Temple of Zeus at Aizanoi

The Temple of Zeus at Aizanoi is considered the best preserved ancient temple in Anatolia. The city stood on the lands of the Phrygian tribe of the Azanitai, in Roman times it received the status of a district centre, and the temple was built in the 2nd century under Hadrian; construction dragged on for decades and, judging by the inscriptions, was funded from the income of the temple lands. The building is pseudodipteral: eight columns along the facade and fifteen along the long side, some of them still standing together with the entablature and the pediment. Beneath the cella there is a vaulted underground chamber, unusual for Greek temples, which is linked with the cult of Cybele, so the sanctuary probably served two deities at once. Later inscriptions are carved on the walls of the cella, among them a fragment of Diocletian's edict on prices. In the 13th century the ruins were occupied by Turkic Cavdar nomads, hence the present name of the village, Cavdarhisar. Next to the temple lie the remains of a theatre and a stadium, two Roman bridges over the Penkalas River and the round building of the exchange. The earthquake of 1970 damaged the colonnade, and some of the blocks have since been put back in place.

On the map