Aphrodisias Review

This place is really somewhere to sit down, look from side to side exploring your surroundings, and then let your jaw drop.  Deep in Western Turkey is my favorite ruin in all of Asia Minor.  Aphrodisias.  Controlled by both the Greeks and the Romans at various time frames, Aphrodisias is one of the oldest sacred sites in Turkey. Dedicated to the Greek goddess Aphrodite, it is the site of the Temple of Aphrodite, The Tetrapylon, and the Greek school of marble sculpture.

Today the Temple of Aphrodite is well-preserved and partially restored, but it is somewhat difficult to imagine what it did look like without the artist rendition to do the field comparison.  Aphrodisias also has the ruins of a large Roman theater, a Greek stadium, and an array of trails, tiles, and columns that are incredible to wander through.  I was there during the beginning of spring and red flowers were erupting from the ground and protruding through the marble ruins all about me.  Incredible!

The site of Aphrodisias has been sacred place since around 5000 BC when farmers came here to worship the goddess of fertility and crops, and in Greek times the site was dedicated to Aphrodite.The site was named Aphrodisias during the 2nd century BC.

To tour the site takes about 4 hours, and covers around 4 miles, but it's well worth the out of the way locale issues and transportation hassles to visit the site.  There is also a museum worth seeing near the site entry.  Most who come to visit Aphrodisias come via tour bus and let someone else deal with the transportation issues, but for those who don't......cars can be rented in Kusadasi or Izmir.  It's around a two hour drive.  Plenty of local eateries are close enough to visit before or after your modern day trek through ancient times.  Audio guides are also available at the entry for a nominal price.

My opinion:  It's way more than a 5 star visit.  If you're even close to it, don't miss it.