Paphos to Antalya: 153 Nautical Miles
First time in this part of Turkey…
The Southwestern part of ancient Turkey was called “Pamphylia” and was part of the region known as Anatolia.
The resort city of Antalya is named for King Attalos (1st century BC) and currently has a regional population of about 750,000 people.
Nearing Antalya – Taurus Mountains
We are on tour today: “Pamphylian Perge and Acoustical Aspendos”. The tour will take to the amphitheater at Aspendos and then to the Perge Archeological Site. Our guide is Immuhan – or “Han” – her accent is heavy but she is understandable.
The Gulf of Antalya from the bus
Our first stop is the theater at Aspendos. It is the best preserved Roman Amphitheater in the world. Constructed in the first century AD, it can seat 7000 people.
Entrance to Aspendos Theater
Theater at Aspendos – well preserved
I jogged up the mid portion of the theater (the stairs beyond there were not very easy to climb). Can you spot me in the picture below?
Trained escorts need to keep up with the latest technology – see below.
Perge (pronounced “Par-gah” by Han) is located about 10 miles northeast of Antalya. It was founded in 1000 BC but the structures seen at the site are generally from the Roman Period (1-2nd Century BC). Perge is the site where Paul began with missionary journey in 48 AD.
The group entered the complex through the Roman Door (below).
Nymphaneum from Main Road
Nymphaneum
The next few stops were at the Roman Baths.
Communal Cold Pool
Hot Pools with their brick heating elements
There is little left of the Hellenistic Period in Perge but one surviving structure is the Hellenistic Column that formed part of the original entrance to the city (ca 2nd Century BC).
Hellenistic Columns and Gate
Every ancient city had its Agora – market place and gathering place. The one at Perge is distinguished by its many columns.
Agora at Perge
Han, our guide, pointed out a relief in the Agora. The image contained a hook and a knife. She told us it was the sign of the butcher shop (below).
Perge also contains an impressive stadium (hippodrome) (capacity 12,000) (two photos below).
Before returning home, the tour stopped at J Diamonds, a shopping stop for fancy jewelry. The manager said we could use his computer to check our e-mails but G-Mail was blocked on his computer. We did get two Diet Cokes out of the deal. After about 45 minutes, the passengers emerged and we headed back to the pier.
The Quest from the Tour Bus – Almost Home
The pier had free WiFi so we check in with everyone.
The Taurus Mountains from the deck
After dinner, we went to the Looking Glass Lounge to catch Molly Dorsman, one of the Cabaret Singers, in her own show. She did a nice mix of country, folk, and some of her own songs. An enjoyable evening and a good turnout.
Molly Dorsman (above two photos)
A long day.
Rhodes, tomorrow.
Turkey Travel Group which is www.packagetoursturkey.com is an excellent tour agent! I brought a group of 15 students
ReplyDeleteto Istanbul for a study abroad program. Before coming to Istanbul, General Manager Yasar Bey was extremely helpful
when I was preparing the program. Despite the time difference, he was very quick to get back to me with his answers
to my questions and his further suggestions for our program. Our tour guide, Ender Boz, and other personnel
(including our drivers in our daily excursions) were extremely helpful, attentive, friendly, and nice. Overall,
Turkey Travel Group presented an excellent example of Turkish hospitality during our stay in Istanbul.