World Heritage Aizanoi Ancient City - Kutahya(Turkey)

Aizanoi is one of the most important cities of the Roman period, with the world's first stock exchange, the world's best preserved Temple of Zeus, and the stadium-theater complex, one of the world's first examples. The construction of the stadium with a capacity of 13,500 people and the theater with a capacity of 20,000 people, located in the north of the city, as a complex is the only example of the ancient period.

 Aizanoi Ancient City is in Kutahya Cavdarhisar district center, 50 kilometers from Kutahya. It is thought that the city of Aizanoi emerged from the merger of the mythology hero Azan, who was mentioned in ancient sources as the forerunner of the Phrygians who lived around the sacred cave of the goddess Meter Steunene in the upper part of the Penkalas (Kocacay) River, the Water Fairy Erato and the legendary King Arkas. The city of Aizanoi was the main settlement of Aizanitis, who lived in ancient Phrygia. In the excavations carried out around the Temple of Zeus, located on the high plateau of the city, it was observed that traces of settlement dating back to 3000 BC were unearthed. During the Hellenistic Period, this region was subordinate to Pergamon and Bithynia alternately, and in 133 BC it came under Roman rule. In Aizanoi, which was enriched by grain cultivation, wine and wool production during the Roman Empire period and whose fame exceeded the borders of the region, definite urbanization findings are only encountered towards the end of the 1st century BC. It is also known that the first coins(known as sikke-specie) were minted in this period.

The ancient city of Aizanoi lived its heyday in the 2nd century AD, saw great development activities and many buildings were built during this period. While it was the episcopal center in the Early Byzantine Period, it lost its importance since the 7th century. The temple plain was converted into a fortress in the Middle Ages. It was named Cavdarhisar because it was used as a base by the Cavdar Tatars during the Seljuk Period.

Aizanoi was rediscovered by European travelers in 1824, studied and described in the 1830-1840s. In 1926, the first excavations were carried out by the German Archeology Institute under the direction of M. Schede and D. Krencker. Excavations have been carried out regularly every year since 1970.

Among the ruins, the Temple of Zeus, the best preserved in Anatolia, the theater with a capacity of 15,000 people and a stadium with a capacity of 13,500 people built adjacent to the theater, two baths, the world's first commercial stock exchange building, a colonnaded street, five bridges, two of which are still standing on Kocacay, two agoras, gymnasium, Meter Steunene sanctuary, necropoleis, an ancient embankment, waterways, gate structures. The ancient city of Aizanoi is contemporary with cities such as Ephesus, Bergama and Side.

Zeus Temple

It is built on a podium in the middle of the 130.5x112 meter area surrounded by colonnaded galleries 200 meters from the west bank of the river.It was built in a dipteras plan with 120 Ionic and 4 Corinthian columns in 8x15 dimensions. There is a ladder that goes down to the underground cella and reaches the roof, which is dedicated to the Phrygian Goddess Meter Steunene. The decoration of the building, which is one of the best preserved Ionic temples in Anatolia, is particularly interesting with its acroters. The western pediment is decorated with the bust of the Goddess Kybele among the middle acroterium acantic branches and leaves. On the east pediment acroter there is a bust of Zeus. With its four-column courtyard and agora, M.S. On the front gallery walls of the temple built between 117-138; There are inscriptions praising Emperor Hadrian and Apuleius, who had important services for Aizanoi.

P.S : This was my first post and forgive me if i made any mistakes while writing. I live in Turkey and I love traveling my country. I am also a translator and I translated this text from Kutahya Publicity Brochure. Thanks for reading.