MILETUS ... where Philosophy and Geometry flourished

Today, I had unforgettable moments during my visit (together with my sister and mother) to the ancient city, MILETUS located on the western coast of Anatolia. Thales, the father of philosophy; Isidore, one of the two architects of the Hagia Sophia; Daphnis, the architect of the Temple of Apollo in Didyma, were all from Miletus. It was the site of origin of the Ionian philosophical and scientific tradition known as the Milesian School. Thales, who was the first so acknowledged of the Seven Sages (Wise Men) of Antiquity, was one the founders of the Milesian School, followed by Anaximander and Anaximenes. The other important figures who resided in MILETUS include Archelaus, Hecataeus and Hippodamos.

It is not as popular touristic attraction as Ephesus, however MILETUS is a place that everybody should visit at least once in a life time, especially if you are close by. There are a lot written about MILETUS on the web. Here, I would like to share my own experience and some pictures which may entice you to visit this amazing ancient Greek city in Anatolia.

MILETUS is about 25 kilometers south of SÖKE, a town famous for its highly fertile land for cotton production. On our way to MILETUS, we were washed over with a feeling of peace while driving through the vast land of green. About 30 kilometers to Didyma (Didim), we took a narrow road which took us to MILETUS and were literally impressed by the view as seen on the right.

Right in front of us stood a great city of MILETUS. The road we were on was then a magical tunnel taking us back in time when THALES was contemplating on geometry, philosophy and business. It was all exciting to recall that we were then at the place where he also hypothesized that the nature of matter is water.

We definitely admired the magnificence of the ruins reflecting the ancient glory of the settlement such as the Miletus Theater, the Faustina Baths, the Bouleuterion (Senate building), the Monumental Fountain, the Ceremonial Street, the Agora, the Bath, the Ionic Stoa, the Delphinion, and the Port Memorial. When in MILETUS, stand up on the stage of the theater facing the rows; shout the first phrase that comes to your mind. You will definitely realize the perfection of the acoustics characterizing this marvelous structure. Here are some pictures we took at MILETUS. I hope you enjoy them:

As you may guess, looking at pictures arises never the same feeling as you would get through your own experiencing. In short, you should go there to be amazed while walking through the past.