Of all the twelve cities in the ancient region of Ionia, Miletus is probably the most famous and the wealthiest of them all, given the presence of a series of trading outposts and colonies on the Black Sea coast founded by settler-colonists from Miletus, which provided a steady source of income for the mother city back home.
In fact, the number of towns and cities along the entire Black Sea coast which trace their origins back to trading colonies founded by settlers from Miletus are so numerous, it sometimes seems impossible not to run into a place on the Black Sea that is not founded by someone from Miletus. Amongst the notable colonial offsprings of Miletus the Mother City on the Meander River are Samsun, Sinop and Trabzon in Turkey; Sozopol and Varna in Bulgaria; Constanta in Romania, as well as several towns in present-day Georgia, and virtually the entire stretch of coast along the northern shore of the Black Sea all the way to Crimea in present-day Ukraine. With so many possessions and colonies providing vital financial support to Miletus the Mother City back in Ionia, little wonder that the city was the most affluent of the twelve Greek Ionian cities.
Miletus, however, already has a life long before the arrival of Ionian Greek settlers in about 1000 BC. The earliest available archaeological evidence excavated so far indicated that the site of Miletus was already settled as early as the Neolithic Age. During the Bronze Age, Miletus was under the control of the Hittite Empire until the latter entity fell apart in about 1200 BC. The site was also settled by Carians, a Luwian-speaking tribe native to southwest Anatolia, since 1300 BCE, before the arrival of the Greeks one century later.
During the Archaic period, philosophy and science flourished in Miletus, producing great home-grown talents such as Thales the Philosopher, Hippodamus the Town Planner, and Isidorus the Architect. All of them went on to have a successful career in their own respective fields. During this period, Miletus thrived on the basis of its extensive trading network thanks to its vast maritime empire, but at the end of the 6th century BC, the city came under Persian rule following the defeat of Lydia by Persians. In 4th century BC, Miletus was sacked by Persians during the Ionian Revolt and was rebuilt in the aftermath of Greek victory over the Persians twenty years later. Alexander the Macedonian, Romans, Byzantines, and the Ottomans then followed, as successive empires ruled over this once great city. However, as the harbour of Miletus began to silt up and malaria made the place increasing inhospitable, its importance and population also declined, and by the Ottoman period, this city was just a shadow of its former self, shrinked to the size of a small village. Finally, the end came in the 17th century, when the site of Miletus was abandoned.
Nowadays, the ruins of Miletus is about 10km away from the sea. Of all the former glory and great architectures, only the theatre, the Delphinion, the Baths of Faustina, and parts of the ancient harbour remain. The rest either fell apart, or were carried off to Berlin during the 19th century by German archaeologists who conducted the first excavations of the present site. In recent years, efforts were made to reconstruct parts of the ruins as part of the excavation-restoration work, most notably the Ionic Stoa, which now stands partially submerged in waters and used to form the eastern side of the Sacred Way, a path of pilgrimage that led out from Miletus to the Temple of Apollo at Didim 20km away.
The excavation of Miletus, carried out at first by a French archaeologist, and then by teams of German experts, began in late 19th century. One of the site's most famous landmarks, the Market Gate of Miletus, was transported to Berlin piece by piece during the early 20th century, and is now on permanent display at Berlin's Pergamon Museum. Other artifacts unearthed in subsequent excavations are housed in a small museum about 1km outside of the present site.
Thanks to the worldwide popularity of the Pergamon Museum, nowadays the ruins of Miletus is amongst one of the most well-known tourist destinations for those visiting Turkey's Aegean provinces. During the summer tourist season, regular daily trip to Miletus, Priene and Didima can be booked at every travel agency in Kusadasi. Even during the pre-season months of March and April, there are already tour buses full of French and German tourists on pre-arranged package tour of Turkey visiting the site of Miletus. Those who like to visit Miletus on their own, without joining a package tour or day-trip, should take the minibus which departs from the bus station of Soke to the the village of Balat, about 2km outside of Miletus. The minibus has the word 'Milet' (Miletus in Turkish) written on it, and will pass by the road that leads to the ruins of Miletus before the bus arrives at Balat. Just tell the bus driver you want to get off at the junction to Miletus and he will drop you off there. It is about 10 minutes' walk from the junction to the entrance of the ruins.
