Aphrodisias

Aphrodisias, considered as one of Turkey's most beautiful historical sites, was a tiny ancient Greek Hellenistic city in western Anatolia's old Caria cultural area. It lies near the current settlement of Geyre, around 100 kilometers (62 miles) east/inland from the Aegean Sea coast and 230 kilometers (140 miles) southeast of zmir.

Aphrodisias was named after Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, who had a worship figure here called Aphrodite of Aphrodisias. According to the Suda, a Byzantine encyclopedia collection, the city had three prior names before becoming known as Aphrodisias: Lelégn Pólis, Megál Pólis, and Ninó.

The city was called Stauropolis sometime before 640, during the Late Antique era when it was part of the Byzantine Empire. It was included to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2017. The entrance fee to Aphrodisias, which includes museum admission, is 15 TL (as of May 2017). During the high season, the park is open from 8:30 a.m. to 19:00 p.m., with the museum closing at 18:30 p.m. (a security guard stays in the museum all night).

Location: Geyre, Aydın Province, Turkey