Miletus is just one of many ancient ruin sites that I have been exploring lately on the Aegean Coast of Turkey. I can say that after viewing the magnificent ruins of Ephesus, all the other ancient-ruin sites have paled in comparison however I was impressed by Miletus. It has an aura around it that leaves you feeling it is hiding so many secrets from the past.
About the Miletus Ruins in Turkey
In its prime, it was a bustling ancient Greek city that actually was a sea trading port. Fast forward thousands of years and the sea eventually subsided; the city was inland and Miletus lay in ruins. Like so many other relics from the past it is slowly being rebuilt by archaeologists. The result is that we now have a tourist attraction that is definitely worth a visit.
The main focus is the theater which was probably used for gladiators who took great delight in slaughtering each other to death. However the best thing about Miletus is that you can actually walk through the passage ways that lay under the seating area of the main theater.
Steps lead up the semi-circle arena and I could not help but stand there and wonder if senators, gladiators, prisoners or slaves appeared at the top of these stairs to the loud roar of the crowd. I have to mention prisoners or slaves because in the passage ways are cells that make you wonder of the horrors that Miletus has been the host of.
Entrance to Miletus is just 10TL and you only need a morning to fully explore it. You could quite easily tag it onto a day trip and explore the nearby ruins of Apollo temple or Priene. Across from the theater are traditional restaurants and the official souvenir shop. My recommendation is that if you are in the area, Miletus is a site that must be seen.
(Foot note- I previously published a picture of Miletus under the name of Miletos. It appears that there are two spellings for the name however the most popular one seems to be Miletus and Wikipedia is also using this version, therefore I will be using this version as well)
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