Ancient City of Herakleia

The ancient city of Herakleia is located within the present day village of Kapıkırı, 39 kilometers from Milas. In antiquity, the city boasted the Gulf of Latmos, an extension of the Aegean Sea. However, as a result of the alluviums brought by the Meander River filling the gulf, it transformed into today's Lake Bafa. Although geographically located on the border of Ionia and Caria, and even within the Ionia region, the city is considered a typical Carian city with its character and historical past. The city takes its name from the famous mythological hero Heracles. While its name was Latmos in the 8th century BC, it fell into the hands of Mausolus, the Satrap of Caria, during the Persian period. Following Alexander's campaign in Asia, it came under the rule of the Alexander Empire, and later the Seleucid Empire. Herakleia, which lost its former importance after its connection with the sea was cut off in the 1st century BC, became a hiding place for Christian monks due to transportation difficulties. The ancient city, built on very rugged and rocky terrain, was surrounded by a 6.5-kilometer long city wall reinforced with 65 towers. The city walls, featuring regular rectangular and square stonework, were built during the Hellenistic Period. Herakleia, settled according to the Hippodamus city plan, is an example of the successful implementation of a grid shaped plot and street plan with perpendicular intersections. The Temple of Athena, situated on the rocky terrain behind the harbor, is one of the best preserved structures in the city. It is a two columned Hellenistic era structure in the Templum in Antis style. Located east of the Temple of Athena, the agora is two stories high, with the first floor surviving today. The agora, just east of the Temple of Athena, is located in the city center. Built during the Hellenistic period, the agora has two stories on its south side, with the first floor walls and shops remaining intact. It is understood that it was surrounded by galleries, some of which can still be seen. The city's northeastern perimeter walls are in quite good condition. The theater is located in the northeast of the city. The walls of the skene building and the rows of seats from the first cavea are visible. The apsidal cella and pronaos of the Sanctuary of Endymion, located along the road leading to the city's coast and the islands, are visible. According to mythology, the Moon Goddess Selene fell in love with the beautiful young man Endymion, a shepherd in the Latmos Mountains, and condemned him to eternal sleep. The frescoes adorning the ceilings and walls of these hermitages depict the life of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and the saints. The survey of the ancient city of Herakleia, conducted by the German Anneliese PESCHLOW, continues annually. Since 1991, studies have been conducted to examine the settlements on the section of the mountain within the boundaries of the ancient city of Herakleia. Within this scope, prehistoric remains were explored with a specific objective, given the existence of a very ancient rain and rock cult on the summit. Today, 170 rock paintings are known to have existed in Latmos, where the first rock paintings were discovered in 1994. Source: Culture Portal