Priene

Priene was rebuilt from scratch in the fourth century BCE on a fresh site, and because it was never substantially built over afterwards it preserves what Miletus and Ephesus lost: a complete Hippodamian grid, streets crossing at right angles across steep terraces, with the blocks, house plots, drains and public buildings all legible on the ground. The Temple of Athena Polias, designed by Pytheos and paid for in part by Alexander, stands with five columns re-erected on a terrace with the plain far below; above it are the bouleuterion, one of the best-preserved council chambers in the ancient world with its stone benches intact on three sides, the theatre with carved front-row seats of honour, the agora, a gymnasium with graffiti cut by students into the walls, and houses whose rooms can be walked. The sea that made it a port has retreated some kilometres as the Meander silted up, so the city now looks out over farmland.

What you actually see

• The street grid - the planned blocks across the terraces.
• The bouleuterion - the council chamber with its benches intact.
• The Athena temple - re-erected columns above the plain.
• The theatre - carved seats of honour in the front row.

When to go

April to June and September to October, in the morning. Spring brings wildflowers through the ruins; summer here is severe and there is very little shade.

Honest expectations

The climb from the car park to the site is steep and the terrain inside is rough - proper shoes matter. Almost no shade and no facilities beyond the entrance. Allow more time than the size suggests.

Nearby

Miletus is south across the plain; Didyma and Lake Bafa are beyond it.