Carura or Karoura ( grc, Κάρουρα) was an ancient town of

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The ...

on the north-eastern border of

ancient Caria Caria (; from Greek: Καρία, ''Karia''; tr, Karya) was a region of western Anatolia extending along the coast from mid-Ionia ( Mycale) south to Lycia and east to Phrygia. The Ionian and Dorian Greeks colonized the west of it and joined the ...

. Its position east of the range of Cadmus assigns it to

Phrygia In classical antiquity, Phrygia ( ; grc, Φρυγία, ''Phrygía'' ) was a kingdom in the west central part of Anatolia, in what is now Asian Turkey, centered on the Sangarios River. After its conquest, it became a region of the great empire ...

, under which country Strabo describes it. It was on the south side of the Maeander River, 20 miles west of Laodicea to

Ephesus Ephesus (; grc-gre, Ἔφεσος, Éphesos; tr, Efes; may ultimately derive from hit, 𒀀𒉺𒊭, Apaša) was a city in ancient Greece on the coast of Ionia, southwest of present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province, Turkey. It was built i ...

. The place is identified by hot springs approximately 12 miles northwest of

Denizli Denizli is an industrial city in the southwestern part of Turkey and the eastern end of the alluvial valley formed by the river Büyük Menderes, where the plain reaches an elevation of about . Denizli is located in the country's Aegean Region. ...

, that have been described by the scholars

Pococke Pococke is a surname, and may refer to *Edward Pococke (1604–1691), an English Orientalist and biblical scholar. *Richard Pococke (1704–1765), an English prelate and anthropologist. See also * Pocock *Pococke Kition inscriptions The Pococke ...

and

Chandler Chandler or The Chandler may refer to: * Chandler (occupation), originally head of the medieval household office responsible for candles, now a person who makes or sells candles * Ship chandler, a dealer in supplies or equipment for ships Arts ...

. Strabo observed that Carura contained many inns (), which is explained by the fact of its being on a line of great traffic, by which the wool and other products of the interior were transported to the coast. He added that it has hot springs, some in the Maeander, and some on the banks of the river. This tract of land is subject to earthquakes. In a story reported by Strabo, a brothel keeper was lodging in the inns with a great number of his women, they were all swallowed up one night by the earth opening.

Henry William Chandler Henry William Chandler (31 January 1828 – 16 May 1889) was an English classical scholar. Life He was the only son of Robert Chandler, of London. He was born in London on 31 January 1828. His early education was neglected, but by diligent st ...

observed on the spot a jet of hot water, which sprung up several inches from the ground; and also the remains of an ancient bridge over the river. On the road between Carura and Laodicea was the temple of Men Carus, a

Caria Caria (; from Greek: Καρία, ''Karia''; tr, Karya) was a region of western Anatolia extending along the coast from mid-Ionia (Mycale) south to Lycia and east to Phrygia. The Ionian and Dorian Greeks colonized the west of it and joined the ...

n deity; and in the time of Strabo there was a noted Herophilean school of medicine here, under the presidency of Zeuxis, and then

Alexander Philalethes Alexander Philalethes ( Gr. ) was an ancient Greek physician, whom Priscian called Alexander Amator Veri (Alexander Truth-Lover),Priscian, iv. p. 102, d. and who was probably the same person quoted by Caelius Aurelianus under the name of Alexander ...

. Chandler discovered some remains on the road to Laodicea, which, he supposes, may be the traces of this temple; but he states nothing that confirms this conjecture.

Herodotus Herodotus ( ; grc, , }; BC) was an ancient Greek historian and geographer from the Greek city of Halicarnassus, part of the Persian Empire (now Bodrum, Turkey) and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria ( Italy). He is known for ...

mentions a place called "Cydrara", to which

Xerxes Xerxes ( ) may refer to: People * Xerxes I of Persia, "Xerxes the Great", reigned 486–465 BC * Xerxes II of Persia, briefly reigned 424 BC * Xerxes of Sophene, ruler of Sophene and Commagene, 228–201 BC * Xerxes (Sasanian prince), 6th-century ...

came on his road from

Colossae Colossae (; grc-gre, Κολοσσαί) was an ancient city of Phrygia in Asia Minor, and one of the most celebrated cities of southern Anatolia (modern Turkey). The Epistle to the Colossians, an early Christian text which identifies its auth ...

Sardes Sardis () or Sardes (; Lydian: 𐤳𐤱𐤠𐤭𐤣 ''Sfard''; el, Σάρδεις ''Sardeis''; peo, Sparda; hbo, ספרד ''Sfarad'') was an ancient city at the location of modern ''Sart'' (Sartmahmut before 19 October 2005), near Salihli, ...

. It was the border between

Lydia Lydia ( Lydian: ‎𐤮𐤱𐤠𐤭𐤣𐤠, ''Śfarda''; Aramaic: ''Lydia''; el, Λυδία, ''Lȳdíā''; tr, Lidya) was an Iron Age kingdom of western Asia Minor located generally east of ancient Ionia in the modern western Turkish provin ...

and

, and the Lydian king

Croesus Croesus ( ; Lydian: ; Phrygian: ; grc, Κροισος, Kroisos; Latin: ; reigned: c. 585 – c. 546 BC) was the king of Lydia, who reigned from 585 BC until his defeat by the Persian king Cyrus the Great in 547 or 546 BC. Croesus was re ...

fixed a stele there with an inscription on it, which declared the boundary. Classical scholar

William Martin Leake William Martin Leake (14 January 17776 January 1860) was an English military man, topographer, diplomat, antiquarian, writer, and Fellow of the Royal Society. He served in the British military, spending much of his career in the Mediterran ...

thought that the Cydrara of Herodotus may be Carura. It could not be far off; but the boundary between Lydia and Phrygia should perhaps not be located south of the Maeander in this region. Modern scholars locate Carura near Tekke, in Asiatic Turkey.

References

Populated places in ancient Caria Populated places in ancient Lydia Populated places in Phrygia Former populated places in Turkey History of Aydın Province {{Aydın-geo-stub