Ancient Agora - The Market Place

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The best way to explore a place is on foot and by local transport. This explorer in me has led to many adventures and memories. So I left my shopaholic group behind and explored the areas around acropolis on my own. I started from temple of Olympian Zeus and with a map in hand , walked along with my instincts. The street of Lisikratous and other streets leading to Agora are narrow and  flanked by 2/3 storey buildings.I followed  the foothills of east side of the Acropolis hill. The  Byzantine architecture is prominent as I walked along these streets. Athens seems to have flourished during the Middle Byzantine Era, with a large number of churches being built. This building activity reached its peak during the 11th and the 12th century around Attica. The lack of time meant that I could only capture these pieces of art from outside and carry on my walk towards ancient Agora after a brief stop at Roman Agora.


 Agios Nicholas Rangavas Church- 11th century architecture , A popular place for weddings and considered one of the oldest church.

 Fethiye Mosque Museum-is a 17th-century Ottoman mosque in central Athens, Greece. It was built on the ruins of a Christian basilica from the middle Byzantine period (8th/9th centuries)

Roman Agora -The Gate of Athena Archegetis is situated west side of the Roman Agora.

 
Tower of the winds - considered the world's first meteorological station. The structure features a combination of sundials, a water clock, and a wind vane.It was supposedly built by Andronicus of Cyrrhus around 50 BC, but according to other sources, might have been constructed in the 2nd century BC before the rest of the forum.

Roman Agora -The remains of this agora built by the Romans from 19-11 B.C. include columns & an octagonal tower.

The Greek word "Agora" means to "gather and orate," indicating that this site was a location of public speaking. The Agora was a place of administration and commerce as well as the meeting place of the Agora tou Dimou, a civic decision-making group. The eyes immediately go towards the Stoa of Attalos. After spending some time at the museum, i walked around the ruins and climbed up the hill which housed the temple of Hephaistus.



Stoa of Attalos- The current building was reconstructed in 1952–1956. The Stoa of Attalos houses the Museum of the Ancient Agora

Lower colonnade of the Stoa of Attalos- Long stoas (colonnades) provided shaded walkways for those wishing to meet friends to discuss business, politics, or philosophy, while statues and commemorative inscriptions reminded citizens of former triumphs.


One of the most beautiful and recognizable buildings in the Agora was -- and still is -- the temple of Hephaestus.  Hephaestus was the god of craftsmen and metal workers, which is why his temple was put here among the craftsmen of ancient Athens. It stands atop a small hill, giving it a clear view over the whole Agora.


The temple of Hephaestus-This fifth-century BC Doric temple is one of the best-preserved ancient Greek temples, thanks to its conversion into a Christian church, which saved it from destruction. The temple was designed on a classical plan with six rows of 13 columns, and the Ionic friezes appear to be modeled on the Parthenon.

The View of Acropolis from Ancient Agora




Ruins Of Agora

Church of the Pantanassa - a 10th century greek Orthodox church

Tzistarakis Mosque is an Ottoman mosque, built in 1759, in Monastiraki Square can be seen in the background. The metro station is on the right. My first ride on metro was from Monastiraki. And way behind is the Acropolis hill.

The Metro line from Monastiraki Station

The Flea market at Monastiraki





After the blast from the past, I took a leisurely walk along the Monastiraki flea market, hung out at the square, enjoyed some local delicacy at the bakery and figured out the local metro line. Along with local walks, local transport, the other thing I love to do is catch any kind of local performance. So we were treated to a dance and dinner on our last night at Athens. The most popular export of music and dance is from the movie Zorba the greek, the sirtaki dance on the track. we were treated to this and lot more with an amazing greek dinner followed by a birthday cake. yes, folks , I was celebrating my birthday early in Athens and what a lovely evening it was!

May 2017
Athens, Greece

The Travel Connection: Movie connections are stronger than travel shows.
Tip: Become Local

Location: Athens, Greece

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