Well. it’s now three years later and I’m going to try to finish this blog of our 2011 trip to Turkey before we start our upcoming trip from Germany to Thailand.
Based on the limited research I was able to do prior to the trip I knew there was some ruins near Cavdarhisar but had no idea what exactly we were going to see. We are sure glad we stopped as the ruins date back to 3000 B.C.. After checking out of the hotel we rode about a mile or so down the road, across the Roman Bridge and arrived at the part of Aizanoi with the Temple of Zeus. Aizanoi is located in Cavdarhisar town, some 50 kilometers from the western province of Kutahya.
It was Sunday morning about 0930 and we were the only ones there – it’s the exact opposite of Pamakkale – no vendors, nor hawkers, no big tour buses (although a few minibuses of tourists showed up as we were leaving). The fellow selling the entrance ticket and the security guard were a little surprised to see folks arriving on our own steam (unattached to a tour group). The city is home to the temple built for Zeus which is the best-preserved temple in all of Anatolia.
Archaeologists hope to find new early Roman-era artifacts around the temple of Zeus. Aizanoi, dating back to 3000 B.C., experienced its golden age in the second and third centuries A.D. and became the center of episcopacy in the Byzantine era. There is also a 20,000-seat theater and a 13,500-seat stadium adjacent to the large theater.
There are ruins scattered everywhere around the nearby village and some of the structures form part of the walls in the local houses.
John and Geraldine's Motorcycle Travels 