Weather - Sunny and mild
Accommodation - Hotel Kismet
We had a later start of 9.30am and headed southwest to the ancient city of Aphrodisias which is considered one of the finest and one of the most important archaeological sites in Turkey. The name of the city is derived from the goddess of love, Aphrodite. It lies about 100 kms east from the Aegean coastline, covers one square kilometre and at its peak had approximately 15,000 inhabitants.
The site is in an earthquake zone and it suffered extensive damage in the 4th and 7th centuries. After the 7th century earthquake the city fell into disrepair.
We were taken to the site on a tractor with a trailer on the back. It was novel.
Our first site of the city was the restored and impressive monumental gateway built in 200AD and this leads to the forecourt of the Temple of Aphrodite. We had our group photo standing in front of the gateway.
The Temple of Aphrodite was the focal point of the town with a large number of marble sculptures. Marble was plentiful from the nearby hills.
The stadium is huge and could seat 30, 000 people. It was initially used for athletic events but after an earthquake its use changed to games, circuses, gladiatorial combats and wild beast shows. It is considered one of the best preserved structures on the Mediterranean. It has not been restored.
The Bouleuterion (council house) was a small amphitheatre built about 200AD. The lower part of the auditorium has nine rows of marble seating but originally had an additional twelve rows but these have collapsed.
The archeological restorations began in the early 1960's when the village built around the ancient city was removed to a nearby town. Amazingly, we saw a display of black and white photos of the village people using columns for their houses and sarcophagi being used for the making of wine!
We had a tasty late lunch at a nearby restaurant. We were hungry and enjoyed the seating beside nearby grape vines. Hanging over our heads were large bunches of chillies being dried.
After lunch we made our way west to the Aegean coast and arrived at five thirty. Our hotel sits on the side of a hill at Kusadasi and we have wonderful views over the sea and the harbour where large cruise ships dock. We knew we had an Australian assisting with our arrival when he said, "Youze can use the stairs if you like." He is Turkish Australian and his name is Ray.
Funda seems to know the best places to eat and she found another one tonight. We had platters of lamb, chicken and beef kababs, Turkish breads and salads for dinner. As usual, it was very delicious. We are staying two nights Kusadasi. The city boasts 300 days of sunshine and is apparently one of Turkey's premier holiday destinations.
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