Welcome to another of our little-known ancient cities series! When you think of ancient cities in Turkey, places like Ephesus, Bergama and Aspendos come to mind, of course. It should not be forgotten that Anatolia has hosted many civilizations, so it is possible to find traces of deep-rooted civilizations in almost every province. known as the Second Ephesus. Aizanoi Ancient City and one of those precious ancient cities. The ancient city, located in the Çavdarhisar district of Kütahya, is a candidate to be mentioned a lot in the near future, although it is little known for now. Where is Aizanoi Ancient City, how to get there, what's in the city, What you need to know about the best preserved Zeus Temple in the world and more are waiting for you in this article, happy reading!
What You Will Find In This Article
Aizanoi Ancient City Travel Video
You can view my Aizanoi Ancient City travel video on the image below or clicking on this link You can watch. If you like my video, don't forget to subscribe to my channel!
Where is Aizanoi Ancient City and How to Go?
Aizanoi Ancient City is at the top of the list of places to visit in Kütahya. Where is Aizanoi and how to get there If you ask; The ancient city is located on the Kütahya-Uşak highway, approximately 58 kilometers from the city center of Kütahya, within the borders of Çavdarhisar district.
On the map below, you can see the road between Aizanoi Ancient City and Kütahya. For location on google maps Click.
Aizanoi City is approximately 330 kilometers from Istanbul, and if you use the Osmangazi Bridge, it is possible to go in 4,5 – 5 hours. It is possible to reach 360 kilometers from Ankara, and in a similar time from Ankara.
If you do not want to come to the ancient city of Aizanoi with your own vehicle, you can reach Çavdarhisar by taking the bus or minibus from Kütahya to Çavdarhisar, Gediz or Emet districts. Within walking distance of the ancient city of Çavdarhisar.
When we first went to Aizanoi with our own vehicle; On the way from Istanbul Oylat Cave (Bursa) and Topuk Plateau (Kütahya). You can also set a similar route. We made our overnight stay on Murat Mountain. Click for the travel route covering the provinces of Kütahya, Uşak, Burdur.
Aizanoi Ancient City Entrance Fee and Visiting Hours
Aizanoi Ancient City entrance fee is 2020 TL for 10. You can buy your ticket from the visitor center located just opposite the Temple of Zeus. If you do not have a museum card, you can get it from this box office. I did not encounter any ticket control in areas other than the Temple of Zeus, but the controls may have decreased due to the corona, do not throw away your ticket anyway.
In the visitor center, there are facilities such as a museum shop, a cafe where you can drink tea and coffee, a beautiful model of the ancient city, and a washbasin.
Visiting hours of Aizanoi Ancient City are included below:
| Summer Term (April 1 – October 1) | 10:00 - 19:00 |
| Winter Term (October 1 to April 1) | 08:45 - 17:30 |
Visiting hours may change during the corona period, it may be better to go in the middle of the day or you can talk on the phone before you go.
- Address: Yukarı, Cumhuriyet Cad., 43710 Çavdarhisar/Kütahya
- Phone: 0 274 351 21 01
General Information About Aizanoi Ancient City
Aizanoi is known as the ancient city of the firsts. Many valuable ruins such as the world's best preserved Zeus Temple, the Pagan temple under the temple, the Macellum, which is considered the world's first stock exchange, the stadium and ancient theater complex like no other in the world, the ancient bridges built on Kocaçay, and the bath with mosaics are located in this city.
According to mythological sources, Aizanoi emerged from the union of the Sea Sprite Erato, the daughter of Zeus, and Azan, the son of King Arkas. The name Aizanoi is also thought to come from Azan. The Azan people were the forerunners of the Phrygians, who lived around the sacred cave of the goddess Meter Steunene, in the upper part of the current name of the Kocaçay River, Penkalas, in other words, we can say that they are the ancestors of the Phrygians.
BC in the city Remains dating back to the 3.000s were found. The city, which was the settlement of the Aizanilists living under Phrygia, became the Episcopal Center during the Roman period. Since the Çavdar Tatars lived in the Seljuk Period, the name of the settlement here was Çavdarhisar.
The city was rediscovered by Europeans in 1824, and excavations began in the 1920s. Aizanoi Ancient City was included in the Unesco World Cultural Heritage tentative list in 2012, I hope it finds the place it deserves on the list as soon as possible.
