Thessaloníki – City and Ruins (Part 4)

Roman Agora   

Just to the south of Agios Dimitrios is one of Thessaloníki’s star attractions, the huge Roman Agora.

2^nd Century BC bathhouse   

The site covers 20 hectares and the majority of the ruins that we see today date to construction during the 2^nd century AD. However, there was an agora on the site from the 1^st century AD and before that, from around the mid-2^nd century BC, the area was used as a pottery workshop and a baths.

2^nd century AD 400-seater Odeon   

Unsurprisingly the agora went through many stages in its development, in particular the odeon which started off as a rectangular bouleuterion and which, in the 2^nd century AD, was converted into a 200-seater Odeon. A century later, this was extended to seat 400 people and another hundred years on works were in progress to turn it into an open air theatre, works that were never completed.

The Cryptoporticus – a double underground stoa which was converted
into a water cistern in the 5^th Century AD    

The agora itself comprised an open, paved rectangular area, surrounded by 3 double stoa (underneath one of which was the Cryptoprticus shown above). Close by was an additional row of 20 shops on a wide paved street. This whole area was the administrative centre of the city and also the place where citizens and visitors could gather to listen to speakers and to catch up with local news.

Bey Hamam   

Close to the agora is the Bey Hamam, Thessaloníki’s first Ottoman bathhouse. Built in 1444 and apparently lavishly decorated and covered with marble inside, we wanted to take a closer look. However, the sign showed that it is closed in the afternoons; one for another day we thought but, it later turned out, it was closed throughout our stay in Thessaloníki.

Apsidal Hall – the only open part of Galerius’ Palace – with underground modern visitors’ centre beyond   

The closed theme continued when we returned to look at Galerius’ Palace. We’d had a good look from outside the site the previous day but our aspiration to walk amongst the ruins was quashed when we discovered that it is, at the moment, permanently closed for refurbishment. The only part open was the Apsidal Hall’s visitors’ centre. Here the layout of the whole palace complex was shown overlaid onto a map of modern Thessaloníki, along with computer generated 3D representations and detail of the wall and floor decoration. It certainly would have been a huge and luxurious complex. The Apsidal Hall, built in the 4^th century AD, would have been the palace’s banqueting hall. It was renovated 100-150 years later with a new section leading to a peristyle courtyard, which in turn led on to a further reception space and also to the Royal Box of the adjacent Hippodrome. Galerius’s palace complex was definitely a place fit to host the Byzantine emperors travelling between Rome and New Rome (Constantinople).

Atatürk’s family home and birthplace   

Under Ottoman rule Thessaloníki was known as Salonica and it was here in 1881 that Mustafa Kemel (Atatürk) was born. The old 2 story house in which he was born and spent his early years is still standing and is now within the grounds of the Turkish Consulate. Warned that we would need them by our guidebook, we had our passports with us so that the guards would let us into the museum. However, in the current security climate, the layout of the Consulate has been changed and though entry to the house’s grounds is via a very modern, heavy security door/gate, the security staff just wanted us to complete a line on a form giving our names and country of origin. The museum has recently been renovated and the information boards gave a lot of detail about Atatürk’s life and his beliefs and principles, illustrated by lots of archive pictures.

Museum of Byzantine Culture   

Our final stop of the day was the Byzantine Museum of Culture. It took us through the whole history of the Byzantine period and included fine examples of detailed mosaics, sculptures painted tombs. Nicky said that she had wondered how large a museum of Byzantine Culture could be – the answer is very!

Icons, icons, icons (including ones of St George)   

And, of course, there were hundreds of religious icons. St George on his horse lancing the dragon got a good showing.

Footsore and weary we headed back to BV for a well-deserved rest and the promise of laundry day on the morrow!

Thessaloníki, Greece