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Situated on a high plateau around 100km inland, APHRODISIAS is one of the more isolated of Turkey's major archeological sites. It was one of the earliest occupied centres in Anatolia, but remained a shrine for many centuries, and only really grew into a major cultural centre in the second century BC. It was renowned in particular for its school of sculpture, benefiting from nearby quarries of high-grade marble, examples of which adorned every corner of the empire. A loop path around the site (daily 8am-5.30pm; $4) passes all of the major monuments, beginning with the virtually intact theatre , founded in the first century BC but extensively modified by the Romans three centuries later. Further on you pass the double agora , two squares ringed by Ionic and Corinthian stoas, and the fine baths of Hadrian , well-preserved right down to the floor tiles and the odd mosaic. North of the baths, several columns sprout from a multi-roomed structure commonly known as the bishop's palace , east of which is the appealing Roman odeon , with nine rows of seats. Perhaps the most impressive feature of the site is, however, the 30,000-seat stadium , a little way north, one of the largest and best preserved in Anatolia. The museum (daily 8am-5.30pm; $3) consists almost entirely of sculpture recovered from the ruins, including statuary related to the cult of Aphrodite, a joyous satyr carrying the child Dionysus in his arms, and a quasi-satirical portrait of Flavius Palmatus, Byzantine governor of Asia. The nearest sizeable town is KARACASU , 13km west, connected by frequent dolmus to NAZILLI , 50km northwest. If you're staying in Pamukkale, it's tempting to try and devise a loop to Aphrodisias via Nazilli, and then back to Pamukkale the other way, through Tavas, but you must get to Tavas in time for the last dolmus back to Denizli, and thence to Pamukkale, which is difficult. Whatever happens, try to avoid getting stranded at Aphrodisias or Karacasu. GEYRE , 600m from Aphrodisias on the main Karacasu-Tavas highway, has the Chez Mestan campsite/pension (tel 0256/448 8046; under GBP5/$8).
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