Just a few kilometres away from Stratonicea was the ancient cult site of Lagina, one of the most important Carian sanctuaries. The establishment of the sanctuary at Lagina as a religious centre dates back to the Seleucids, but evidence from the necropolis implies that the origins of the settlement go back to the 7th century BC. An 11 km long road called the Sacred Way (ceremonial road) connected the two sites.

Coordinates: 37° 22′ 42.83″ N, 28° 2′ 21.94″ E

The deity worshipped at the sanctuary was the goddess Hecate. She was the goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, the moon, ghosts and necromancy. In statuary, Hecate was often depicted in triple form, with three bodies or three heads. She was also associated with crossroads and entranceways. Numerous festivals were celebrated at the site, during which a procession delivered the temple’s key from Lagina to the bouleuterion in Stratonicea, on which the rules of the religious celebrations of Hecate were written.

The sculptural decorations that once adorned the temple are now on display in the Archaeology Museum in Istanbul. They covered all four sides of the building, with scenes representing the episodes from Zeus’ life circle, the battle of gods and giants (Gigantomachy), the mythical battle between the Ancient Greeks and the Amazons (Amazonomachy), as well as scenes from Carian mythology.