Classical Turkey - Greeks and Romans in Anatolia

Fly at c. 11.30am (Turkish Airlines) from London Gatwick to Izmir, via Istanbul. First of three nights in Izmir.

Under the Hellenistic Attalid dynasty, Pergamon became the most powerful city-state in Asia Minor, rivalling Athens and Alexandria as a centre of culture. On a steep-sided hill are remains of Attalid palaces, a Temple of Dionysus, an Altar of Zeus (most of which is now in Berlin), theatre, library, and Temple of Athena. The Asclepieon and ‘Temple of Serapis’ (Red Fort) lie on flat ground below.

Drive inland to Sardis, capital of the Kingdom of Lydia, whose last independent ruler was the fabulously wealthy Croesus (560–546 BC); it later became an important Roman city. See the impressive remains of the Temple of Artemis, the reconstructed ‘Marble Court’, gymnasium and the 3rd-century AD synagogue, the largest in the ancient world. Free time in Izmir (Smyrna in Greek). Overnight Izmir.

Drive via the Temple of Apollo at Claros to Ephesus, the Roman capital of the province of Asia. The most popular pilgrimage destination in the Greco-Roman world, the city was also key to the development of Christianity. Ruined by harbour sedimentation and finally sacked in the 7th century, Ephesus is the most extensively excavated site of the ancient world, and probably the one with the greatest range of standing remains. Among the more striking buildings are the Library of Celsus and the theatre, scene of the protest against St Paul described in the New Testament. First of three nights in Kușadasi.

On a hillside above the Maeander plain, Priene was ill-suited for Roman commerce so the remains date largely from the Classical and Hellenistic periods. It exhibits one of the earliest of grid street layouts; the Temple of Athena Polias at the summit was designed by the architect Pythius. Didyma, with an oracle which for a time rivalled that at Delphi, has impressive remains of the colossal Hellenistic Temple of Apollo. Miletus has a massive, well-preserved Roman theatre and baths.

There is some free time in Kuşadasi, a thriving and in parts picturesque coastal town. In the afternoon return to Selçuk to see the restored Basilica of St John at the top of Ayasuluk Hill, the Isa Bey mosque at the foot and then to spend more time at the site of ancient Ephesus. The domestic dwellings with their floor mosaics and frescoed walls are particularly interesting.

Drive into the interior of Anatolia. One of the most beautiful classical sites in Turkey, Aphrodisias was the centre of a Roman cult of Aphrodite, whose temple survives. An important school for the production of high-quality and widely exported sculpture, there are many fine examples in the museum. Among the architectural remains is the largest and most complete stadium to have survived from the ancient world. Drive to Antalya for the first of three nights there.

Founded by (and named after) Attalus II of Pergamum, Antalya was the principal port in Pamphylia in ancient and Byzantine times. The morning is spent exploring the old town with its restored Ottoman period houses, followed by a free afternoon.

Colonised by the Greeks after the Trojan War, Perge has substantial Hellenistic and Roman gates and colonnaded streets. While the Roman aqueduct at Aspendos is the best-preserved in Asia Minor, the theatre is most complete in the whole of the Roman world. Afternoon visit to the archaeological museum in Antalya, one of the country’s finest, with exhibits from prehistory to Ottoman.

Fly from Antalya to London Gatwick, via Istanbul, arriving at c. 4.15pm.