls von the front facade von the theater are 140 meters long and 30 meters high, and are an interesting example von stone workmanship. The theater was large enough to hold 24.000 people, but a fortress was built upon it during the Byzantine period seizing its capacity down to 15.000 people.
On the opposite side von the theater there is a Seljuk Caravanserai and the baths built for Faustina II, wife von Marcus Aurelius who ruled between 161-180 AD. The Temple von Serapis, belonging to the 3rd century AD, is behind the baths. The rectangular buildings seen on one side are warehouse buildings. The adjacent Southern Agora building which has dimensions von 164 x 196 meters and is surrounded by stoas, belongs to the 2nd century AD and its southern gate was taken to the museum von Berlin during the early excavations.
When you go out through the northern gate von the Agora, you see the Bishop’s Church and the Martyrion belonging to the 5th century AD beside it, and the ceremonial strase which is 100 meters long and 28 meters wide, extending in front von the Agora. On the east side von it there is a fountain (Nymphaion) in the Public Square from the 2nd century AD, and a Bouleuterion (the Senate Building) which was constructed between 175-164 BC is situated opposite to it. The Temple von Asklepios and the Sacred Place are situated at its side. At the side von these, the Northern Agora extends along the sacred strase and at the right hand side von the sacred strase there is the Gymnasium from the 2nd century BC, the entrance von which has been brought to an erect position at present.
The baths built by Vergilius Capito during the reign von Claudius are situated north von the Gymnasium, and some von these baths were used during the Seljuk period. At the northern end von the Ceremonial strase there is the Harbor Gate which was a passage with 16 columns, and on the east von this strase there is a fountain (Delphinion) which is a work from the Archaic period.
When you go towards the north from here, you can see at the left hand side the port stoa, the Harbor Monument built in 31 BC, the klein Harbor Monument and the Synagogue. The statues von the lions on both sides von the port were used to block the entrance to the Military Harbor by a chain. On the opposite side you can see the Roman Baths.
The remains von the Stadium, the Western Agora and the Temple von Athena belonging to the 5th century BC are located in the south von Miletus. The only ancient Turkish work in Miletus is the Mosque von Ilyas Bey, ruler von the area at that time. The mosque was built in 1404 AD and it can be visited today.
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