Aspendos ancient ruins is an ancient city with a well-preserved Roman theatre located in present-day Turkey near Side. It was founded over 3,000 years ago by the Greeks who arrived in Asia Minor from Argos on the Peloponnesian Peninsula. The city of Argos is well-known for Greek myths. From these myths, we know, for example, that the goddess Hera and Demeter were worshipped there, and these beliefs, along with the colonists, made their way to Aspendos.
The ancient city of Aspendos and the famous theatre in Turkey and its history
What to do and see in Side and the surrounding area, and how much it costs
- Apollo Temple Side, Perge, Aspendos & Waterfalls Guided Tour; Journey into the past as you discover the ancient cities of Perge, Aspendos, and Side on this guided tour from Antalya. Explore the ruins of Roman architecture and go for a dip in a waterfall.
- An eSIM card that allows you to easily access the Internet throughout Turkey.
The city of Aspendos in southern Turkey is an extraordinary example of how the ancient inhabitants of Europe were constantly on the move in the ancient world, establishing settlements, building cities, and even founding new states.
Founded a thousand years before our era in the ancient region now called Pamphylia, formerly known as Mopsopia, Aspendos was situated between Lycia, now part of the Antalya province, and the incredibly fertile and mountain-surrounded region of Cilicia. For many centuries, the city of Aspendos was the heart of this part of the world.
The city was established along the Eurymedon River, known as Eurymedon in ancient times, enabling Aspendos to engage in trade with other provinces and cities in the region. The city primarily exported salt, oil, and wool. Despite its considerable wealth, the residents of Aspendos had limited political ambitions. Consequently, successive conquerors and colonizers of Pamphylia left the inhabitants relatively undisturbed, allowing the city to flourish and prosper, albeit paying tributes to new rulers.
The city’s prosperity is evident from the fact that even during perilous and brutal times, such as the Persian rule in the 4th century BCE, Aspendos continued to mint its coins.
The Persian rule in Pamphylia persisted until 466 BCE when a massive battle took place at the mouth of the Eurymedon River between the Persians and the Athenian League. Commanded by Cimon, the Greek fleet defeated the Persian ships, and the army achieved the same on land, making Aspendos part of the Delian League.
After a few years, the Persians returned to Pamphylia and reclaimed the city, ruling it for another century until the arrival of Alexander the Great with his invincible army.
The great commander agreed to spare the city’s gates, leaving it untouched, in exchange for an annual tribute of one hundred talents of gold and four thousand horses.
Another turning point in Aspendos’ history occurred in 190 BCE with the arrival of the Romans. Witnessing the might of the Roman legions, the city surrendered without any attempt at defence, though it did not escape plundering. However, it was the Romans who contributed to the creation of a modern, thriving city with a colossal theatre at its centre.
Over the centuries, with the fall of Rome, Aspendos began to decline in significance, though it still played a crucial role in the region during the medieval period. Unfortunately, the once-grand city gradually turned into ruins, ancient monuments crumbled into dust, and the city’s fame became history and eventually a legend.
Aspendos in Turkey sightseeing, monuments and attractions hidden in ancient ruins
The city of Aspendos owes many of its most valuable monuments to the Romans. Below you will find information about some of them.
Roman Theatre in Aspendos ancient ruins
Aspendos ancient ruins is renowned for having the best-preserved ancient theatre from antiquity, situated right in the heart of the ancient ruins. I heard about this extraordinary arena a long time ago during a visit to the Roman Colosseum. The structure is impressive, with a diameter of almost 100 meters, capable of accommodating 7,000 spectators in seated places and an additional standing capacity of the same.
The theatre was constructed in the year 155 CE by the Romans during the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. The project was entrusted to the Greek architect Zenon, who performed exceptionally well. Not only does the monument stand to this day, but it is also beautifully integrated into the landscape.
Clear inscriptions in both Greek and Latin languages can be found at both entrances of the theatre, indicating that the theatre is dedicated to the gods ruling this land and to the entire imperial family.
The structure is truly incredible, and strolling through its interior allows one to feel its enormity and majestic beauty. Exploring the theatre’s interior immediately reveals the Greek influence in its construction, as it is set into a hillside, limiting its exposure from the opposite side of the audience. Additionally, the seating area has a semicircular shape, unlike the oval shape characteristic of Roman theatres.
On the other hand, the skene building, located behind the stage, is typically Roman. Its massive structure completely isolates the theatre audience from the outside world. The seating area is divided by a diazoma, a horizontal walkway, creating an upper and lower audience. As you might guess, those sitting closer to the arena were considered more important and likely wealthier than those seated higher.
