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Inside Aspendos Theater

Aspendos Theater from above

The main item of interest at Aspendos is its marvellous theater seen above left.  Here we learned the difference between Greek and roman theaters.  The Greeks had not mastered the arch and so relied on hillsides to support the ranks of seats.  With the arch, the Romans were less dependent on geography. But whether Greek or Roman, you have to admit that the open-topped amphitheatre is a wonderful way to enjoy live performances of any kind: drama, music, dance.

The photo to the right shows you the theater from above. The photo is taken from a goat path that climbed up alongside the theater and onto the top of the hill that eventually brought us up to the acropolis. This path and others that criss-crossed the site were sure signs that Antalya's tourist industry hasn't yet reached the levels of Ephesus with its beach resorts like Bodrum and Kusadasi to feed an endless stream of tourists to the site. It also means that over time Turkey can attract even more visitors once it has built the needed infrastructure.

Exploring the Acropolis

The Village of Aspendos

Above the theater lie the remnants of the acropolis. Compared to Perge, the remains are fairly complete, but compared to the theater it is in pretty poor shape, but we can't resist any hilltop with its long-distance views and freshening breezes. Note that Jan is still wearing her fleece.  Even by the Mediterranean, April is still a relatively cool month.

The photo at right shows the small village near ancient Aspendos with its obligatory mosque and minaret.  In the distance you can see mountains that are never far from view in this part of the world.

The dolmus that serves Aspendos also serves the village so on the way back we got on the bus as it was dropping off tourists at Aspendos, rode into the village and then back to Aspendos to pick up tourists wanting to go back to Antalya.

For information on the web about Aspendos go to: http://www.kusadasi.com/aspendos.html