The ancient site of Sagalassos

The site, on a mountainside, is seen from afar in an arid and almost deserted setting, contrasting with a green and cultivated plain. From the town, largely restored, the view thus extends over the Taurus Mountains, and it is hard to picture it buzzing with life and activity. The walk through these ruins, still little visited and dazzling in their whiteness, is all the more poignant.

Practical information:

The site of Sagalassos lies 115 km north of Antalya. The fastest route is the one taking the D 650 road towards Burdur. After 80 km, turn right towards the charming small town of Ağlasun, where you can find hotels and shops. A small asphalted road, well signposted, will take you to the car park of the site.

This road also allows you to stop at the village of Susuzhan, whose caravanserai has just been restored. A few kilometres further on, but on the left, is the han of Incislihan, and if it is very ruined, the village is picturesque, welcoming, and deserves a detour.

Coming from Side, it is possible to take the D 685 road towards Isparta, thus avoiding the detour around Antalya. 90 km further on, one must turn left towards Ağlasun. You will need to be vigilant, because this direction is indicated at the last moment. If this route is less fast, the road is good, not too busy, and runs alongside a series of lakes and reservoirs of a dazzling blue.

From the otogar of Antalya, buses serve Ağlasun, where you will find either a minibus or a taxi to reach the site of Sagalassos.

Address: Kıraç, 15800 Ağlasun/Burdur
GPS coordinates of the car park: N37.675932, E30.521074

Admission to the site is charged. Open every day. From 1 April to 30 September, 8.30 am to 7.00 pm. From 1 October to 31 March, 8.30 am to 5.30 pm.

For the visit to the ancient town we recommend that you wear trainers and take a sufficient quantity of water with you, especially in strong heat. The visit does not present any great difficulties, but the heat can be hard to bear, particularly in summer.

History of Sagalassos:

The city was founded around 2000 years BC, under the name Salawasa, by Pisidian tribes. In 1200 BC, at the fall of the Hittite Empire, the town was to remain independent for a time, extending its influence in the region, before becoming part of the Phrygian kingdom. In 548 BC it passed under Persian rule, while becoming Hellenised through contact with the coastal towns of Greek culture.

During his conquest of Asia Minor in 334 BC, Alexander the Great laid siege to Sagalassos, which resisted for a long time before being taken and sacked.

On the death of Alexander, the town first took the side of the Lagids, before being incorporated into the Seleucid kingdom, then into that of Pergamon. During this period the town was to become a Greek “polis”, that is, a city governed by elected citizens.

The last king of Pergamon, Attalus III (170–133 BC), having bequeathed his kingdom to Rome, Sagalassos became part of the Roman province of Asia Minor.

Under the Emperor Augustus (63 BC – AD 14), the Via Sebaste was built, linking Sagalassos, among other places, to the river port of Perge. The city enjoyed great prosperity, exporting not only its agricultural surpluses, but also its production of ceramics, appreciated throughout the Mediterranean basin.

The Emperor Hadrian (AD 76–138) granted Sagalassos the title of first city of Pisidia, but above all the privilege of becoming the only seat of the imperial cult for the region. The town was then covered with prestigious monuments in imitation of the Roman cities: theatre, stadium, library, forums, nymphaea and temples.

This prosperity was to last until the 6th century, when, after an earthquake in 518, the plague, called Justinianic, decimated the population between 543 and 544. In the 7th century the town, which had fortified itself in order to resist the Arab incursions, was again destroyed by an earthquake, which led the population to settle little by little in the valley, before being completely abandoned in the 13th century.

The town was rediscovered in 1706 by the French diplomat Paul Lucas. The excavations really began only in 1990, by Belgian and Turkish archaeologists. The town is gradually being rebuilt and will certainly become the finest Graeco-Roman site in the region.

Worth a visit

Immediately after the entrance you will see on your right the walls of a large urban villa.

Heading towards the theatre, you will find along the way:

- the Hellenistic fountain. It was built around 20–25 BC, when the town was extended towards the east. The very fine Doric portico protected the water from the heat and from dirt.

