BEYSEHIR

Beysehir is located on the shore of Beysehir Lake which is the third largest lake after Lake Van and the Salt Lake, and Turkey's largest freshwater lake. Beysehir National Park also is Turkey's largest.
Numerous archaeological remains can be seen in the area, such as the carved Hittite monuments of Fasillar (south of Beysehir) and the unusual Eflatunpinar monumental fountain (north of Beysehir) which is a 13C BC relief carving depicting men, women and animals resembling lions.
After different periods of domination, Beysehir, after the collapse of the Seljuks at the beginning of the 14th century, became capital of the Turkish Esrefogullari emirate, which itself declined in importance in Ottoman times. The most important historic buildings in Beysehir date from that period and include the Esrefoglu Mosque (1298). The cedar wood columns and flat ceiling, the stone and wood carving, tiling and mosaics are exquisite examples of Seljuk-style decoration. Also not to be missed: the Esrefoglu Kumbet mausoleum, Ismail Aka Medrese, Kuruçesme Han, and the bazaar.

Esrefogullari Mosque

Other places of interest in the area is Kubad-Abad Summer Palace located across the lake near Gölyaka: it was built by the great Seljuk sultan Alaeddin Keykubad in 1236 and has remarkable stucco and tiling decoration. Opposite is Kiz Kalesi Castle (Maiden's castle) that stands on one of the 22 islands.

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PERGE

The ancient city of Perge is located 18 km/ 11 miles to the east of Antalya, 11 kms/ from the sea and 4 kms west of the Aksu river (ancient Kestros/Cestrus). It was one of the most important cities in the vast coastal plain known in Antiquity as Pamphylia.
A text written on a tablet found in the Hittite capital Hattusa provide proof of Perge's existence as Parha-a and describe its importance in the 13th century BC, long before the arrival of the Hellenic settlers at the beginning of the 7th century BC. However, according to ancient tradition it was believed that the city had been founded after the Trojan War by the legendary heroes Calchas and Mopsos and excavations at the courtyard of honor behind the city gate revealed inscriptions on statue bases mentioning the names of these heroes.
There is no further record of the city until it surrended to Alexander the Great in 333 BC. From that period, Perge became an important city and was surrounded by fortifications. Under the domination of the Seleucid kings, Perge enjoyed a considerable freedom and rights of minting. Artemis of Perge was represented on most of the coins, because at the time, there was in the city a sanctuary dedicated to this goddess famous in the whole Pamphylia. In 188 BC, the city came under the Roman domination and went on flourishing and expanding through the first three centuries AD.
At the time of their apostolic trips through Asia Minor, St Paul and his companion Barnabas staid in Perge.
One of Perge's most celebrated inhabitants was the astronomer and mathematician Apollonius (circa 262-180 BC), known as the "Great Geometer" (Treaty of Conic Sections).

Some of the archaeological finds from Perge date from the 5th century BC, however most of the remains belong to the period of the Roman Empire when, in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, the city reached its greatest extent and prosperity. The surviving buildings reflect the splendours of this period.

The magnificent sculptures, which are displayed in the Perge section of the Antalya Archaeological Museum, show the advanced level reached by the sculpture ateliers of Perge.


The Archaeological site of Perge includes:

The Theatre was originally a Hellenistic theatre with a horseshoe-shaped orchestra modified by the Romans. It had a seating capacity of 15,000 people. The beautiful frieze depicting the life of the god of wine and theatre Dyonisus has remained in its original location adorning the stage building (2C AD), while the friezes representing the local river-god Cestrus, Centauromachia and Gigantomachia are now exhibited in the Antalya Archaeological Museum. Later, the outer wall of the stage building was adorned with a Nympheaum of which five fountain-niches have remained.

The Stadium is a 2C AD Roman building and is, after Aphrodisias, the best preserved in Anatolia.The seating capacity was 12,000. 30 barrel-vaulted rooms placed under the rows of seats were used as shops, except one out of three that was used for access to the stadium.

The late Gateway and Walls date from the 4th century AD.

The southern Baths were Pamphylia's largest and most magnificent baths. Pergeians cleansed themselves in the large pool after exercising in the palaestra. The pool was connected to the frigidarium, tepidarium and caldarium which were all made of marble. The statues, that embellished the complex, are exhibited in the Antalya Archaeoligical Museum.

The Hellenistic Main Gate and the walls are the only pre-Roman structures dating back to the 3C BC. The gate is composed of two imposing round towers. Behind is a horseshoe-shaped courtyard that was transformed during the Roman period by Plancia Magna, the most prominent woman in the city, into a beautiful courtyard of honor lined with columns and whose walls were covered with colored marble : inside the niches there were many statues including those of Plancia Magna who was and chief priestess of Artemis and benefactress of the city. It is thought that the three-storied towers were covered with a conical roof. To the north of the courtyard stood a triple triumphal arch.

The Colonnaded Street was 20m/ 65 feet wide and stretched from the Hellenistic Gate to the Nympheaum at the foot of the acropolis. In the middle, there was a water canal which was used to cool the atmosphere during the long-lasting hot summers. On both sides, the street was lined with shops fronted by a colonnade.