The feature that distinguishes Aizanoi from many ancient cities is that it is still an active city above the ancient city. People's homes are still on top of ancient ruins.
Places to Visit & See in the Ancient City of Aizanoi
Aizanoi is an ancient city where life still exists, where history and today live together. Although the ancient city is spread over a wide area, it is possible to walk everywhere except the Cybele Altar. You will see the places to visit and see in the ancient city of Aizanoi, respectively. If you start your visit to the city with the visitor center located just opposite the Temple of Zeus, it will be easier to find a sightseeing route for yourself.
The World's Best Preserved Temple of Zeus
The first place you should see when you go to Aizanoi Ancient City is the Temple of Zeus. When you enter the city by following the road signs, you will see the visitor center on the left and the Temple of Zeus on the right. You will also get the entrance ticket to the city from here.
The Temple of Zeus, built in the 1st century AD, One of the best preserved Temples of Zeus in the world and the most intact. It was built on a 53×35 meter podium, which we can call approximately the size of an Olympic pool. There are 8 columns on the short sides and 15 columns on the long sides. Although the temple is dedicated to Zeus, the statue of Cybele in front of it shows that it is dedicated not only to Zeus, but also to Cybele. Take a good tour around the temple, if you go at the right time, you can take great pictures.
Between the columns you will see a door that goes down to the bottom of the temple. Go through this door and go downstairs. This is an unprecedented building in Roman architecture. Another room under the main temple. They gave music to the space covered with vaults, and at the same time, the sounds of birds settled on the windows create a very divine place feeling when you enter. This place is a oracle center or a pagan temple is presumed to be.
You will see many tombstones and sarcophagi unearthed from the Aizanoi Necropolis around the temple. Almost every tombstone has different engravings. Animal and plant figures stand out.
A Unique Stadium and Antique Theater Combination in the World
The city's stadium and theater are within walking distance after the Temple of Zeus. The theater with a capacity of 15 thousand people and the stadium with a capacity of 13 thousand people adjacent to the theater were built between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD. There is no other example of this juxtaposition in the world.
Most of the stadium is under the ground, and restoration and excavation works are still going on in the theater.
Bath Palaestra Complex
There are two baths in Aizanoi Ancient City. The bath I will talk about here is the one located between the temple and the stadium. Inside the bath, which is estimated to have been built around the 2nd century AD, there are sections such as hot and cold bathing areas and palaestra*. The statue of the goddess of health, Higgia, was found in this bath, and the statue is exhibited in the museum of the Kütahya Air Brigade.
*Palaestra: The name given to the wrestling school in ancient Greece.
The World's First Stock Exchange: Ancient Stock Exchange – Macellum and the Pillar Road
After exiting the stadium, you can turn your way towards the center of the village. You will reach the Macellum, that is, the ancient stock market and the columned road on the other side of Kocaçay. This is where the city's shopping and commerce revolves. The colonnaded street, which is estimated to have been built around 400 AD, is the city's shopping center. The shop doors opened onto the colonnaded street. You can also fall like a market place.
Considered to be the world's first stock market, Macellum was accepted as an ancient stock market because it was the place where the grain prices in the marketplace were regulated. It is said that the emperor of the period resorted to such a method to combat inflation.
The stock market and the columned road were surrounded by a garden fence, and the gate was open when we went. There is a club, but there was no one on both of my visits.
Ancient Bridges
The side of the Temple of Zeus and the side of the stock exchange are both sides of Kocaçay and both sides of the city. There are 5 bridges connecting these two sides in the city. One of the bridges was wooden bridge built for pedestrians, and the other four were arched stone bridges. Only 2 of the stone bridges have survived to the present day. You will see one right next to the stock market. About 300 meters from the stock market, you will see the restored Roman Bridge, known as the Roman Bridge.
100 meters from the Roman Bridge, you will find the wooden bridge for pedestrian use.
Do not be surprised that the sounds of geese roaming freely on Kocaçay cover the whole city. They can't stop walking around in whole groups and teasing each other. Of course, I don't need to say that they offer wonderful views.
A serious work on the arrangement of Kocaçay's surroundings continues. The stones laid on the banks of the river in ancient times were re-laid in accordance with the way they were in that period, and when this arrangement was completed, it would be turned into a place where boats could cruise on Kocaçay.
