Alinda

Overview

Above the little town of Karpuzlu, a long wall of gray stone runs along the hillside, pierced by rows of windows like an empty palace. It is not a palace but a market, more than two thousand years old. Then climb past it through the olive groves, and a theater, a watchtower and city walls appear, looking out over a wide green plain. This is Alinda, the fortress of a Carian queen. For both cities in one day, join our Alinda and Magnesia tour.

Queen Ada and Alexander

To begin with, Ada was a daughter of the Carian ruler Hecatomnus. She was also a sister of Mausolus, whose tomb at Halicarnassus became one of the Seven Wonders. However, after her family pushed her from power, she held on to this hill fortress. In 334 BC, Alexander the Great marched into Caria, and Ada came out to greet him here. So Alexander made her ruler of all Caria.

Alexandria by the Latmos

For a time afterwards, the city seems to have borne the name Alexandria by the Latmos, after the mountain range to the west. Still, by 81 BC at the latest, it was Alinda again. Besides, it minted its own coins until the 3rd century AD. For the lake and Herakleia in one day, join our Lake Bafa and Herakleia tour.

What to See at Alinda

The market building

First, the star of the site: the market building, still remarkably well preserved. Its long wall rises in several stories along the slope, with rows of windows and doors. So you can still picture the shops and storerooms behind them.

The theater

Next, climb to the theater, built in the Hellenistic period and still used in Roman times. Today, olive trees grow between its rows. From the top you look out over the plain.

Walls, watchtower and aqueduct

Then follow the Hellenistic walls to a two-story watchtower on the crest. Look for the arches of the Roman aqueduct, the Carian tombs of the necropolis and scattered sarcophagi among the olives.

Getting to Alinda from the Aydın–Muğla Road

Alinda is reached by a 26 km (16-mile) road that leaves the Aydın–Muğla highway at kilometer 30. Its walls of local granite are well preserved and strengthened with towers, and parts of the aqueduct still stand, including a stretch of round arches on four piers west of the acropolis. On the acropolis, only the foundations of two temples remain, and Carian-type sarcophagi among the houses of Karpuzlu show that the necropolis spread over the southern slope. Under Byzantium, Alinda was a bishopric of the Metropolis of Aphrodisias. For Aphrodisias itself, see our Aphrodisias tour.

Tips for visiting Alinda

How to Visit Alinda

Alinda lies on the hill above Karpuzlu in Aydın Province, reached by a mountain road from Milas to the south. We confirm access to Alinda before the day and pair it with Magnesia.

Then combine it with the mountain sanctuary of Labraunda, the temple of Euromos and the shores of Lake Bafa. For the whole region, see our collection on Carian heritage.