Overview
An ancient city that would be a tourist magnet in any other country. When we visited on a Friday in September, it was completely empty. After scanning our museum cards at the entrance, we asked the attendant if he had any tips for the visit and got a flat "no" in response, which should have been our first clue about how neglected this place is.
What to See
There's actually quite a bit of active excavation work going on inside, with newly opened areas too. But for an ancient city this large and this well-preserved, both the signage and its popularity are shockingly weak. The location is incredibly accessible, just a 15-minute detour off the Izmir-Aydin motorway. The site is Nysa Ancient City.
The theater is beautifully preserved. It held 15,000 people. With a bit of cleanup, they could host concerts here. One of the most intriguing details was the systematic holes in the seating stones. I initially guessed they were for rainwater drainage, but fellow readers corrected me, poles were inserted into them to stretch fabric overhead for shade. Apparently this was typically for nobility.
The city layout is clearly visible. Leaving the theater, you follow a long narrow street directly to the agora, where shops line the left side. Past the agora, you reach what feels like a main boulevard that stretches all the way to the parliament building, itself essentially a miniature theater.
The most impressive part is definitely the tunnels and columns. There's a clear elevation difference between the theater section and the stadium area. They bridged this gap with two-story passages allowing quick transit between the upper and lower sections. The stadium sits in a riverbed, so it hasn't been as well preserved, likely battered by seasonal flooding.
New residential areas are gradually being opened through ongoing excavations. There's a freshly uncovered road where you can still observe the layers of earth that preserved it, layer upon layer of protection visible in cross-section.
A truly enjoyable ancient city overall. I'll happily revisit every 5-6 years to follow its progress. For anyone who hasn't been yet, go as soon as you can.