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| Magnesia Ancient City Stadion |
Magnesia Ancient City reffered as "Magnesia ad Maeandrum" or "Magnesia on the Maeander". Maeander(Büyük Menderes) is a river where this city founded on one of the tributaries of Maeander. At the same time, Magnesia is a city which referred as Manisa Province of Turkey. A city called with its river helps to prevent misunderstanding. According to Strabo, Magnets founded Magnesia.
It is located in Tekin Village, Ortaklar Area, Germencik District, Aydın Province of Turkey. Magnesia nearly 80 km and 1 hour away from Adnan Menderes Airport in İzmir Province of Turkey. It is on the road between the Ortaklar and Söke. It was neighbour of crucial cities which included Ephesus, Priene and Tralleis Ancient Cities.
The principal deity of the City is Artemis. There is a Temple and sacred area dedicated to Artemis. According to Anciet Roman Period Writer Vitruvius, Architecture of Artemis Temple was Hermogenes, he was the first architect to apply the octagonal pseudodipteros temple plan. Vitruvius tells us that the main work of Hermogenes was the temple of Artemis Leukophryene in Magnesia. This temple was one of the greatest Artemis temples in Anatolia.
After walking around the sanctuary of Artemis, you can visit theatron, gymnasium and stadion, respectively. The City has one of the biggest stadions on the world. If you are going to this city, it is the stadion building you should definitely see. According to the entrance of the ancient city, the stadion remains far away. It may take some time to reach. The stadium is huge and magnificent. It has the capacity to allow monitoring of tens of thousands of people. The seats are made of marble. The city was known as the "city of races" due to many sports events were organized in antiquity times.
Swampy areas caused by alluviums carried by Maeander River led to formation of diseases, and the population gradually decreased over time. The artifacts found in Magnesia are exhibited in the Paris, Berlin and İstanbul Museums. Today, Archaeologiacal excavations continues in the city.