Ancient Miletus, 22km south of Priene amid rich cotton fields, was once a great port city. It's often (but unfairly) disparaged as dull compared to Priene and Didyma, but you should definitely not skip it – its mixed Hellenistic-Roman architecture is impressive, and the fascinating museum illustrates the original relationship between the three sites.
There are cafes at the entrance, including one flanking a 14th-century caravanserai; they are not recommended for a meal, as they are rather expensive. Stop at Miletus Museum before touring the site to pick up the informative and free 'circular tour' map.
History
Although Miletus' distant origins are unclear, it's likely that Minoan Cretans came in the Bronze Age (the word Miletus is of Cretan origin). Ionian Greeks consolidated themselves from 1000 BC, and Miletus became a leading centre of Greek thought and culture over the following centuries; most significantly, the Milesian School of philosophy (from the 6th-century BC) featured great thinkers such as Thales, Anaximander and Anaximenes. Their observations of nature emphasised rational answers rather than recourse to mythical explanations, making the Milesians essentially the world's first scientists.
Like the other coastal cities, Miletus was fought over by Athens and Persia, and finally taken in 334 BC by Alexander the Great, who ushered in the city's golden age. Rome later took over, and a small Christian congregation developed following St Paul's visits (around 57 AD). In Byzantine times, Miletus was an archbishopric. Unlike other coastal cities, enough of its port was free from silt build-ups for the Seljuks to use it for maritime trade through the 14th century. The Ottomans abandoned the city when its harbour finally silted up, and the Meander has since pushed Miletus 10km inland.
Sights
As at Priene, you'll notice the streets of Miletus have a right-angle grid plan – the brainchild of of local architect Hippodamus. Approaching from the car park, the Great Theatre dominates. Miletus' commercial and administrative centre from 700 BC to AD 700, the 15,000-seat Hellenistic theatre had majestic sea views. The Romans reconstructed it in the 1st century AD.
Exit the theatre through the tunnel on the right to reach the rest of the site. Above the theatre, ruined Byzantine castle ramparts provide views of the former harbour (called Lion Bay, after the lion statues that guarded it) to the left. Look right for the stadium, the northern, western and southern agoras, and between them, bouleuterion ruins.
East of the theatre, beyond a vanished ancient commercial centre, the ruined Temple of Apollo had great significance, marking the start of a 15km-long sacred road to Didyma's temple and oracle. As if by magic, the laurel trees that Greeks considered sacred to Apollo still cast their shade near the Milesian temple ruins.
The vast Baths of Faustina, constructed for Marcus Aurelius' wife, are worth entering; the massive walls and inner floors of the two spacious structures still survive. The designers' ingenious plan used an underground system of hot-water pipes (known as 'hypocausts') and tubuli (terracotta wall flues), which kept the bath interior hot. Next to it was a refreshing cold bath.
South of the ancient ruins is the post-Seljuk İlyas Bey Camii (1404), with an intricate doorway.
There are infrequent dolmuşes from Söke in summer; none in winter.
