How to visit and what to see in Priene, ancient Greek city in Türkiye

Among the many archaeological sites on the Aegean coast en Türkiye, Priene It is the one with the most beautiful location.

In fact, one of the first things that catches your attention when arriving at this old City is its location, on the slope of the Mount Mycala, of which one of its rocky peaks stands out from the rest.

Its remains begin at the point where the Meander River Plain joins this slope.

The curious thing is that this plain did not exist into Antiquity, and what is now an immense plain dedicated to agriculture centuries ago was a gulf of the Aegean.

In fact Priene It is now located 15 kilometers from the coast, clear evidence that the geography of the region has changed quite a bit over time.

Ancient Greek city of Priene

In any case, Priene It is the best surviving example of a Greek city built according to a grid plan.

Something totally unusual since, as has been said, it is built on a relatively steep slope.

Both for its importance in the history of urban development, and for its good conservation, Priene is included in the tentative list of the World Heritage for the Unesco.

The set is one of the most evocative and charming of the ancient cities that can visit on a trip to Türkiye.

Being located on a slope, there are some streets that are level, but those that cross perpendicularly are steep side streets and some have steps.

This checkerboard urban layout formed blocks 47 meters long by 35 meters wide, inside which the houses were arranged around a patio, and the public buildings could occupy one or several blocks.

A small town, Güllübançe, stands at the foot of the ancient city and offers some services.

How to visit and what to see in Priene

From the car park next to the road, where the ticket office is located, you must follow a cobbled path to the entrance of the northeast gate of the wall.

At that point we are at the beginning of one of the highest streets in Priene; If we follow it, we reach the top of the theater, whose auditorium is dug into the hillside.

Greek theater in Priene

Despite some modifications made during the Roman age, remains essentially a greek theater, although already hellenistic era.

In fact, it is the best preserved example of orchestra (the space in front of the stage where the choir was located) in the shape of a horseshoe that replaced the circular orchestra of the classical period.

This theater had a capacity of 5.000 spectators.

Given that Priene It was always a relatively small city, it is assumed that this theater welcomed spectators from other cities, it was used for dramatic performances, but also for town assemblies, the nucleus of the Ionian democracy.

Priene Agora and Civic Center

If from here we take a street that goes down the slope, we will reach the Priene civic center, where they were Ágora, Temple of Olympian Zeus, sacred stoa, bouleuterion and prytaneum.

These were the buildings essential for the development of social life

El Ágora It was closed on three sides by theseas (porches) and the room was open to the main street.

In turn, the sanctuary of Olympian Zeus It was next to it and included a small temple.

On the other side of the main street stood the sacred stoa.

All the theseas They were a kind of arcades that favored social and economic life, and the Stoa of Priene It measured 160 meters in length and had 40 Doric columns along its open façade.

Beside him is the bouleuterion, the headquarters of the citizens' assembly that governed the city and one of the best preserved in Asia Minor, with straight steps on three sides.

There also stood the prytaneum, the meeting and banquet point of the council.

Same as in Ephesus and other Greek cities, the prytaneum had a sanctum sanctorum that kept the sacred fire of Hestia.

Between these spaces and the theater appear the remains of the top gym, which was built in the 4th century BC but was expanded in Roman age.

There is another larger gym, the lower one, which is located down the slope at one end of the stadium.

This stadium It measures no less than 190 meters long, and in order to adapt to the terrain, it is the only structure that breaks the regularity of the checkerboard layout de la ciudad.

Temple of Athena Polias in Priene

However, after visiting all the places mentioned, we discovered that we have not yet reached the oldest and most famous building in Priene, Temple of Athena Polias, which is located two blocks from the civic center following the main street.

This set forms the Priene's best-known image, since five of its columns have been rebuilt.

The ionic capitals and grooved drums Of these columns, plus those that still appear scattered at their feet, form a very attractive group.

Finding yourself in this place at dusk when the golden light bathes the remains of the temple and the great rocky mass of the mountain in the background is something that art and history fans will greatly appreciate.

This temple must have been really important.

Its architect was Pythios, one of the builders of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, One seven Wonders of the ancient world and whose few remains can be seen in Bodrum.

For centuries it was considered that this Temple of Athena Polias was ionic temple ideal, and in fact served as a canon of his style.

It had 11 columns on the sides and six on the front and rear facades, and was the first ionic temple which had a back porch.

The temple was consecrated by A himselfAlexander the Great and the inscription that certifies it is now in the British Museum of London.

El walk through the streets of Priene It is done under the crowns of the pine trees that now grow everywhere and the whole is especially pleasant to walk through.

As always, it is advisable to wear good footwear to explore any archaeological site due to the irregularities of the terrain.

Remains of ancient houses of Priene

In addition to the large public buildings, one of the attractions of Priene is to observe the remains of the houses which are located west of the civic center.

They are among the most beautiful and best preserved in the Ancient world.

In one of them a marble statue of Alexander the Great and it is assumed that it is the house that he occupied during his stay in the city while directing the siege of nearby Mileto and which was later converted into a sanctuary in his memory.

In different places you can see the water pipes, so we can say that Priene It was one of the first cities in the world to have some type of running water.

A curiosity is that along the route we pass by temples dedicated to greek gods, but we will also find the remains of a churcha synagogue or with a temple dedicated to Egyptian gods.

Priene Walls

In several places you can see remains of the walls who defended the city.

The wall goes up the slope and reaches the rocky pit that flies over Priene.

It should be noted that the wall It surrounds a space larger than that occupied by the inhabited area to allow the surrounding farmers to have space to take refuge in case of danger.

La west door It opens in the wall near the call Alexander's house.

From this point you can see how the slope falls sharply to the plain now formed by the deposits of the Meander River, occupied in this area by olive groves, and which have covered the ancient city port.

We can remember that this river has such a sinuous path along its route that it has given its name to the pronounced curves that the rivers form in their course, especially in flat areas.

How to get to Priene

Priene It is located about 15 kilometers from Soke (a small traditional town with a few hotels), from where there are several filled (minibuses) throughout the day to the town of Güllübançe.

You can also visit at public transport from Kusadasi, a very important tourist center, cruise ship base and with good beaches in the surroundings.

Priene visit schedules and ticket prices

El Priene archaeological site It is open every day of the year, its summer schedule, from April 1 to September 30, is from 10 a.m. to 19 p.m., and winter of 08: 30 to 17: 30 hours.

El entrance fee to visit Priene It is 10 liras, just over a euro.