With its giant city pool reflecting the splendor of the Roman period, famous Tetrapylon Gate, Sebasteion Temple, stadium, ancient theater and bathhouse, the ancient city of Aphrodisias, located in Türkiye’s western Aydın province, offers a glimpse into the past with structures and sculptures preserved in near perfect condition.

Aphrodisias, the city dedicated to the ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty and pleasure, Aphrodite, is located just a two-hour drive from the world-famous Ephesus. Having bloomed in the fertile valley formed by the Morsynus River in the ancient region of Caria, Aphrodisias was once the meeting ground of not only merchants, like many of the still-standing Greek towns in Anatolia, but also of lovers – star-crossed or not.

Aphrodisias thrived from the second century B.C. until the sixth century B.C. The city was built near a marble quarry so it was not surprising that this city of love was once glistening under the Mediterranean sun thanks to its marble facade. The city was built and named by the Greeks, but later the Romans, who called the goddess of love Venus, adopted the city as a sacred place of love. Subsequently, pilgrims flocked to the city to pay homage to the fairest goddess of them all.