Since arriving in Turkey, I've known I wanted to hike. It's been hard to do: temperatures have been in the mid-30s most days since I arrived at the beginning of August (it is now mid-September). But I really want to see this country and experience it, and hiking is the best way to do both.
My third week in country I found the article "The Most Beautiful Hiking Routes in Izmir," and I've taken it as a personal challenge. Over the Victory Day (August 30) weekend, I chose the trip to the Ionian city of Teos.
To get to this ancient city, I hopped on a bus at a stop around the corner from my house. It was a three hour bus ride with two transfers.
It was totally worth it.
I was in such a hurry to see an ancient city -- I prefer the term, "lost city," because I am an Indiana Jones fan, but the fact is that the site is open to all-comers -- that I got off the bus one stop too soon.
I quickly found a path into the site via the "back way." As I followed signs toward the city, I passed this path lined with olive trees.
How does one pass up such a pathway. I was drawn to this place as to the whisper of a god. About halfway down the row, I stopped for a snack break and a drink of water. The trail petered out in a rocky field that echoed with the sound of bells and the bleats of goats.
I made my way back to the main trail.
- The ancient harbor (which I didn't visit on this trip)
- The temple complex
- The agora area
- The theater, and
- The acropolis
The Temple Complex
Teos had a huge temple for Dionysos drawing celebrants from around the reason from the time it was built around 225 BC. The complex is huge. Only one, Ionic pillar has been restored, but blocks are laid out carefully to mark the outlines of what was a central temple surrounded on three sides by colonnades and outbuildings.
I would estimate the dimensions of the complex to be about 40m by 80m. It lies on a gently sloping hill and must have been an impressive site in its day.
The above photo is a nice vantage point from which to view the temple complex. Moreover, it features an impressive olive tree, known as "Umay Nine Ağacı" or the "Granny Umay Olive."
While olive trees are known to live 500 years, it is estimated that Granny Umay is 1,800 years old! She sure lasted longer than the Temple of Dionysos, but there are other structures in Teos far older than that.
The Agora
About 200m from the temple complex is the heart of the city of Teos. The agora stretched from the base of the tree behind me in the photo above towards the place where I'm sitting. There are still several ongoing excavations in this part of the city. The city of a temple to Caesar is outlined.
The other major structure in this area is the old town council chamber above, which looks like a small amphitheater. This was part of the administrative chambers of the city. I found it interesting that it was the place where students sat for their yearly exams: one by one they would be called down to the pit to answer questions from their teacher, while their classmates sat on the benches above them.
It wasn't the last school-related site I would see on this trip.
The Theater
The theater is an impressive structure, in great condition and just full of places to sit and imagine ancient Teos. As a center for Dionysian worship, there were no doubt many theater festivals held here, featuring plays from around the Aegean and drawing viewers from many Ionian cities.
The olive trees have obviously grown since the theater was in use, but they really make it seem even cooler, as if the "luxury box seats" would have been those under the shady branches.
Here's the view from the top of the theater, looking down at the orchestra and beyond it to the trail to the agora section of the city.
The Acropolis
The last stop on my tour of Teos was the acropolis, and it was probably my favorite part.
It lies atop a hill behind the theater -- the lone on the rock to the left of the sign marks the peak, around which a defensive fort was constructed.
Here's a look from the other side of the tree at the fort. In the background you may be able to make out the sea. This is also the direction of the ancient harbor.
I had seen mention of an ancient gymnasium on a video I had watched about Teos. Piecing together places from this archaeological web site, I found a flat place on the side of the acropolis covered with paving stones.
It was such a cool experience, standing on the floor of an ancient gymnasium. I imagined music lessons in one corner. Boxing and other physical training throughout the court. And at times, yes, the teaching of literatre and rhetoric.
I couldn't help reciting the opening lines of They Odyssey that I had made so many students memorize over the years:
Sing in me of the man, Muse,The man of twists and turns,driven time and again off course,once he had plundered the proud heights of Troy.
It certainly wasn't the first time they had been spoken in this place -- I hoped my English complimented the Greek in which they would have been recited in ancient times (The Iliad and The Odyssey were already 500 years old at the time Teos was founded).
And it made me think of the twists and turns of my own life, that had brought me here. The events of my life back in the USA that had driven me off course, and the hope that a new school -- as well as this ancient one -- might lead me to a safe and friendly port.
On to Siğacik
Another olive-lined path led away from the city, north toward the resort town of Siğacik. It was a nice walk of about 2 km. The town has a modern harbor, lots of restaurants, and streets lined with shops. I enjoyed ducking into the Ottoman-era fort and having a look around, too.
It seemed too new to my brain, still processing the ancient ruins I had explored.
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