Ara Güler, who was both a photographer and a journalist, was invited to Aydın in 1958 by Süleyman Demirel to attend the opening of a dam. On the way back, they got lost and headed toward the source of the light they saw, eventually arriving at a coffeehouse. Güler noticed that some of the tables in the coffeehouse were columns and pieces of statues. He took a small tour around the village and encountered many remnants such as ancient statues, sarcophagi, and columns. The villagers were living among these remnants, with some even using the sarcophagi as troughs.

Ara Güler sent the photographs he took in this village to various magazines, but none showed interest except for the New York Times. Upon request, Ara Güler returned to the region, this time to take color and better photographs. After the publication of his photographs, a decision was made to start excavations at Aphrodisias under the leadership of Kenan Erim, who was a professor in the Archaeology department at NY University. The excavations began in 1961. Kenan Erim continued his work until 1990 when he passed away. His grave is located in the ancient city, next to the Tetrapylon.

The city was situated in the ancient region of Caria and was known as an important cultural and artistic center from the 5th century BC to the 7th century AD. Aphrodisias gained its fame from having a temple dedicated to the ancient Greek goddess Aphrodite. The city is notable for its theater, stadium, agora, gymnasium, baths, aqueducts, and many other ancient structures.

During the Roman Empire, when Aphrodisias served as the capital of the Caria province, it experienced significant development. It became an important settlement under the patronage of the Roman Emperor Augustus in the 1st century BC. The city continued to flourish during the Roman period and hosted many sculptors and artists. The sculptures and artworks created during this period have contributed to Aphrodisias' artistic reputation that has endured to the present day.

There is another reason why Rome held this city in special regard: Aeneas, who went to Italy and founded Rome after the Trojan War, was the son of Aphrodite. It was a city dedicated to the mother of the savior, Aphrodite.

On the reliefs of the Sebasteion, originals of which are currently housed in the Aphrodisias Museum, there is the epic of Aeneas. It is impossible to miss the wall with masks when walking from the Sebasteion towards the theater.

Zoilos, a slave to whom Augustus granted freedom, built many structures in Aphrodisias, including a theater with a capacity of 8,000 people. There are two agoras in Aphrodisias. When the first one was submerged in water, a new one was constructed opposite the theater built by Zoilos. In fact, during that time, to amass water from accumulating in the corner due to flooding, they even built a pool, which can still be seen today.

In Aphrodisias, we also encounter bathhouses that were used not only for cleanliness but also as socializing spaces. Built during the 2nd century in the time of Hadrian, there are ten chambers in total. Considering the abundance of unfinished statues, it is possible to say that Aphrodisias, like Bergama and Tralleis, was one of the three sculpture schools in Anatolia.

During the spread of Christianity, Aphrodisias became a center of the cross for Rome. Due to the cult of Aphrodite (Urania and Pandemos) and the fact that the statues of pagan gods upheld paganism, Christianity aimed to eradicate paganism. Therefore, the aforementioned school was transformed into an episcopal palace, and the Temple of Aphrodite was converted into a church.

In Aphrodisias, there is also the Odeon-Bouleuterion, which functions as the council building where decisions on discussed matters are made. It dates back to the 2nd century, during Hadrian's time, and has a capacity of 1,000 people. Additionally, there is the largest and best-preserved stadium in Anatolia, with a capacity of 30,000 spectators.