South of the mouth of the Great Menderes River, which in ancient times was called the Meander, are the ruins of one of the once most powerful and wealthy Ionian cities. Miletus or Miletus was founded in the second half of the fourth millennium. BC, by about 3500 to 3000 BC. Located on the western Anatolia coast of Turkey, the city was considered an important centre of philosophy and the exact sciences of the time. Herodotus called it "the pearl of Ionia". Greek scholars set up a school of philosophy here, and scientific work in the city was carried out by such the great minds of mankind like Thales, Anaximander and Anaximenes. Thales, Anaximander and Anaximenes gave lectures on the structure of the world, existence, astronomy and geometry. astronomy and geometry.
The city was located in the north-western part of the peninsula, and its natural boundary was the Heraclean Bay. Heraclean bay was its natural boundary, into which the Meander, the fullest river in Asia Minor, flowed. river in Asia Minor, flowing into the Aegean Sea. With the spurs of the Carian Mountains. bordered the peninsula to the east. In the south, the polis was bounded by the bay of Mendelia and in the west by the Aegean Sea. with the Aegean Sea. In this area, small valleys were replaced by mountainous plateaus, and rivers flowed through the ravines. ravines and rivulets that irrigated fields and pastures. Thanks to this abundance of mountain springs, the inhabitants of the polis were successful in farming, horticulture and winemaking. winemaking.
Since lineal script texts and fragments of Minoan frescoes have been found in the city. of Minoan style frescoes, it is believed that the first settlements here date back to the Neolithic period. the Neolithic period. According to legend, the city was founded by a hero named Miletus, who migrated here from Crete. At the same time as Miletus, eleven others were founded or eleven other Ionian cities were founded or settled at the same time as Miletus, as well as the twelve polis of Aeolia. Together with these cities the polis belonged to the so-called Panionian religious Panionian Religious Union, which was formed around 700 BC, and was recognised as the head of the union.
Due to its favourable location, the city developed trade and shipping. Miletus' merchant ships crossed the entire Mediterranean Sea, and often Pontus Euxine (Black Sea), as far as the mouth of the Tanais (Don) River. On the shores of Pontus, Miletus possessed 80-90 colonies during its heyday. There were even colonies of Miletus was even in ancient Egypt.
The polis was divided into outer and inner parts. The latter had a special fortress, both parts of which were surrounded by a single wall. The city had four harbours, protected from the sea by the Tragasai Islands.
Miletus repeatedly had to defend its independence. It fought against Lydian kings and Persian lords. The fourth century B.C. was the period of the highest flowering of science and culture in the polis. The tyrants of the city during this period maintained friendly relations with the Persian kings. But in 494 BC. AD, the city was invaded and destroyed by the Persians. It was soon settled again by the Greeks. Miletus had a brilliant period of prosperity during the Roman era, but during the Byzantine era. Byzantine period, the city declined and lost its former importance as a result of the flooding of the harbour. by the flooding of the harbour. Its importance has declined catastrophically since its secondary destruction its secondary destruction by Alexander the Great. It is now replaced by the poor village of Palatia. the poor village of Palatia, and the ancient city of Miletus is a well-preserved ruin. well-preserved ruins.
In the city you can see the well-preserved ruins of an ancient theatre, which used to seat 15,000 spectators. that once seated 15,000 spectators. It's the grandest structure in Miletus. Miletus dates back to the Roman period and is located just outside the entrance behind the ticket booth. The theatre was built in the second century on the foundations of an older Greek theatre. theatre. It is located on the slope of the city's only hill. The size of the structure are impressive: its amphitheatre is 140 metres in diameter and 30 metres high. metres.
Above the theatre are the ruins of a Byzantine castle dating back to the 8th century, and fragments of the once fairly long city. and fragments of the once quite long city walls, which enclosed a double ring around both parts of the city. From here you have an excellent view of the entire polis.
If you descend from this viewpoint towards the centre of the city, the road will pass by past the Hellenistic tombs, behind which is a small round foundation. In the first century B.C. a monument stood on it in honour of a victory in a in a naval battle. At that time it was situated on the shore of the bay of "Lion Bay," on the where stone lions had been found. There was a colonnade leading up to the to the temple of Apollo of Delphi, patron saint of ships, harbours and seafarers. This sanctuary was founded in ancient times, but has been twice twice. During the Hellenistic period, the structure was renovated in the Doric style. Doric style, and during the Roman period the temple's porticoes were remodelled to Corinthian..
In Miletus, the famous Thermae of Faustina, built in ca. 150. They were dedicated to the reckless wife of Marcus Aurelius and were a gift from the from the emperor to the city. The thermae copied the Roman ones, so to speak, the forerunner of the Turkish baths (hamam). Their central courtyard was surrounded by Corinthian columns, and the the gymnasium was accessed through the apoditherium, the undressing room where were statues of the Muses (now in the Istanbul Museum). The sculptures that used to be the fountains of the central pool, also decorated the frigidarium of the baths. One of them represented the local deity Meander, and the other was executed in the form of a lion's head. in the form of a lion's head.
Most unexpected in the Miletus area is the mosque building, an example of early Turkish-Ottoman architecture, delighting tourists with its skilful stone carvings. The mosque was built in the early 15th century by Emir Menteshe Ilyas-bey in gratitude for his safe return from Tamerlane's captivity. This small structure is decorated with marble slabs and crowned by an elegant dome. The building had one minaret, which collapsed in an earthquake in 1958. Previously, there was a caravanserai There was a caravanserai and a madrasa, but now, in the grassy courtyard, one can only see standing and lying in the temple. only standing and lying tombstones in disarray..
Also in Miletus, the remaining half of the once huge fountain can be viewed, the partially restored Ionic portico, and the northern Agora (market square). К west of it are the ruins of the temple of Serapius, dating back to the 3rd century.
Most of the rest of the buildings in Miletus, however, are still standing.
Most of the rest of the Hellenic and Roman buildings are hidden behind dense bushes of thorny shrubs. thorny bushes or underground. The best time to visit Miletus spring, when the ruins are surrounded by fresh greenery and flowers. It's an interesting fact that the name of the Miletans became a proverb among the ancients and was used to denote happy and fortunate people, so to speak, "the lucky ones".
