Magnesia On The Meander

Magnesia is a former Ionian Greek city named after a Magnetes; its first settlers came from the Magnesia region of Thessaly in Greece. The city has an excellent geographical location and a reasonably large scale. Its original name Magnesia was changed to Magnesia on Maeander to prevent confusion with Magnesia ad Sipylum in Izmir.

Judging by what Wikipedia has to say, we wouldn’t have minded living there ourselves since the territory around the city is described as being remarkably prolific, producing excellent wine, figs, and cucumbers. Now, anywhere with cucumbers… were sold! ? The town never became part of the Ionian League because the Aeolians of Greece had already settled it. The site is close to the main road connecting Söke and Ortaklar, with only partial fences. Explore the nearby fields to reach the rest of the ruins. Let the adventure begin!

Temple of Artemis

The main feature of Magnesia is the Temple of Artemis. Today, it’s mostly a substantial marble-floored plaza, a pile of stones and broken columns, but it’s clear that it was once the city centre in its heydays. The triangular peaks and temple gables are reconstructed on the Temple’s south side, the first to be seen when entering the site.

You’ll find the remains of the Altar of Artemis on the west side of the Temple, which is surrounded by stone columns on three sides. At the far end, to the right of the Propylon, the old public latrines are now covered with a metal roof.

Impressive Remains Of The Propylon

Propylon And Agora

The Propylon, or Ceremonial gate, rises on a platform of two marble steps and features a series of Ionic columns. It connects the Temple of Artemis with the bazaar, which was turned into a swimming pool when we visited.

The marble floor of Agora is visible through the water, and we feel that it brings extra magic and romance to the whole environment. Only a tiny part of the original 26.000 square meter bazaar was unearthed. The rest is still hidden under a 3-meter thick layer of silt. The bazaar is dedicated to sacred ceremonies, and the Temple of Zeus is located in the southern part of the bazaar.

View Towards The Apse

Peeping Through A Basilica View

The Stadium

To find the stadium, you must leave the part of the ancient site that is fenced off. A small road next to the venue leads to the stadium and theatre.

Both have signposts, so follow their instructions. You will walk (or drive) past the stadium on the way upstairs. Magnesia Stadium is said to be the best-preserved stadium in the world.

Hard To Image This Was All Hidden Until 2012

The Theatron

The Theatron in Magnesia on Maeander is in a green environment and can accommodate approximately 4.700 people.

It seems that the construction was never completed, possibly because a landslide occurred before it was completed. Archaeologists don’t know what the function of this place is, hence the name: Theatron, which means a place for spectators. Be sure to check out the back of Theatron, where you can see how it was built.

The buildings mentioned in this article are the most prominent in Magnesia. We are sure the site will continue to develop as more areas are unearthed, and buildings are restored. In short, this might be an excellent place to come back in a few years to see what happened. We did this when we returned to Sagalassos many years later, and we were shocked!

One place that looks promising is the Hypocaust building. It was named after an advanced heating system (or hypocaust) discovered there. You will find it next to the cemetery and the remains of the mosque in the fenced area.