Metropolis Örenyeri

Metropolis is the first settlement area of Torbalı, located 45 km east of İzmir, and is established on a hill between the villages of Yeniköy and Özbey to the west of the Torbalı Plain.

Photo: Official Turkish Museums

Metropolis was first mentioned by the European travelers J.Spon and G.Wheler in the 17th century. These travelers came to the region in 1675 and stated that the ruins located today between the villages of Yeniköy and Özbey in Torbalı district belonged to the ancient city of Metropolis.

Photo: Official Turkish Museums

In the 19th century, the İzmir researcher A.Fontier, as a result of his research on inscriptions and topography in Metropolis, identified the ancient names of the Çevlik and Fetrek streams around Metropolis as “Astraios” and “Phyrites” and briefly described the city ruins.

Photo: Official Turkish Museums

Metropolis was founded in the 3rd century BC during the Seleucid Kingdom by the men of Lyzimachos. Metropolis means "City of the Mother Goddess." The statue of the mother goddess that gave the city its name was found in excavations carried out in the Uyuzdere area. Metropolis developed in the Hellenistic period (1st-2nd century BC), the city was surrounded by magnificent fortification walls, a temple was built in the name of the god of war Ares, and monumental public buildings such as the stoa and theater were constructed. Metropolis, known to have been an important center of art in the Hellenistic period, created extremely high-quality and original sculptural works.

Photo: Official Turkish Museums

In the Roman Imperial period, the city developed downward from the slopes. Among the remains that have survived to the present day, the Atrium, Roman House, and the temples of Zeus and the Twelve Gods belong to this period. In the Byzantine period, the city, which was a bishopric center, began to shrink because of wars, the walls narrowed, and the city was limited to the castle, stoa, and acropolis.

The theater, built on a natural slope, hosts the city's social, cultural, and artistic activities. The theater, made entirely of marble, consists of the orchestra, stage building, seating areas, and the noble seats located at the front.

Photo: Official Turkish Museums

These seats, made for important guests coming from outside, clergy, and emperors, are among the finest examples of Hellenistic marble workmanship.

Photo: Official Turkish Museums

Behind these seats there is a relief of Zeus's bundle of lightning bolts and Ares with a shield. The theater, first built in the late Hellenistic period and whose stage building was expanded in the Roman Period, has a capacity of 8-10 thousand people. The cavea, which is the seating area, is divided into two diazomas by a corridor. The sides of the stairs are decorated with lion feet, each with a different pattern. In the 4th century AD, the theater lost its function.

Source: İzmir Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism

Places to visit in İzmir Address: Yeniköy, Sevgi Yolu Sk., 35860 Torbalı/İzmir