Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
culapius), god of medicine. Just as the snake sheds its skin and gains a 'new life', so the
patients at the Asclepion were supposed to 'shed' their illnesses. Signs mark a circular
Temple of Asclepios
, a
library
and, beyond it, a
Roman theatre
.
You can take a drink from the
sacred well
, although the plastic tube out of which the
water flows doesn't look particularly inviting, and pass along the vaulted underground
corridor to the
Temple of Telesphorus
, another god of medicine. Patients slept in the
temple hoping that Telesphorus would send a cure or diagnosis in a dream.
RED BASILICA
(Kınık Caddesi; admission
"
5)
The cathedral-sized Red Basilica was originally a giant temple
to the Egyptian gods Serapis, Isis and Harpocrates, built in the 2nd century AD. It's still
an imposing place, though rather scattered and battered-looking these days. Be careful as
you make your way around.
In his Revelation, St John the Divine wrote that this was one of the seven churches of
the Apocalypse, singling it out as the throne of the devil. Look for a hole in the podium in
the centre, which allowed a priest to hide and appear to speak through the 10m-high cult
statue. The building is so big that the Christians didn't convert it into a church but built a
basilica inside it. The most intact section, the southern rotunda, was used for religious and
cult rituals.
| Ruin
ARCHAEOLOGY MUSEUM
(Arkeoloji Müzesi; 631 2884; Cumhuriyet Caddesi; admission
"
5)
The museum boasts a small but
substantial collection of artefacts, including Greek, Roman and Byzantine gravestones,
busts and pillars. Look out for the scale replica of the Altar of Zeus (the original is in Ber-
lin) and, in the main hall, finds from the nearby, and now underwater, site of Allianoi.
| Museum
HACI HEKIM HAMAMI
| Hamam
6am-11pm)
This 16th-century hamam charges
"
40 for the full works.
(Cumhuriyet Caddesi;
Sleeping
The northern end of Cumhuriyet Caddesi, in the old town, is the best area to stay.
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