Aizanoi Ancient City is located in the Çavdarhisar district center of Kütahya, 50 kilometers away from Kütahya. It is thought that the city of Aizanoi emerged from the union of the mythological hero named Azan, who was mentioned in ancient sources as the pioneer of the Phrygians living around the sacred cave of the goddess Meter Steunene in the upper part of the Penkalas (Kocaçay) River, the Water Fairy Erato and the legendary King Arkas.
The city of Aizanoi was the main settlement center of the Aizanites, who lived under the control of ancient Phrygia. Excavations carried out around the Temple of Zeus on the high plateau of the city revealed traces of settlement dating back to 3 thousand BC. During the Hellenistic Period, this region was alternately under the control of Pergamon and Bithynia, and in 133 BC it came under Roman rule. Aizanoi, which became rich during the Roman Empire thanks to grain cultivation, wine and wool production and whose fame exceeded the borders of the region, has definite urbanization findings only towards the end of the 1st century BC. It is also known that the first coins were minted during this period.
The ancient city of Aizanoi experienced its brightest period in the 2nd century AD, saw major construction activities and many structures were built during this period. While it was a bishopric center in the Early Byzantine Period, it lost this importance from the 7th century onwards. The temple plain was transformed into a fortress in the Middle Ages. It was called Çavdarhisar because it was used as a base by the Çavdar Tatars during the Seljuk Period.
Aizanoi was rediscovered by European travelers in 1824, examined and described in the 1830s and 1840s. The first excavations were carried out by the German Archaeological Institute under the leadership of M. Schede and D. Krencker in 1926. Excavations have been continuing regularly every year since 1970.
Among the ruins are the best preserved Temple of Zeus in Anatolia, a theater with a capacity of 15 thousand people and a stadium with a capacity of 13,500 people built adjacent to the theater, two baths, the world's first trade exchange building, a columned street, five bridges over Kocaçay, two of which are still standing, two agoras, a gymnasium, the sacred site of Meter Steunene, necropolises, an ancient dam, waterways, and gate structures. The ancient city of Aizanoi is contemporary with cities such as Ephesus, Bergama, and Side.
Temple of Zeus
It is built on a podium in the middle of an area of 130.5x112 meters surrounded by columned galleries, 200 meters from the west bank of the river.
It was built on a diptera plan with 120 Ionic and 4 Corinthian columns measuring 8x15. It has a staircase leading down to the underground cella dedicated to the Phrygian Goddess Meter Steunene and reaching the roof. One of the best preserved Ionic temples in Anatolia, the acroterions are particularly interesting among its decorations. The middle acroterion on the western pediment is decorated with the bust of the Goddess Kybele among acanthus branches and leaves. The bust of Zeus is on the eastern pediment acroterion. The temple, built between 117-138 AD with its four-columned courtyard and agora, has inscriptions praising Emperor Hadrian and Apuleius, who performed important services for Aizanoi, on its front gallery walls.
Source: Kütahya Culture and Tourism Directorate ''Kütahya Promotion Brochure''
