Germencik
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 , Turkey |
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| Map | |
 Location in Turkey |
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| Province | Aydın |
| Coordinates | 37°52′ N 27°36′ E |
| Postal code | 09x xx |
| Licence plate code | 09 |
| Website | http://www.germencik.bel.tr |
Germencik is a town and subprovince in the Aegean Region of Turkey. It is part of the province of Aydın.
Germencik is located in the middle of the fertile Büyük Menderes (Meander) plain. Besides being on the Aydın-İzmir highway (at 25 km from Aydın), it also pulls benefit from being in the junction point of the İzmir-Aydın-Afyonkarahisar and Ortaklar-Söke railway lines.
Germencik is an old settlement, first founded by 'Hıdır Bey' of the Beylik of Aydınoğlu Principality under the name "Değirmencik" (little mill). Later, it has also been called "İğneabad". The town obtained district's status in 1948.
Remains of the antique city of Magnesia ad Maeandrum are located within the borders of Germencik district. According to a legend regarding the origins of the city, it was first founded by people who came from Thessalia and called it "Magnets".
Magnesia was at an important location commercially and strategically in the triangle of Priene, Ephesus and Tralles. The first excavations at the archaeological site were conducted in 1891 by Carl Humann of the who was also the discoverer of the Pergamon Altar. These lasted 21 months and partially revealed the theatre, the Artemis Temple, the agora, the Zeus temple and the prytaneion. Excavations have been resumed at the site, after an interval of almost 100 years, in 1984, by Prof. Dr. Orhan Bingöl on assignment from the University of Ankara and the Turkish Ministry of Culture.
Findings from the archaeological site are now displayed in İstanbul and Aydın museums, as well as in Berlin and Paris where they were smuggled during the Ottoman rule. The most important and the biggest piece ushered away by the German archaeological team in this manner was the whole façade of the Zeus temple, which is currently in possession of the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. Turkey made several attempts to date, to retrieve it.
[edit] See also
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Districts of Aydın |  |
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Aydın | Bozdoğan | Buharkent | Çine | Didim | Germencik | İncirliova | Karacasu | Karpuzlu | Koçarlı | Köşk | Kuşadası | Kuyucak | Nazilli | Söke | Sultanhisar | Yenipazar |
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