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Magnesia

Magnesia and Meandrum is located on OrtaklarSöke Highway, within the borders of Tekin village in Ortaklar quarter of Germencik District of Aydin. According to ancient resources and the myths, the city was established by a tribe which came from Thessalia and named Magnets. Nobody knows the exact location of first Magnesia, which is founded by Magnets who landed today's Bafa Lake that was a small bay under the leadership of Leukippos and divination of Apollon; but it was estimated that it was located at the edge of Menderes River.

Magnets re-built the city near Gümüsçay in B.C. 400 because of the epidemics which arouse out of overflow of Menderes and because they had to defend themselves by building a more secure city against Persians. Magnesia, which was dominated by Seleukos first and Bergama Kingdom subsequently in Hellenistic Period, maintained its importance in Rome Period and had been the episcopal centre during Byzantine Period. Magnesia was a city surrounded by ramparts that covered a 1,5 km. diameter area, having a grating planned street and road system and had been a commercially and strategically important location among triangle of Priene, Ephesos and Tralleis. Magnesia Ancient City had not been subject to much destruction. The overflow of the river and the silt layer brought by rainwater from Gümüs Mountain had a great effect for this situation. The first digs in Magnesia had been carried out by Carl Humann on behalf of Berlin Museum in 1891. Theatre, Artemis tempest and altar, agora, Zeus tempest and prytaneion were found partially or completely during these digs which lasted for 21 months.

The works found in Magnesia are being exhibited in Paris, Berlin and Istanbul museums. The digs were completed in 1893, and 100 years later, the digging activities re-started in Magnesia, which was about to disappear, in 1984 on behalf of the Ministry of Culture and Ankara University. The fame of Magnesia results from Hermogenes, the architect of ancient times. According to the Architect Vitruvius, an author of ancient times, Hermogenes is the first architect who applied the octagonal pseudodipteros tempest plan. Vitruvius states that the main work of Hermogenes is the Artemis Leukophryene tempest in Magnesia. The tempest of Hermogenes was built in Hellenistic Period (B.C. 3/2 century), on the ruins of Artemis tempest belonging to Archaic Period (B.C. 6th century). The tempest is the 4th biggest tempest of Anatolia in Ion style with 8 x 15 columns and with 67,50 x 40 meters dimension. There was an altar in front of the tempest, which pioneered the Bergama Zeus altar with its "U" formed plan. The altar was ornamented with embossments and statues of which heights were two-man lengths. Another important structure in Magnesia is the theatre, which lies under the ground today. Magnesia theatre (end of B.C. 2th century) is one of the unique works that complies with the general theatre plan given by Vitruvius. Agora and Zeus tempests, which were supposed to be built by Hermogenes, are the other works that are re-covered with soil after the digs carried out 100 years ago. The front side of Zeus tempest located in the agora, which is considered one of the biggest shopping areas of the period with its 26,000 m2 area, is being exhibited in Berlin Bergama Museum. The other buildings seen in Magnesia today belong to Rome Empire Period. The other works known in Magnesia are as follows: Gymnasion which is a training centre especially on sports, the bath which is small copy of Faustina Bath in Milet, Odeion between the theatre and Artemision, stadion of 25.000 people capacity, an unfinished building with theatre plan, shopping area basilica, a Byzantine building of which characteristics is not known yet and Byzantine rampart also surrounding Artemision. 15th century Transversal planned Çerkez Musa Mosque is the only Islamic building of the ruin. Tour around, see and introduce this ruin which is one of our ancient cities such as Ephesos, Milletos, Aphrodisias and Hierapolis which are studied on by foreign teams

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