Aspendos Ancient City

Inhabited into the Seljuk and Byzantine periods, the ancient city of Aspendos is famous above all for its theatre. The building that made the city important is the Theatre of Aspendos. Located in the Serik district of Antalya, the ancient theatre is one of the most valuable historic buildings in Türkiye. Visited by crowds of tourists every year, it is known to have been large enough to hold 20,000 people when it was built.

Famous for its ancient cities, Antalya draws visitors with the many historic monuments in the region. Aspendos, in the Serik district, is one of its most valuable ancient cities, with an amphitheatre of its own.

Built on two hills, one large and one small, the theatre was built by the Romans. Aspendos itself was founded by the Achaeans and was one of the wealthy cities of the 10th century BC.

Aspendos saw waves of Greek settlers after 1200 BC, and its link to the harbour and its position on a trade route made it one of the cities many civilisations wanted to take. Valued for its theatre, Aspendos has an open-air theatre that has survived to the present day, and through it the theatres the Romans built in Anatolia have come down to us. Until recent years Aspendos hosted many events and concerts, and it has always welcomed Turkish and foreign visitors.

Where Is the Ancient City of Aspendos?

Located in

, Aspendos is one of the most valuable historic buildings that survive today. Written sources call it either the

or the

, so we have used both in this article. Its architect, Zeno, gave the province of Antalya a very valuable building. Its location close to valuable resources made every nation try to take it. With two tiers of seats, one above the other, the theatre can hold about

people at events. A masterpiece of the Mediterranean region, Aspendos keeps tourism in Antalya lively all year round.

The Architecture of Aspendos

The Theatre of Aspendos has the features of Roman architecture. Its smaller section, set against the hillside, and its construction on

reflect Roman practice. Some parts of the theatre have been repaired and tidied. The marble used for the seats and facing has helped the building survive to the present day. The long, narrow stage building has kept its original height. The horizontal stage building was built on several storeys. With the door used by the performers, the Theatre of Aspendos

, and with its smaller doors it has a great many openings. Part of the semicircular theatre with its stone-paved floor is still intact.

The History of Aspendos

The king of Aspendos wanted to marry his daughter, who had come of marriageable age, to whoever did the most useful work for the people. To make the decision easy, he announced that he would give his daughter to the person who did the most useful thing for the nation. Two people then presented their works to the king. One was an aqueduct bringing water from distant lands; the other was the Theatre of Aspendos, whose orchestra carried sound further and better than any other. The king wanted to give his daughter to the young man who built the aqueduct, but she begged her father to see the theatre once more. When he granted her wish and reached the theatre, he was charmed by a song that

was humming in the orchestra, and he gave his daughter to the builder of the Aspendos orchestra.

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