Outside of the ancient Agora and the Western Excavation Area, Kos Town has a few more ancient Greek and Roman ruins to visit. No, they aren’t as spectacular as many other ancient ruins in Greece, but they’re worth seeking out if you find yourself on the island.
Of all the ancient sites I was able to visit in Kos Town, the Western Excavation Area was my favorite. It beat the ancient Agora in terms of mosaics and quality of ruins. It’s not quite as good as the Asclepeion just outside of town, but it’s worth seeking out. Admission to the site is free and it’s open 24 hours.
You’ve surely heard of the ancient Greek city of Halicarnassus (Ἀλικαρνασσός) and its famous mausoleum, but where was it located? The modern city of Bodrum in Turkey. Only a few bits and pieces of the ancient city are still around to this day.
After exploring the Samsun city center, I hopped on the train and headed to Amazon Island (Amazon Adası). This large “island” made of land reclaimed from the Black Sea sits on the outskirts of the city. It has been used as a public park since it opened in 2012. If you like cheesy, this place is for you.
The Black Sea city of Sinop is probably most famous for being the birthplace of ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes the Cynic. A statue of him holding his lantern and standing next to his dog is located at the entrance of the peninsula.
Sinop was the capital of the ancient Kingdom of Pontus (Πόντος), a Hellenized dynasty of Persian descent ruling over ethnic Greek subjects. Bits and pieces are left today from that great empire, which lasted from 281 BC to 63 BC.
When I told my students in Istanbul I was visiting Kırşehir, I got funny looks and lots of “why?”. They had a point. Kırşehir is a mostly uninteresting city in Central Anatolia.
Eski Gümüşler Monastery (Eski Gümüşler Manastırı) is a Byzantine-era cave monastery rediscovered in 1963. It’s located a short drive from the city of Niğde.
Kaliakra is a narrow cape with stunning views of the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. It’s a nature reserve and archaeological site with steep cliffs plunging 70m down to the sea.
The oldest part of Varna is the Greek quarter, where you’ll find the most historic parts of the city. Varna has had a Greek population since antiquity, when the city was known as Odessos, a mixed Greek and Thracian city that was later annexed by the Romans.