The Nympheaum was the monumental fountain built at the end of the colonnaded street at the foot of the acropolis. It was one of Perge's most beautiful edifices. Water brought from springs flowed into a pool through an opening beneath a reclining statue of the river-god Cestrus. From here water flowed into the canal that ran through the middle of the colonnaded street. The city was divided into four sections by two colonnade streets.

The Agora was built when the city was enlarged in the 4th century AD. This square agora measured 75m x 75m/ 246 x 246 ft and was surrounded by shops and a wide stoa. The remains of a circular edifice stand in the center of the agora.

The main gate with the twin towers	The courtyard of honor
The square agora	Shops along the colonnaded street
The monumental fountain with reclining statue of the river-god Cestrus	The colonnaded street with the water canal in the middle
The pool in the baths complex	The caldarium
The horseshoe-shaped stadium	The sarcophagi with garlands known as the Pamphilian type, are the exclusive production of Perge workshop Antalya Archaeological Museum

KÖPRÜLÜ CANYON

The 14 kms/ 8 miles long lush canyon is situated in the Köprülü National Park, 92 km / 57 miles north-east of Antalya. The national park, a true nature lover’s, can be reached by a road that snakes along the Köprüçay River which is suitable for white water rafting with rapids of levels 1 and 2. Köprüçay River is the Turkish name for Eurymedon which, during ancient times, was navigable as far as Aspendus. The river, emerging from the Taurus Mountains, flows into the Mediterranean. The one arched Roman Oluk Bridge spans the Köprüçay River at a height of approximately 35 m/ 115 m. Several fish restaurants can be found along the river.

Oluk bridge on Köprüçay river

Rafting and river kayaking on Köprüçay river

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ASPENDUS

Aspendus (Aspendos) is another major Pamphilian city and is located near the village of Belkis 50 kms/ 31 miles to the east of Antalya.
According to the tradition, Aspendus was founded by colonists from Argos led by the legendary hero Mopsos in the 13C BC., near the Eurymedon river (Köprüçay) which, at the time, was navigable. Through the centuries, it was a prosperous city due to the ships that could reach its walls, thus making maritime trade easier and active in the whole Mediterranean sea. In the 6C BC, it was taken by Lydian king Croesus, and later came under the domination of Persia. In 468 BC, the Persians were defeated during a famous battle that took place at the mouth of the Eurymedon. Later, the rich city was punished for not being willing to pay tribute to Alexander the Great, and was compelled to show obedience. Having become a vassal of Pergamum, the city was rallied to Rome in 190. Aspendus enjoyed its most prosperous period when it was incorporated into the Roman Province of Asia in 129 BC. The city declined under the Byzantine rule, then witnessed a short revival under the Seljuks when, after various rearrangements, the theatre was converted into a palace by the Sultan Giyaseddin Keyhüsrev II between 1237 and 1240. The place was finally abandoned in 1261.

The antique city boasts a magnificent theatre, famed for its excellent acoustics and beautiful structure, and an imposing aqueduct.

The Theatre of Aspendus is the best preserved Roman theatre in Asia. Inscriptions in Greek and Latin on either side of the skene mention that its construction was commissioned by two benefactors, the wealthy brothers Curtius Crispinus and Curtius Auspicatus who dedicated it to "the Gods of the Country and the Imperial House." The theatre was built by the local architect Zenon in the 2C AD, under the reign of Marcus Aurelius. It has a seating capacity of 20,000 spectators. The cavea, which has a diameter of 95m/313 feet (it is wider than the stage) and a height of 30m/ 98 feet, is only partly built against the hill that formed the acropolis. The Romans succeeded to create a perfect unity between the auditorium and the skene (stage building). A colonnaded arcade surmounts the upper half of the 39 rows of seats. The stage building was covered by an overhung roof that provided shade but also better acoustics. The stage wall with five windows set in it, was decorated with 40 columns: ten pairs on two levels with Ionic capitals below and Corinthian above, surmounted by pedimented entablatures.
On a Roman lintel above a door opened by the Seljuks on the south side of the main facade, and also below the window beside this door, several animal (lions, deers) reliefs and geometrical figures reliefs including a sun symbol with a human face, have been brought to light in May 2007. These reliefs were carved to decorate what had become a sultan's residence. The tile-work from this period is kept in the Antalya Archaeological Museum.
Today the theatre of Aspendus hosts concerts and other performances as part as the Antalya Film and Art Festival.

Nearby the theatre stand the remains of a basilica, agora, nymphaeum, bouleuterion and stadium.

The Aqueduct, whose remains can be seen approximately 2 kms north of the theatre, is one of the most imposing and also one of the best preserved Roman aqueducts in Turkey. Water was brought from sources located 17 kms/ 10.5 miles away in the mountains, within 2 kms/ 1.2 miles of the city through a conventional aqueduct. In order to cross the valley preceding the acropolis, the last 2 kms of aqueduct was a complex hydraulic system consisting of three inverted siphons and two massive water towers with a different elevation and a different bend (angle) in their middle to change the direction of water flow.
Once the water arrived at the edge of the acropolis, it was distributed to the richly decorated Nymphaeum, which stands on the north side of the agora, to the baths and other buildings of the city.

The Theatre	Colonnaded Arcade