Ramsay, William Mitchell: The cities and bishoprics of Phrygia: being an essay of the local history of Phrygia from the earliest time to the Turkish conquest (Band 1,2): West and West-Central Phrygia (Oxford, 1897)

1. GEOGRAPHICAL CHARACTER. 571

There are few approaches to the Banaz-Ova, easy enough to permit
of traffic. From the coast-valleys of the west, it may be entered from
Maeonia by the gorge of the Hermos. This is a singularly difficult
route; and the peculiar type of rocky path through the gorge E. of
Koula makes it one of the hardest roads for horses that I have seen
in all my experience of Turkey. It seems to have been the line of
the ' Royal Road' from Sardis to Pteria and to Susa; but that is one
of the characteristics which stamp the 'Royal Road' as being, not
a trade-route for caravan traffic, but a road for couriers and the Royal
Post. No one that has ridden this path into the Banaz-Ova would
ever make it a caravan-route.

Another approach is from the Kogamis valley, i. e. from Phila-
delpheia. There is a short track by Takmak now used by light
horsemen or by foot-travellers to Ushak; but it also is not to be
thought of as a route for traffic. All trade follows one of two lines
near each other, going nearly due east from Philadelpheia for about
40 miles to the neighbourhood of Ine and Geubek. Here the routes
diverge: one goes north to Ushak: a second goes ENE. to Islam -
Keui, an important point at the extreme corner of Banaz-Ova: the
third goes nearly due east to Sebaste and thence turns south to
Eumeneia, or as an alternative leaves Sebaste on the left and keeps
on to Eumeneia and thence across Duz-Bel to the east. Of these
three roads, the first is important only for the trade of the rich Ushak
district (Trajanopolis, Grimenothyrai, and Temenothyrai), the third is
a short route for light horsemen and foot-passengers to the east, but
the second is one of the great trade-routes of history, carrying to
Smyrna the trade of the east and north-east. It has been especially
important throughout the Middle Ages, after Smyrna had become the
single harbour for commerce with western lands] ; but it has a per-
manent importance in its own nature, being second only to the
Maeander valkry route in convenience as a path for trade between
the Aegean coasts and the east.

An approach from the Lycos valley to Banaz-Ova can be found
and is occasionally used for traffic; but it is so circuitous a way to
the coast, that it can never have had any great commercial im-
portance. The easiest route would go by Tripolis and Sala to Geubek :
the shortest by Hierapolis across Tchal-Ova, Dionysopolis, Atyo-
khorion, to Hadjimlar and Islam-Keui. This latter is a route of some
importance for horse or foot-passengers.

1 The building of the Ottoman Railway up the Maeander valley destroyed
the importance of the more northerly route in recent years.