The crowning feature for the audience is the arcades supported by a colonnade. Upon closer inspection, you’ll notice openings along its entire length, where masts were mounted to support a canvas cover, shielding the spectators from the blazing sun.
The skene building was once adorned with a two-story, intricately carved facade. Several segments of it have survived to this day, allowing you to grasp the scale of the opulence and richness of details in the original structure.
Some elements currently adorning the interior of the theatre date back to the time when the monument served as a summer palace for the local sultans.
Roman aqueduct in Aspendos ancient ruins
The aqueduct in Aspendos is associated with a legend that tells of a grand competition announced by the city’s ruler. He promised his daughter’s hand to whoever could construct the most beautiful and useful structure for the city. Two builders entered the competition – one constructed a Greek theatre, and the other an aqueduct.
Although the builder of the theatre emerged as the winner, impressing the ruler with its impeccable acoustics, he reportedly faced a significant dilemma because both works were nearly perfect.
The Roman aqueduct in Aspendos, especially its fragments, is considered one of the best-preserved aqueducts in Turkey. During its operational days, when it supplied water to the city, it was an impressive structure stretching over 17 kilometres towards the distant majestic mountains.
The system comprised numerous channels, tunnels, bridges, as well as water towers and intricate siphons. Some structures reached heights of over 25 meters. The final section just before the city was built in an arcade system and rose almost 15 meters. This remarkable construction was almost 6 meters wide. There is a theory that alongside the water channel, there was an avenue allowing travel from the city to the foothills of the mountains.
City gates in Aspendos
Wandering through the hills covered with the ruins of the ancient city of Aspendos, you will come across several enormous stone gates that once served as well-fortified and heavily guarded entrances leading to the city. Today, only the ruins of three of these gates have survived, although there were several during the city’s heyday.
The best-preserved gate is the one leading to the agora, the central square of the city. Just beyond the gate, you’ll notice that the road widens at this point, and along its sides, you can still see pedestals and foundations that once supported colossal statues, likely depicting gods.
The drainage channel running along the right side of the former road has also been preserved. As you can see, the city, with its over 3,000 years of history, had many amenities, and many technologies used during that time are still in use today.
Agora, the main city square in Aspendos
Every ancient city had its central point, a place where meetings, ceremonies, and gatherings took place during various events. This place is called the agora and is typically surrounded by the most important buildings in the city.
In Rome, such a place was the Forum Romanum, a vast city square where daily political intrigues, commercial and business meetings, religious ceremonies, and various spectacular events unfolded. Get ready for a journey where you will discover the true historical treasure of ancient Rome.
In Aspendos, the agora played the same role and was surrounded by monumental structures such as a grand basilica, the tallest building in the city, a nymphaeum with a giant fountain, and a centuries-old market. The entire square was bordered by stone colonnades, and in its corners, flowers and fruit trees flourished.
Due to the uneven and hilly terrain of the city of Aspendos, the agora doesn’t have regular shapes but winds, narrows, and stretches along its entire length. The significance of this place was crucial for the city; it was where decrees and new laws were announced, various goods, including slaves, were traded, penalties were administered, and heroes were honoured.
Nymferium in ancient Aspendos
A nymphaeum is a place in ancient cities associated with water. In Ancient Greece, a nymphaeum was a grove where natural springs existed, believed to be inhabited by water deities. Over time, the term nymphaeum began to be associated with buildings serving practical functions and equipped with fountains or wells.
In ancient Rome, a nymphaeum was a building located at the end of an aqueduct, often in the form of a fountain or water feature surrounded by greenery. Romans highly valued the water supplied to the city, so water-related structures were grand and opulent.
Aspendos was no exception. The local nymphaeum had a magnificent, two-tiered facade adorned with sculptures, columns, statues, and intricate decorations. Records indicate that during its heyday, the Aspendos nymphaeum resembled that of Side. Research suggests that the entire structure was over 14 meters in height, 30 meters in length, and had several water-drawing stations.
Basilica in ancient Aspendos
The most significant building in all of Aspendos was probably the basilica standing near the agora, the city’s central square. Simultaneously, it is the best-preserved structure among the ruins of Aspendos to our times.
The basilica served a function similar to today’s municipal town halls. It housed a courtroom, assembly hall, and workplaces for a multitude of officials. Additionally, part of the basilica functioned as an enormous market where the most valuable goods, as you might guess, were traded by the wealthiest residents of Aspendos.
The basilica also served as a place to welcome foreign guests and more important dignitaries from this region of the world. The basilica was richly adorned, with walls covered in marble and the interior adorned with precious statues, reliefs, and gleaming marble slabs.
I am certain that you won’t overlook this monumental structure while wandering through Aspendos.
