The ancient city of Priene at the Priene Ruins in the Güllübahçe District of Söke, Aydın is one of the oldest examples of the “grid city plan geliştiril developed by Hippodamus of Miletus. This is the most important factor in the worldwide recognition of Priene's name. The city maintains its appearance in the Antiquity with its well-preserved streets and structures.
The ancient city, which was founded 15 km southwest of Söke, has had a great advantage over the history of the attacks from the sea and the environment due to its location on the steep rocky terrain of 370 meters.
The word Priene has no meaning in the Hellenic-Greek language. It is thought that it came from the language of the Luwians, the native people of Anatolia before the Hellenic invasion. It is assumed that Pria, which means HISAR in Luwian language, and Priawana formed by taking the Wana jewelry which means DORMITORY, became Priene in Hellenistic period. The Turkish equivalent is “Hisar Yurdu..
According to recent research, the theory that the King of Ahhiyava established Miletus and Priene is one of the cities of this kingdom is strengthened. Therefore, the word has reached the present day in its original form.
It is thought that the ancient city of Priene, which was first accessed by the ancient sources in the 7th century BC, was founded in the 2nd century BC.
12 “Panionion toplantı, the meeting center of the religious and political union formed by the Ionian cities, remained within the boundaries of Priene and the ceremonies were held by the Priene.
This increased the importance of Priene. Indeed, the region where Miletus, Didim and Priene Ancient Cities are located is one of the most beautiful regions of Anatolia.
The port of the city, which is enriched with maritime trade, bearing the name of Naulokhos, was buried with alluviums carried by the Büyük Menderes River and remained under the territory of the Büyük Menderes Plain. The importance of the city has largely disappeared with the port being filled with fertile soil.
Completely abandoned in the 2nd century, the ancient city of Priene has many important architectural structures. Among its most important buildings are the Demeter Temple, the Athena Temple (4th century BC), the ancient theater with a capacity of 5,000, the agora, the Temple of Zeus, the bouleuterion (150 BC), the Upper Gymnasion, the Lower Gymnasion, the Egyptian Temple, the house of Alexander the Great, the Byzantine church , able to count the necropolis and residential areas.
The city is one of the oldest settlements of Ionia since the political and religious center of the Ionian Union, Panionion, is located within the territory of Priene. According to legend, it is not known where the city was first founded by Aipytos, the grandson of Kodros, the legendary king of Athens. From this first place of the city, only a coin with the portrait of Athena has reached today.
It is said that Bias, one of the Seven Sages of the Ancient Period, lived in this city at the beginning of the 6th century BC. The city participated in the Lade Sea Battle in 495 BC with 12 ships. Later, he became a member of Attica-Delos Naval Union under the leadership of Athens. Priene was reconstructed in its present location in 350 BC with the help of Athens.
The city, which never played an important political role in any period of its history, was initially attached to Athens. Alexander the Great came to Priene in 334 BC and supported the completion of the Temple of Athena. The city then came under the sovereignty of Pergamum Kingdom and Rome in the middle of the 2nd century BC. The alluviums brought by Menderes had removed Priene quite far from the sea and therefore lost importance in the late Roman period. During the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) rule, Ephesus (Ephesus) became a bishopric center. It was abandoned in the 13th century due to earthquakes and malaria.
The headless Kibele statuette from the Kibele House on the western end of the main street is exhibited in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum.