I don’t know how much we are aware of the beauties in our immediate surroundings, but I guess we don’t have a good grasp of what’s in the city we live in…
While travelers to another city make an intense effort to discover all the cultural values of that city , the awareness of those living in that city in this direction is not very developed.
There are not many people in İzmir who can adequately fill in the question of what is in Kemeraltı.. How many Izmir residents can be found living in Izmir and visiting the Agora Ancient City, Kadifekale, in the heart of the city? How many people know that parchment was found in Bergama and that the snake, the symbol of medicine, was discovered?
Metropolis Ancient City
Metropolis Antique City in Torbalı can be mentioned with the same understanding.
I am sure that the number of people who have never heard of Metropolis is much higher than these cities, such as Kadifekale, Agora, Bergama, and Ephesus, whose locations are known even if they cannot be visited.
Torbalı is 12 kilometers from the town center. Metropolis, located between Özbey and Yeniköy villages at a distance, is expressed as one of the most important cities of the Ionian region.
The first recorded words of travelers from Spon and Wheler about this city help us get information about Metropolis.. Travelers who saw Metropolis from afar on their way to Ephesus stated that the walls of the Byzantine Castle they saw belonged to Metropolis.
While the history of the region was explained with the first scientific trip carried out by the Izmir researcher Aristotle Fontrier in the 1860s, Fontrier wrote an article. He also revealed the geographical plan of the region with. Today, Fetrek Stream, on which a transformation-improvement project is carried out, is also seen in those records.
The effect of World War I
In 1895, Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Although Joseph’s assignment of Viennese Professor Otto Benndorf to excavate Ephesus on behalf of the empire created the agenda for the rediscovery of Metropolis, Metropolis was again forgotten with the First World War. Excavations were started in Metropolis, where excavations were not carried out, under the scientific consultancy of Recep Meriç, who participated in the excavations with the Austrian delegation in Ephesus. Documentation has revealed that it was one of the most important cities of the period.
There is also a very well-preserved ancient theater in the Metropolis Ancient City, which Torbalı Municipality attaches special importance to.. A large number of terracotta mother goddess figurines were found in the excavations carried out in Metropolis, which means “mother goddess city”.. The fact that the symbols of the mother goddess are found on the coins found in the cave, which is located 5 kilometers north of the city and aroused great interest with its discovery, confirms these views.
Brand city target
Metropolis, which is also stated to be an important wine production center and located 30 kilometers from Ephesus and 40 kilometers from İzmir, is one of the most important works that Torbalı trusts in terms of its brand city image.
Torbalı Municipality. It is very sad that Metropolis, which we visited at the invitation of , is still not recognized by the people of Izmir and the region.. It is even mentioned that the university that is planned to be established in the Küçük Menderes Basin should be named Metropolis. Buildings and spaces that make up the ancient urban fabric were found, such as two Roman baths, one big and the other small, gymnasion (gymnasium), state agora, shops, public toilets, streets.. In addition, during the excavations of these places, more than 10 thousand historical artifacts consisting of ceramics, coins, glass, architectural pieces, figures, sculptures, bone and ivory artifacts, pithos (Storage jar) and many Hellenistic ceramics and metal artifacts were unearthed.. The artifacts obtained during the excavations are exhibited in İzmir History and Art, İzmir Archeology and Selçuk Ephesus museums.