Mosaic Bath
Although the Mosaic Hamam was included in the promotional materials, it was not open to visitors when I visited the city. Therefore, I will only share the information I have received.
In the 3rd century AD, a large limestone bath was built in the city. A floor mosaic describing the struggle of Satyr and Menad was made inside the bath. For this reason, it is known as a mosaic bath. The main importance of this bath is that it was used as a bishopric center for the Christian community in the 4th or 5th century AD.
Sanctuary of Meter Steunene – Altar of Cybele
The place, which is popularly known as the Cybele Altar or Meter, is located on a hill overlooking Kocaçay, 4 kilometers away from Aizanoi Ancient City.
The Mother Goddess Cybele is considered the mother of rebirth, fertility and nature in Anatolia. The Meter Steunene Sanctuary, which was considered sacred during the Phrygian period, consists of caves carved into the rocks. However, the caves collapsed due to earthquakes.
In the Roman period, a ceremony was held in which those who wanted to enter this sacred area and reach Cybele sacrificed a bull. Those who wanted to enter the sanctuary on March 22-27, which is considered the awakening time of the mother goddess Cybele, brought a bull with them. With the guidance of Cybele's priests, the person who wanted to enter the cult was seated in a blood pit, his body was covered up to his neck, and the person was bathed with the blood of the bull that was cut on top. Thus, he would be cleansed of his sins.
In order to go to the place where the blood pits are, it is necessary to proceed 4 kilometers parallel to Kocacay from the road signs just before the columned street in the ancient city. Where you see a ruined hut, the river will have cut the road, you will have to leave your car there and walk up to the hill for 200-300 meters. Let me tell you that the road is not difficult, but it is not straight. When you arrive you will see two blood pits. On the way to Meter, you will see ancient ruins in the fields on the way, we couldn't help looking at all of them one by one.
List of Places to Visit in and Around Aizanoi
If you come to the Çavdarhisar district of Kütahya and come to see the Aizanoi Ancient City, if we briefly summarize the places to visit in this region;
- The World's Best Preserved Temple of Zeus
- Unique Stadium and Ancient Theater Complex in the World
- Bath and Palaestra Complex
- The World's First Stock Exchange: Ancient Stock Exchange – Macellum
- columnar road
- Ancient Bridges
- Mosaic Bath
- Sanctuary of Meter Steunene – Altar of Cybele
If you wander around the settlement where the ancient city is located, you will see that many columns and column-like ruins decorate the streets. As the excavations continue, I'm sure much more will be unearthed. Aizanoi is a must-see, especially with the Temple of Zeus. If your path falls on those sides, be sure to turn your steering wheel to this city.
Where to Stay near Aizanoi or in Çavdarhisar?
Let me share my advice for those who are considering staying near Aizanoi.
Çavdarhisar House
When I first went to Aizanoi, I was walking around the city, just behind the colonnaded road. Anturia Çavdarhisar House I saw a hotel called "I wish we could stay here". Here; Anturia School of Archeology and Social Environmental Ethics's accommodation. The first time I went, I couldn't catch it open, but I planned my second visit to Aizanoi only on accommodation here. Before you go, you must call and make a reservation. This place has been brought into tourism with the restoration of an old village house. It serves as a place where restaurants, cafes, hostels and cooking workshops are held. Murat Yıldız, who runs the business, is both an academic and cooks, a nature ethicist, and a versatile and colorful character.
Yummy cheesecake Buffalo Sausage Pizza & Breakfast Goat Tandoori
The food is legendary. When you stay, all kinds of food and beverage are included in the accommodation. Since there are 6 rooms in total, it is absolutely necessary to make a reservation in advance, especially in the summer season.
Murat Mountain Bungalows
Another option where you can stay in this area, although not very close, is the bungalows on Murat Mountain. You can reach the bungalows operated by Gediz Municipality from the following phones. Gediz Municipality Murat Mountain Hot Springs Directorate is the place where the business is located.
- +0 274 412 73 14 XNUMX
- +0 274 412 74 96 XNUMX
- +0 537 572 97 35 XNUMX
The bungalows are designed in such a way that 4 people can stay comfortably. It has a living room, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. But you cannot stay in one bungalow as male and female friends, you must be married. It is still sad to see this bigotry in this era.
2 Comments
The Wooden Bridge from the Roman Bridge was very strange to me, I read it in a very pleasant way, thank you very much, success 🙂
Thanks