MİLLET MUSEUM
Millet Museum, which is located in the antique city of Miletos,
40 km. from the Söke district of Aydın, was opened to public
in 1973. It is designed to display the archeological findings
from Milet in general. It consists of a hall with a pool
and one large and one smaller hall which open up to this
area. Mycenae ceramics dated back to XVth millenium B.C,and
items from Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantian,
Seljuk and Ottoman periods are on display.
Milet
It was an important Mycenaen colony around the middle
of 2000 B.C and a considerably well developed commercial
and cultural center. Milet sustained this status and thus
its importance during the Roman period, and lost its commercial
significance when the Latmos bay filled up during the time
of the Byzantians. It was turned into a Turkish Balat by
the Menteşe Dynasty in the XIIIth century and enjoyed a
brilliant period as the capital of Menteşeoğulları.
Coming from the Söke direction, moving on the road turning
in to historical site of Milet, the first thing one notices
is the theater and the Byzantian castle above it. Going
through the theater, the ancient the caravansary in front
of it, Faustina Bath, İlyas Bey Mosque, Serapis Temple Bouleterion,
Sacred Road, Ionic Stoa, Northern Agora, Delphinion, Hanikah,
Port Monument and St Michael Church are the major sites
to be seen.
Prienne
It is near the Güllübahçe settlement, 15 km from the center
of the Söke district. It is laid out according to the plan
of famous urban architect Hippoddamos from Miletos and shows
Hellenistic characteristics. Prienne which has reached our
times in a well preserved stage, was under Roman and Byzantine
dominance after the rule of the Pergamon Kingdom.
Sites worth seeing are Prytaneum, Bouleterion, houses,
Athena Temple, Grand Church, Baptisterium, Theater, Upper
Gymnasion, Egyptian Temple, Sacred Stoa, Agora and the Alexander
the Great Temple along the Main Street or the Sacred House.
Didim
It is 55 km. from Söke district center.
"Didymaion" means twin and the fact it is given as a name
to this area may be seen as supporting evidence to the claim
that Appollon and Artemis, later the daughter of Titan and
the Chief God of the archaic world, Zeus and former the
son of Leto were twins.
Approaching the Appollon Temple before reaching the shops
along both sides of the sacred path, there is the small
Artemis Temple where excavations are still in progress.
It is not yet open for visitors.
Archaic Didymaion was built towards the end of VIII th
millenium B.C. The temple which enjoyed some importance
in Ionia, became even greater when the city of Miletos gained
general acceptance. In later years, the Appollon Temple
was torn down by the Persians
During the times of Alexander the Great, the torn down
temple was replaced by a bigger temple with 124 columns.
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