The ancient city is situated in Manisa Salihli, in the territory of ancient Lydia, at the foot of Tmolus Mountains, 72km away from Izmir and 162 km away from Kusadasi on Izmir - Ankara highway where evidence has been found of human activity as early as Paleolithic period. It was the ancient capital of Lydia which was ruled by the King Croesus who had the fame to use coin exchange for goods.
However because of the earthquakes most of ruins
are now under the ground and the ones on earth are dating back to the Roman Times only. The important remains of Sardis are the Temple of Artemis and the restored gymnasium apart from the Synagogue from the 3rd century with its mosaics and carved colored-stone panels. The ruins are now as if they were spread on either sides of the Ankara - Izmir highway. The complex of bath and gymnasium, synagogue and the shops are located in the north of the highway.
Today there are only four main areas that may be visited which are the Sardian acropolis, the valley of the Paktalos River (now called Sart Cay), the ancient city located around and along the highway and the tombs at Bintepe. One can enter the complex of bath-gymnasium complex through a door which is located in the center of the eastern section that leads into a colonnade-encircled open courtyard which takes us to the synagogue located on the north.
The rooms on the northern side of the courtyard are for instruction and training. The gymnasium was built during the times of Caracalla and Geta in 3rd century AD. The baths were built in 161 AD where one can enter through the doors opening into the courtyard. They were built during the time of the king Lucius Verus. Along the southern sides of the synagogue and gymnasium there lies the main street of the city with marble blocks on the sides.
There used to be shops along this street. Opposite of the gymnasium there is Bronze House of the Infidels which was built around 550 AD and it might have been used as the bishop's palace. One can see the ruins in Sardis which date back to the times of the Romans and the Byzantines which are churches, stadium and Roman theater which could hold twenty thousand people that was destroyed in an earthquake in 17 AD.
The other ruins lie on the road along the river Paktalos which leads to the Temple of Artemis. The temple had three stages while being built. the first and the original temple was built in the 4th century BC, facing wet and was in the Ionic order which consisted of an outer portico, an enclosure and a back chamber. Because this temple was destroyed somehow the second one began to be built between 175-150 BC.
However the construction stopped and if it had continued there would have been twenty columns on the long side and eight on the short side of the temple. The construction did not start until 150 AD. When it was finished it had the measures of 45 by 97.94 meters. The temple was used until the 5th century AD when it was abandoned.
Turkey, the second holy land. Follow the footsteps of St. Paul in Turkey and the Seven Churches of Asia Minor. A must pilgrimage for all the Christians and true believers.
