Beyond Anatolia – Discover ancient heritage of Anatolia and neighbouring areas! Learn about ancient cities of old, and help plan your trip. This website is all about trying to help travellers introduce and (hopefully) inspire them! :)

March 19, 2021March 19, 2021

Magnesia ad Meander- City of Epic Stadium and Themistocles

Commoners Agora (marketplace), the weeds on the place are sort of sharp and can hurt your legs a little

When one drives around the lovely countryside of western Turkey, through the main road between towns of Söke and the mid-size town of Germencik, both belonging to city of Aydın, you may come across a huge, impossible-to-miss ancient city just by the road, in fact, on both sides of the road! As the main road cuts through the city. That’s the ancient city of Magnesia ad Meander(or Meandrum) which means Magnesia on the Meander(today’s Menderes river) in Latin. It is not well known compared to some other cities of old, however this city is important as it is where Romans started to dominate ancient Greece, and ancient Greek hero and saviour Themistocles lived rest of his life.

October 4, 2019October 4, 2019

KOS part 1: Kefalos, Agora and Centrum

Kos is a rather calm, relatively small sized island located on the southeastern end of the Aegean sea, a part of the Greek Dodaconese islands on the periphery of Turkish coast (Bodrum). It houses many historical beauties as well as sweet, rugged nature and sandy beaches, and is the birthplace of famous Hippocrates, the father of medicine. One can see many historical buildings from Greek, Turkish and Italian cultures, a true blend of traditions and different timelines, from antiquity to early modern times, making the island a typical Greek cultural area with considerable different cultural elements.

This entry is different from the rest .In this entry, as part 1 of Kos journey, the town of Kefalos with its interesting zones, the ancient Agora in the Kos seaside with remarkable structures, and various important antique landmarks in the centrum of island will be introduced. The part 2 will be dedicated to the ancient ruins of Asklepeion and Kos alone.

September 20, 2019September 20, 2019

Labranda- A hidden sanctuary to Zeus on the mountains

Located on the mountains of ancient region of Caria (today southwestern tip of Turkey, corresponding to modern province of Muğla), Labranda offers a very well preserved ancient Greek-Anatolian historic atmosphere and an extraordinary panoramic scenery. A sanctuary site dedicated to Greek main god Zeus, it consists of a great temple dedicated to him, artificial terraces upon which some housing and on-purpose structures were built and many more!

Its relatively intact buildings, tree groves (which include various fruit trees) and a very refreshing water spring will make your trip here a memorible experience!

September 8, 2019September 19, 2019

PERGAMON- JEWEL OF WESTERN ANATOLIA

Overview

General view from above, courtesy of Hometurkey.com

One of the most important cities of Hellenistic and Roman period, Pergamon is located in modern Bergama(named after Pergamon), İzmir. Pergamon had an enormous effect on antiquity and human history before it lost importance around 5th century AD. The city is known for its invention of patchment, an early type of paper which allowed easier recording and writing, being one of the holy sites of early christianity (which is called seven churches of Asia) which was also important for spread of Christianity in Roman Empire. Its majestic and very beautiful ruins must be visited for those are looking for cultural trip around western Turkey.

April 22, 2019September 20, 2019

PRIENE: Where the past meets Coziness

One of the most scenic ancient cities not only in Turkey but whole ancient Mediterranean sea region, Priene is a lovely cozy site where one can relax in the tree groves while appreciating ancient Greek history and the way they lived thousands of years ago. It is also one of best preserved Hellenistic Greek cities and was financed by Alexander the Great himself. Oh, if you see any archaeologist working around (which most probably you may come across in summer) don’t hesitate to say Hi!