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Sardis was the capital of the
ancient Kingdom of Lydia, ruled
by King Croesus (560-546 BC).
Later, it was an important Roman city.
Located 90 km (56 miles) east of Izmir
(map)
next to the town of Sartmahmut, Sardis (Sart in
Turkish) is a large archeological site
with lots to see. Guided
tours are
available from Izmir and Ephesus/Kuşadası.
The great Temple
of Artemis was begun in 334
BC, reconfigured over the centuries
in various architectural styles, but
never finished.
The 2nd-century AD Marble
Court of the Hall of the Imperial Cult complex
has been extensively restored, as has
been the huge, rich Roman synagogue.
Sardis is a large site divided
by the Izmir-Uşak highway (E96/D300),
with the Marble Court and synagogue
on the north side, and the Temple of
Artemis about 1 km (6/10 mile) to the
south, along with remnants of a Byzantine church,
a late Roman villa.
The River Pactolus, now called
the Gediz Nehri, passes along
the western edge of the site. The ancient Lydians gathered gold
dust from its waters by placing
sheepskins in the water which collected
the dust. According to legend, the
gold came from the Phrygian
King Midas who, cursed with the
golden touch, washed in the Pactolus
to rid himself of it. You can visit
the site of the Lydians' gold refinery.
You can see Sardis on a day-trip from Izmir (90
km/56 miles, 75 minutes), either by
private car or
by frequent regional minibus or,
less conveniently, by train.
From Izmir's Otogar (bus terminal),
go to the İlçe Peronları (EEL-cheh
peh-rohn-lah-ruh, regional gates) to
catch a minibus for Salihli,
the town just beyond Sardis, and ask
to be let out at Sartmustafa.
There is one slow regional early morning
train from Izmir's Alsancak
station toward Uşak that takes
nearly three hours to travel the 120
km of track to the Sartmahmut station
one km (6/10 mile) north of the Sardis
archeological site. The only returning
train to Izmir (Alsancak) departs Sartmahmut
in the evening.
The nearest hotels are
in Salihli and Manisa, but the greatest
selection is Izmir hotels.
Distances & Travel Times
Alaşehir (Philadelphia): 58
km (36 miles) SE, 1 hour
Izmir: 90
km (56 miles) W, 1.5 hours
Manisa: 58 km (36 miles) NW,
1 hour
Salihli: 10 km (6 miles) E,
15 minutes
Selçuk (Ephesus):
121 km (75 miles) SW, 2.25 hours
Uşak: 144 km (90 miles) E,
2.25 hours
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