As the Soke-Balat minibus connections are rather infrequent, it is advisable to take the morning bus from Soke to Miletus, spend around 2-3 hours on the site, then try to catch the last minibus from Balat to Akkoy and Didim which leaves Balat at about 2pm. Otherwise, take the Soke-Didim bus and get off at Akkoy; from Akkoy it is a scenic 6km walk on good road to Miletus, passing by gentle rolling hills and a few farms guarded by fierce-looking guard dogs, which are not chained to the gate and are free to run over to the side of the road to chase you off the compound. As there are neither shops nor petrol stations along the way, and shades are almost non-existent, be sure to have a bottle of water and a hat ready should you decide to tackle the 6km walk in the heat of the summer.
The best time to visit Miletus, however, is in the early spring, when flowers begin to blossom and the weather is still moderately warm. As the tourist season in this part of Turkey usually picks up in June, the advantage of visiting Miletus earlier than the rest of the crowd is obvious: much less tourists to contend with during the visit, and less risk of getting a sunstroke while walking around the site of the ruins.
The impressive theatre of Miletus is the standard postcard motif of this ancient city, and it is indeed a magnificent building, but the ruins of the Miletus are far more than just the theatre. Personally I found the scenery of the countryside around Miletus much more beautiful than those of Ephesus or Bergama. And the ruins at Miletus are certainly more worthy of a visit than the not-very-well preserved site of Bergama, which charges a hefty 20TL for entry in 2011. The views of the ancient ruins half-submerged in the waters, set against the multi-colour backdrop of green rolling hills and the reddish-yellowish weeds of the silted marshland of the Maeander River delta, are certainly much more enjoyable than watching the hordes of tourists marching through the streets of Ephesus or Bergama in shorts and tank-tops at the height of the summer.
To be honest, it is a bit difficult to visualise that, several centuries ago this used to the mouth of the Maeander River, and that ships that sailed all over the Aegean and up to the Black Sea coasts carrying precious cargos and goods used to dock right at the front of the huge theatre. It is estimated that the process of sedimentation of the Maeander river began in around 1000 BC, and Lake Bafa - the northern shore of which used to be the coastline - was created around 300 AD as a result of the silting of the river delta. How things have changed in the last few thousand years.
It was a very sunny and bright afternoon when I visited Miletus after walking for 45 minutes on the country road all the way from Akkoy. Several groups of French and German cultural visitors were already there, and strange enough I did not encounter any ticket kiosk or security personnel as I entered the main entrance to the huge theatre. Maybe they thought I came together with the groups.
The best way to explore Miletus is to start at the theatre, walk up its stairs and corridors and admire the views of the surrounding countryside from the top of the theatre. Then head straight to the back of the theatre hallways, where the views of the partially submerged Ionic Stoa and the silted Roman harbour open up in front of your eyes. Follow the footpath that leads to the ruins of the ancient harbour and the Baths of Faustina complex, with its impressive halls, walls and arches still standing in spite of the frequent earthquakes that rocked this region from time to time.
Actually this is my second visit to Miletus; the first was in the summer of 2003, and I did not take any photos of this site back then. In addition it was so hot to walk around the entire site during my first visit, I did not even remember if there was any waters in the pool of the Baths. But this time round, with the weather much more pleasant and suitable for exploring archaeological digs, I was pleased to be able to see the pool, with the statue of the lion at the side, filled with water, which makes the deserted complex look really scenic on a sunny day.
There is a former caravansaray not far away from the theatre of Miletus, which is now home to a small cafe and refreshment bar run by some locals. Tourists who have spent a few hours walking around the ruins under the midday sun of Aegean Turkey in the summer can take a seat at the cafe and have some ice-cream or freshly pressed orange juice while waiting for their tour buses to pick them up. For those who have missed the last minibus connection to Akkoy or Soke, but are fed up with tracking the 6km to Akkoy in order to catch the next available bus to Soke or Didim, the owner of the cafe will drive you in his car to Akkoy for the price of 20TL (in 2012). Otherwise, try to hitch a hike on the way and good luck!!
Copyrights@2012. All text and photos by YC Cheng. All Rights Reserved.
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