The ancient city of Perge

The ancient site of Perge lies about fifteen kilometres from Antalya, on a rich plain. This set of ruins is a superb example of a Graeco-Roman city. There you can discover a very fine ensemble, on a site easy of access and pleasant to visit.

Excavations are still under way and, over the years, new monuments are regularly brought to light and opened to visitors.

Practical information:

The site of Perge lies 17 km to the east of Antalya, in the town of Aksu. Take the D400 road towards Alanya if you are coming from Antalya, and leave the road at Aksu, following the signs indicating Perge.

GPS coordinates of the Perge car park: N36.959835, E30.853303
Large laid-out car park.

Admission to the site is charged. Open every day. From 1 April to 30 September, 8.00 am to 7.00 pm. From 1 October to 31 March, 8.00 am to 6.00 pm.
Sales point for souvenirs, drinks and snacks at the entrance to the site.

The visit is easy, the site being flat and well kept. Remember to take a sufficient quantity of drink with you, especially during the hot periods, the site offering very few shaded places.

Allow 2 to 3 hours for the visit to the site.

History of Perge:

The Greeks of antiquity trace the foundation of the town back to the end of the Trojan War, in 1275 BC, but its history seems much older (1986 BC), according to a Hittite tablet.
The settlement of the Greeks at this spot is explained by the fertility of the plain, the presence of a height on which to defend themselves, and the presence of a river navigable as far as the sea. Its situation inland also had the advantage of being out of reach of pirate attacks, frequent at that time.

During the conquests of Alexander the Great, the town received the conqueror in 333 BC without offering resistance, thus putting an end to Persian rule.
When the empire of Alexander was divided, the town became part of the Seleucid kingdom until 190 BC, the date at which it entered the kingdom of Pergamon. In 133 BC the reigning dynasty died out and the kingdom became the property of Rome. The town prospered in the Roman Empire and became a very important urban centre. Most of the ruins visible today date from this period.

The apostles Paul and Barnabas passed through Perge in AD 46 on their mission of evangelisation. The town was to become an important centre of Christianity in the region. The town is, moreover, one of the starting points of the “Route of St Paul”, which is a waymarked path of the region.

Worth a visit

After passing the ticket office, head for the entrance of the site of Perge and go through the Roman gate built at the beginning of the 4th century. (Leave the stadium on your left; you can visit it on the way out).

Past this gate, you come out onto a large square that was bordered on one side by a large nymphaeum (monumental fountain) dedicated to the emperor Septimius Severus. Some of the statues are displayed at the Antalya museum. The ensemble, including the basins, well preserved, gives an idea of the beauty of the monument. Access to the baths was possible from this spot. Opposite, the barely visible remains of a former basilica.

Pass in front of (without going through them) the 2 monumental round towers of red-ochre colour that framed the entrance to the town in the Hellenistic period. These fine ashlar towers have become the symbol of the town of Perge!

On the left you reach the South Baths of Perge. You will first discover the palaestra lined with columns, a space where physical exercises, wrestling and gymnastics were practised. On the left, two rooms for rest and bathing.

You then enter the baths themselves, comprising the usual rooms, namely the frigidarium with a cold-water pool, the tepidarium with lukewarm water and the caldarium with hot water. The floor is broken open in several places, which will let you see clearly the underground network in which the air circulated that was meant to heat the different zones.
Likewise you will notice certain fragments of mosaics and of marble slabs that richly decorated this place. Bases of statues are still visible.

On coming out of the baths, pass behind the 2 round towers to reach the court situated behind. This court, horseshoe-shaped, was richly decorated in the AD 120s on the initiative of a wealthy native of Perge, Plancia Magna, married to a Roman senator and herself a descendant of kings of the region. The walls of the court are covered with marble and adorned with a colonnade on two storeys. The upper niches of the colonnade were adorned with the statues of the mythical founders of the town, Mopsus and Calchas, while the lower niches housed statues of gods such as Hermes, Aphrodite and Pan. The statues found here can be seen at the Antalya museum.
The court was closed on the north side by a triumphal arch with 3 entrances. This arch was decorated with statues of Roman emperors as well as of high figures of the empire.

Come back out of the court with the towers at your back and head to the right towards the agora. This vast square space, 65 metres on each side, built in the 2nd century AD, was the place of political and economic gathering of the city. All around, under the colonnade with Corinthian capitals, shops were installed. Mosaics adorned the ground; fragments of them can still be glimpsed under the gravel. At the centre of the square you will find the traces of a small round temple.

Leave the agora to take the porticoed street, the main axis of the town, oriented north/south, which corresponded to the cardo, typical of the layout of Roman towns. This street, 300 metres long and 20 metres wide, was bordered by a colonnade under which there were shops. In the centre, a channel 2 metres wide made water trickle, with a cascade effect obtained by barriers placed all along it. Notice, on the right-hand side, 4 columns bearing bas-reliefs, including an Artemis and a man in a toga in front of an altar.

Continue until you reach the small arch of Demetrius and Apollonius, which thus marks the crossing with the other main axis of the town. Continuing, you arrive at the nymphaeum of Hadrian, where the porticoed street ends. This monumental nymphaeum comprised 2 arches that gave access to the acropolis, and has at its centre a statue of the god Kestros, the god of the river. The statues of the emperor Hadrian that were there are now at the Antalya museum.

The path continues behind the nymphaeum to reach the acropolis, which to this day is of no interest, the ruins not having been cleared.

Retrace your steps as far as the arch. The colonnaded street crosses the east-west transverse street, which joins the necropolis, in the course of being cleared, towards the east.

In the opposite direction, towards the west, the street lined with a fine colonnade will lead you to the remains of a palaestra, of the nymphaeum of Caracalla, of the North Baths and of the West Gate of the town. Note, in one of the buildings of the colonnade, a very fine mosaic illustrating the sacrifice of Iphigenia.

Retrace your steps towards the car park. Shortly before the exit, the well-preserved stadium, dated to the 2nd century AD, had a capacity of 12,000 people arranged on 12 rows of U-shaped seating. The seating rests on vaulted structures that housed the passages into the stadium as well as shops. Inside the stadium you will also find various sculpted elements stored here.

Before leaving, make your way to the theatre situated on the other side of the road. Built in the 2nd century AD in the Graeco-Roman style, it could hold 15,000 people.

Impressive and well preserved, it was richly decorated, with in particular the stage wall decorated with the life of Dionysus, the god of wine, to whom the theatrical games were dedicated. Kestros, god of the river flowing nearby, is also honoured. Elements of the theatre can also be seen at the Antalya museum.