Ἄλινδα | |
 Agora of Alinda | |
  Alinda Shown within Turkey | |
| Location | NearKarpuzlu,Aydın Province, Turkey |
|---|---|
| Region | Caria |
| Coordinates | 37°33′30″N27°49′25″E / 37.55833°N 27.82361°E /37.55833; 27.82361 |
| Type | Settlement |
Alinda (Ancient Greek:Ἄλινδα) was an inland city and bishopric inancient Caria, inAsia Minor (Anatolia). Modern scholars identify Alinda with the Hellenistic foundation ofAlexandria ad Latmum (Ἀλεξάνδρεια πρὸς τῷ Λάτμῳ) noted byStephanus of Byzantium.[1][2][3]
It is situated near Demircideresi, on a hilltop which commands the modern-day town ofKarpuzlu,Aydın Province, in western Turkey, and overlooks a fertile plain.
The non-restored but very well preserved ruins are much visited, especially within the circuit of organized tours (locally called "safaris") with departure from either the international tourism center ofBodrum or fromMilas and reaching Karpuzlu through a mountain road from the south.
In 2018, four kilometers of the ancient stone road, which connects the ancient cities of Alinda andLatmus, were destroyed by villagers to make way for theirolive groves.[4]
Alinda has perhaps been an important city since thesecond millennium BC and has been associated withIalanti that appear inHittite sources (J. Garstang, p. 179). It was a member of theDelian League.[5]
It was this fortress which was held by the exiled Carian QueenAda. She greetedAlexander the Great here in 334 BC. When Alexander captured Caria, he granted Ada to be the ruler of the whole region.[6]
The city was apparently renamed "Alexandria by the Latmos" (Greek:Αλεξάνδρεια στη Λάτμο) shortly afterwards, and was recorded as thus byStephanus of Byzantium, although sources disagree as to the exact location of the settlement of that name. The prior name of Alinda was restored by 81 BC at the latest. It appears as "Alinda" inPtolemy'sGeographia (Book V, ch. 2) of the 2nd century AD.
Alinda remained an important commercial city, minting its own coins from the third century BC to the 3rd century AD.[7] Stephanus records that the city had a temple ofApollo containing a statue ofAphrodite byPraxiteles.
Alinda has anecropolis of Carian tombs and has been partially excavated. Alinda also had a major water system including aRomanaqueduct, a nearly-intact market place, a 5,000-seat Romantheater in relatively good condition, and remains of numerous temples andsarcophagi.[8]
Alinda appears onByzantine lists of bishoprics. It was asuffragan of the Metropolitan ofStauropolis, the capital of theRoman province ofCaria, but was to fade.
(incomplete)
It was nominally restored as a Latintitular see of theRoman Catholic Church but has been vacant since the death of the lastbishop in 1976, having had the following incumbents, all of the lowest (episcopal) rank :
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