- the library above the fountain was built around AD 120–125 by Titus Neon, an important figure and benefactor of the city. Inside (ask for the key at the ticket office), the niches contained volumina (rolls of papyrus or of parchment) and statues. The floor mosaic (AD 362–363), depicting a scene from the Trojan War, was destroyed by the Christians.

- the theatre, built around AD 120, drew spectators from the whole of Pisidia at the festivals of the imperial cult. It could hold 9,000 spectators, but the stage wall was never finished.

- the potters' quarter at the rear was a large centre of ceramic production, thanks to a good-quality clay found on the spot.

Retracing your steps and continuing straight on, you will arrive at the north-west heroon. It was built under the Emperor Augustus in the 1st century AD and must have been dedicated to a demigod or to a local hero whose identity we do not know.

The base of the monument is adorned with the frieze of the dancers (originals at the Burdur museum), taking part in the cult of Dionysus.

Going back down towards the upper agora, you will see the remains of a Christian basilica and of a Doric temple before arriving at the Antonine nymphaeum.

The Antonine nymphaeum was built between AD 160 and 180 thanks to the funding of Neon, a wealthy citizen of the town. It measures 28 m long by a height of 9 m. Rebuilt between 1998 and 2011, it has recovered all its original splendour, and its statues (originals at the Burdur museum) have been put back in the aedicules overlooking the basin. The two statues of a drunken Dionysus, placed on either side of the nymphaeum, suggest that this fountain was dedicated to that god.

The agora was adorned with votive columns, and the bouleuterion, the meeting place of the leaders of the city, was on the west, but only a few steps and two half-columns remain, adorned with a frieze depicting Athena and Ares.
The triumphal arch was first dedicated to the Emperor Caligula (12–41 BC), then after his death to the Emperor Claudius (11 BC – AD 54).
The macellum, built in the 2nd century AD, was reserved for the trade in luxury goods. At its centre was a small round temple, a tholos.

Still on the way down, you will find:

- The odeon, whose construction began under the reign of the Emperor Augustus (63 BC to AD 14) and was finished only 200 years later. It served first as a small theatre able to hold 2,000 spectators, before serving for the meetings of the Boule, the assembly of the citizens.

- Hadrian's nymphaeum, built between AD 129 and 132, had a back wall decorated with statues, including a colossal Apollo. The lower podium still shows a frieze depicting six of the nine Muses.

- The lower agora also dates from the time of the Emperor Augustus, and its commercial character is distinctly more marked than that of the upper agora, which was more political. It was bordered by covered colonnades for protection from the sun, and the shops were on the east of the square. Of the Severan nymphaeum only the basin remains.

- The Temple of Apollo Klarios, on your right, was originally a small temple in the Ionic style, before being enlarged under the reign of Vespasian (AD 9 – AD 79) to become the seat of the imperial cult. Around 450 it was to become a Christian basilica.

- The Imperial Baths are visible on your left. Having become the seat of the imperial cult, by the grace of the Emperor Hadrian (76–138), Sagalassos had to build new baths able to receive the crowds coming to the ceremonies. The complex of about 1,500 m² was built on the site of the former baths. Richly decorated with rare marbles, these baths had at their centre the so-called marble hall, where six colossal statues of emperors and empresses of the 2nd century AD were displayed. In the Christian period the baths were refitted, and the statues disappeared, either smashed or burned in the lime kilns.

Preceding the colonnaded street, the Tiberian Gate was built for a purely decorative purpose under the Emperor Tiberius (42 BC – AD 37).

The colonnaded street was built at the beginning of the 1st century. Bordered by porticoes and shops, it measures about 300 m long by 10 m wide. In the 7th century it was flanked by two defensive towers linked by a wall blocking the passage.

Of the Temple of Hadrian and of Antoninus Pius, where this royal road began, only ruins remain. Begun under the reign of Hadrian (76–138), it was finished only under the reign of Antoninus Pius (86–161). It served the cult of the Emperor and was surrounded by walls, with a forecourt 70 m long, containing many statues, all now gone. From the 5th century, dwellings and shops invaded this site, which was the last to be occupied before the total abandonment of the City.

The tradition and the religious culture of the Greeks and of the Romans forbidding burial inside the town, Sagalassos was therefore surrounded by necropoles with tombs and sarcophagi, but also by rock-cut tombs.