General Directorate of Monuments and Museums  
 

    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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