Temple in ancient Aspendos
Unfortunately, unlike the aforementioned Basilica, the temple in Aspendos did not survive to our times, and only the outlines of its foundations and the supports of the columns remain.
Research indicates that the temple had dimensions of 25 meters by 14 meters, surrounded by a Doric order colonnade. Along the longer side of the temple, there were 11 slender columns, and along the shorter side, 6 columns. They were placed on a stylobate, a platform connected to the foundations.
The temple was enclosed by a stone wall, the remnants of which are still visible among the scattered stones on the hill. Interestingly, it has never been determined which gods were worshipped in the temple, as if at some point in history, someone deliberately destroyed all traces of the divine beings for whom the temple was intended.
Necropolis, or cemetery in ancient Aspendos
The Necropolis in ancient Rome was a veritable city of the dead, accompanying every Roman city since time immemorial. Traditionally, necropolises were located along the main roads in the city so that the living would not forget the deceased, thus enhancing their afterlife in Hades, the realm of the dead.
In Aspendos ancient ruins, the necropolis, a part of the city designated for the deceased, is in the southeast part of the city. Unfortunately, similar to the aforementioned temple, many of the ancient tombs have shared the same fate, and little remains of them to this day.
Numerous studies and excavations have been conducted on the necropolis grounds, and the artefacts found there can be viewed at the Museum of Archaeology in Antalya.
Archaeological research in Aspendos
Ancient Aspendos is a true playground for archaeologists and historians from around the world. Currently, Hacettepe University from Ankara is conducting the latest research, attempting to reconstruct the changes that occurred in the city and its surroundings from ancient times to the present based on excavations.
While strolling through the rubble-covered hills, where the city once thrived, we encountered history students who explained that the current research focuses on the political and religious structure in Aspendos after its occupation by the Romans.
Additionally, another research group is working on the opposite end of the ruins, utilizing the latest techniques such as geological scanners and satellite terrain mapping.
If you are interested in the archaeology and research conducted in Aspendos, I recommend a visit to the Antalya Archaeological Museum, where archaeological finds and various artefacts unearthed from the grounds of Aspendos are exhibited.
Aspendos ancient city tour
Upon arrival, you must buy a ticket at the counter, but I recommend purchasing the ticket online to avoid queues and often pay less.
Once you pass through the gate, straight ahead is the entrance to a small museum and one of the main paths leading to the ancient theatre in Aspendos ancient ruins. However, I suggest leaving the theatre at the end and turning right, following the path leading to the hills scattered with the ruins of ancient buildings.
The route through the ruins of the city of Aspendos is well-described, and you will easily find the places I mentioned in the above article.
I highly appreciate the values of the ancient ruins of the city of Aspendos. This Roman city on the Turkish Riviera allows you to grasp the vastness of the Roman Empire during its prime. I will certainly return here at the next opportunity, and I recommend it to you as well.
Aspendos in Turkey practical information
The most convenient way to explore Aspendos is with a tour that combines several nearby attractions, organized by local travel agencies or better hotels. I also advise you to tailor your trip to the events taking place in the ancient theatre in Aspendos. Great performances, shows, concerts, and a whole host of other cultural events often take place there. An example is a dance show called the Fire of Anatolia, which makes a wonderful impression.
Aspendos can be visited from 9:00 to 19:00. I suggest arriving earlier rather than later, especially in summer when the stony hills turn into an oven.
The ruins of the city of Aspendos are extensive, so plan your trip to have many hours for exploration. Within the city area, you’ll find a souvenir shop and beverage stand. Keep in mind that some monuments, such as the ancient theatre, are still undergoing renovations, so you may not have access to all parts.
Unfortunately, you won’t find specific food on-site unless you bring it with you. However, there are many restaurants in proximity, as advertised before entering Aspendos.
Earlier, I mentioned that the most convenient way to reach Aspendos is through an organized tour, as it’s challenging to get there on your own unless you rent a car. In that case, you can park near the attraction, but note that parking comes with an additional fee.
Aspendos in Turkey interesting facts and information
- The city of Aspendos in southern Turkey was founded by Greek colonists over 3 thousand years ago.
- The location chosen for the city was carefully selected. It is situated on a hill, facilitating defence, and is located right next to a river, allowing for easy transportation of goods to and from the city.
- The most significant attraction among the ruins of Aspendos is the Roman theatre, capable of accommodating 15 thousand spectators. The theatre had a covering to protect the audience from the sun, constructed from canvas and wood.
- Despite extensive archaeological research, the vast majority of findings belong to the Roman period, which is remarkably peculiar considering that the city of Aspendos existed two thousand years before the arrival of the Roman legions.
- On the stage of the Aspendos theatre, the French singer Dalida gave her final concert. This event took place on April 28, 1987, just four days before her tragic suicide.
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