The story of Sardis

People lived on this hillside for at least 3500 years, and the place swung between a rich city of international importance and a cluster of modest villages. In the 7th century BC Sardis became the capital of Lydia, and from here kings such as Croesus ruled an empire reaching east to the Halys river. The city, with its outer areas, covered 108 hectares and was guarded by walls 20 metres thick.

Look up at the acropolis, on the northern foot of Mount Tmolus above the Pactolus valley: it rises 400 m above the plain, its uneven slope once terraced with white cut stone. Ancient visitors could spot the area from afar thanks to three huge burial mounds at Bin Tepe. Herodotus passes on a legend that the sons of Heracles founded the city.

The name Sardis first appears in the poet Sappho, while Strabo claimed its original name was Hyde. In 2025 Sardis and the Lydian tumuli of Bin Tepe joined the UNESCO World Heritage List.