The ancient city of Perge

One of the most famous attractions in Antalya is the ancient city of Perge. At one time it was a very rich city of Anatolia. It is located 18 km from the city of Antalya itself, 12 km from the sea, near the Aksu Chayi River. It is believed that this city was founded in 1000 BC according to the proleptic Julian calendar, according to legend it was founded after the Trojan War by the soothsayer Calchas. Excavations on the territory of the ancient city have been conducted since 1946, but most of the city is hidden underground. In 2009, the city of Perge was included in the preliminary list of World Heritage Sites of UNESCO.

Perge begins with the oldest gates: the outer gate - the South Gate (Roman period) dates back to the IV century, behind them after 92 meters are the inner gates - Hellenistic period - they were built in the III century BC (rebuilt in the II century AD). To the west of them are the well-preserved Roman thermae of the 2nd century. They testify to the affluence of the city's inhabitants during the Roman period. The spacious halls were decorated with marble and mosaics. A whole central heating system (with heated floors and walls) was connected to them! In fact, these were not just baths, but a place for socializing and relaxation of rich citizens.

Behind the elinistic gates there is a central street 300 meters long with slender rows of columns. A cascading water canal ran along its central part. On hot days it gave coolness, on both sides of it there was a roadway.

Then came the trade and craft shops. The street ends at the nymphaeum (fountain) of Hadrian's time. At one time it was an imposing two-story structure that was also used as a gateway to the acropolis built on top of the hill. From here you can enjoy a stunning panoramic view of the entire ancient city. Unfortunately, the acropolis structures themselves are poorly preserved.

On the eastern side of the Hellenistic gate is the city market square agora (II century AD), surrounded by colonnades. In its center are the ruins of a round temple of the goddess Tyche.

To the south of the city walls is a well-preserved theater for 15,000 people of the II century AD with 42 rows of seats. You can climb to the top of the theater (be careful), where you can enjoy a breathtaking view of both the theater itself and the entire ancient city of Perge and its surroundings.

Next to the theater is a stadium for 12 thousand spectators. It had 12 rows, at the base of which is a vaulted structure. In every third cell of this construction was the entrance to the stadium, and in the rest there were shops.

This is just a small part of information about the ancient city of Perga, which you will certainly be very interesting to visit and plunge into the exciting imagination of the ancient era. We recommend you to visit this site from October to May, as the rest of the year the ruins are very hot.