Aigai (Aeolis) Ancient City

Accidentally found some amazing ruins that were actually better than the ruins we were off to go see 🤷‍♂

In the Izmir region of Turkey there are plenty of ruins to see no doubt. After getting to the city all we heard about was how we had to go see the ancient city of Pergamon... Supposedly these ruins are the cat's meow buuuuuut on the way to see this touristic ancient city we stumbled across this long-lost gem 💎🏚🤘

Aigai (Aeolis) Ancient City is tucked away on the back roads north of Izmir and is completely untouched. There is no entrance fee. There are no guards. There's no people hassling you for two Turkish lira to use the bathroom 🤣😂🤣

I love ruins like these that are off the beaten path because there always seems to be a few things special tucked away aaaand this place was no exception! There was a beautiful bathhouse in the gymnasium with a triple arch roof that was absolutely mind-blowing.

Also the ancient fish market which is a round multi-tiered stone basin (originally sealed to keep the fish juices out of the drinking water supply located close by in a cistern) is really something special. The ancient open air bizarre just behind the fish market has a huge wall that is absolutely laser straight and has no mortar in between the massive rocks which make her up. She still stands tall, straight, and proud today even after surviving thousands of earthquakes over the last 2,200 years 🤯🤯🤯

We walked around these ruins for at least 3 hours and the time flew by as we were exploring all the different crevices. My buddy Kenny even found a super cool cave complete with a few bats! At one point in time this was a place to hold a fair amount of water as it was carved out by hand to be even bigger than what nature intended... Us three idiots decided it was a good idea to climb down inside of it. Luckily no one died and we lived to tail the tail another day 💪🤠

Archaeological excavation still continues. A great Helenistic City is under the ground waiting for discovery. On the top of the mountain has a wonderfull view, you can touch the history of BS.2-3 century and BS.12. century together.

You need a car to reach the ancient city. Entrance is free. It's built on top of the hill. The view from the city is absolutely breathtaking.

Quite huge Ancient town. Feeling of the Stones and Area is amazing. Photos may tell:) the road is outside of the town, must go with car. Aiolos is the god of the wind.

The ancient city of Aigai; On the top of the hill protected by streams and steep cliffs, it awaits its visitors with its magnificent ruins. Aigai is the most important ancient settlement on Yuntdagi(Aspordenon). It is though that the Aeolians who founded the city migrated to the coastal region between İzmir and Çanakkale after the collapse of the Bronze age civilization at the end of the 2nd millennium BC. This region was called Aiolis in Antiquity because of the Aeolians. Archaeological studies in Aigai currently indicate that the city was founded around 700 BC. Especially since the 3rd century BC, the city was equipped with monumental architectural structures with the Pergamon Kingdom (Bergama). The name of the city is associated with the goat, and the city's symbol is used on the coins minted by the city. Archaeological studies show that the economy of the city is based on goods produced from goat skin, hair and bone. Archaeological excavations in Aigai were carried out in 2004 by Prof. Dr. It started under the chairmanship of Ersin Doger. The studies have been carried out by Manisa Celal Bayar University Archeology Department faculty member Assoc. Dr. It is maintained by the team headed by Yusuf Sezgin.

It is not so complicate to visit if you have car to get there. You can have a long and nice walk on the ancient street until top of the hill. The city is a small copy of Pergamon.

Actually it's a bit difficult to get there but if you want to see an ancient city it's a great choice. You want find much of a antiques but ruin of the old city is there.

One of a kind! Must see. Free admission!

It's my first time here. I could get a lot of information about this historical place

Lovely site. Fascinating and in a spectacular setting.

Historical

Incredible place.

Hem temiz hava hem orman içinde güzel bir Antik kent. Doğa yürüyüşü yapmaya çıkanların da senede bir defa da olsa ugradıkları ve güzel bir yürüyüş yaptıklarına da hem şahit oldum hem yaşadım. Kısaca güzel bir pazar günü deneyimi oldu. Gidin gezin görün derim...

MÖ 2000 li yıllarda kurulmuş olan ve birçok noktasında bakirliğin korunduğu bir antik kent. Temiz havası ile birlikte hem doğa yürüyüşü hemde antik kenti gezme imkanımız var.

Aliağa dan Bergama ya giderken Yeni şakran Cezaevi istikametine dönülüp yaklaşık 15 km gittikten sonra ulaşılıyor. Aigai kentine. Kazı başkanlığını Prof Dr Yusuf Keskin yaptığı alan ın bir çok yerleşim yeri gündüzüne çıkarılmış. Dağın tam üzerine kurulu alan tamamen doğa sevenler için ideal. Bol oksijen. Giriş şimdilik ÜCRETSİZ. Kendi aracınızla gitmek isterseniz AİGAİ levhalarını takip etmeniz yeterli.

Yüzyıllar içinde doğal afetler ve daha kötüsü insanlar tarafından çok tahrip edilmiş , ziyaretçisi çok az bir antik kent. Fakat çok etkileyici mistik bir havası var. Kente giden taş döşeme yollar harika. Mutlaka görülmeli.

Giriş ücretsiz her yeri gezmeniz 1,5 ya da 2 saat sürüyor. Baharda gidilmeli . Sıcak yaz aylarında zor olur.

Kesinlikle görülmesi gereken bir yer çok güzeldi köyün içinden geçip gidiyorsunuz ve her nedense bütün yollar başıboş ineklerle dolu güzeldi çocuklar buna çok sevindi ücretsiz giriş müze kartıda sormadılar yerin temizliğide gözden kaçmıyor

Çok güzel ve geniş bi alana yayılmış kazı çalışmaları devam etmekte dokusu korunmuş giriş ücretsiz pek fazla gelen giden yok ziyaretçi olarak sakin bi yer yönlendirmeler ve bilgi panoları çok güzel açıklayıcı

Haritalardan konumu açarak gelebilirsiniz, yolu asfalt, otopark sıkıntısı yok, giriş ücretsiz. Bölgede çalışmalar devam etmektedir. Antik kenti gezerken ayağınızda sağlam bir ayakkabı veya bir terlik olmalı. Yollar taşlı ve toprak, ayağınızı burkabilirsiniz. Yanınızda bol su almayı unutmayın. Antik kent girişinde güvenlik kulübesi,wc,lavabo mevcut. Saat 17.00 e kadar ziyarete açık.