Memories of ancient Aspendos (1 of 2)
19Saturday 15 November, 2014 by Uncle Spike
On the occasional walkabout (or driveabout) away from the farm, one of our passions is to visit some of the great historical and archaeological sites our country has to offer.
Turkey is like one huge outdoor museum, with various civilisations having left their indelible mark for all to see and share, some ‘thousands’ of years later. One such site is Aspendos.
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Situated in the province of Antalya, on our southern Mediterranean coast, between the city of Antalya to the east, and west of Manavgat, Aspendos is one of the better ancient cities in my opinion.
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Aspendos was an ancient city in Pamphylia, Asia Minor. The wide range of its coinage throughout the ancient world indicates that, in the 5th century BC, Aspendos had become the most important city in Pamphylia.
Aspendos is known for having the best-preserved theatre of antiquity. With a diameter of 96 metres (315 ft), the theatre provided seating for 7,000.[
Wikipedia
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The scale of this place is quite breathtaking, and the fact that it is less visited than places like Efes (Ephesus) or Hieropolis (at Pammukkale) make it all the more attractive, especially in the shoulder seasons.
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It’s one of those sites where you just want to sit down for an hour, and take it all in – you know, savour the atmosphere, and try to imagine how it was 2000 years ago.
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They don’t make places like this any more, that’s for sure. And didn’t see much in the way of steel-reinforced C20 grade concrete either!
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The site is BIG, and it took a fair while to wander around. Unlike some of the other sites, Aspendos is relatively untouched, so you can wander across the hillside on small goat tracks 🙂
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What sights! Thanks for sharing ’em.
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Glad you liked them – loads to see around this part of the world for sure 🙂
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Greetings Spike, the Orples are playing on your terrain again. They miss you.
http://orples.net/orples-2/the-orples-at-the-aspendos-ruins-in-pamphylia-asia-minor/
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Hehe…. yeah just seen them – been away from an internet connection, hence I hadn’t seen until now 🙂
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Again, another spectacular collection of photos. I absolutely love that first take of the ancient architectural features, fighting time ant the elements to maintain its glory. Obviously, it is winning, as the charm and elegance of its creator’s magic is still apparent.
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[…] first part of this post introduced you to Aspendos, an ancient Greco-Roman city on our southern Mediterranean coast, close […]
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That theater is incredible! and the fact that it is less visited, makes it even better!
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Looks magnificent. I was unaware until recently (my last visit) just how much ancient history Turkey has to show. I was also interested in looking at old pictures of these sites and realising just what investment there has been in restoration. Well done Turkey!
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and UNESCO, and a host of archaeology departments at universities worldwide.
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Of course – credit where credit is due!
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It’s gorgeous! We’ve got great ancient sites in France but this one is really special. I love the gallery kind of monastery looking!
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I MUST visit this place, looks amazing…..perhaps one day
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Thanks for these lovely pictures. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to visit this site during our visit to Turkey last year…(Suzanne)
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Just have to return one day then 🙂
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So happy to see another ancient city in Turkey. The shoulder season definitely seems like the time to travel.
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Indeed it is. There are so many places too 🙂
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Someday…………………………….someday I will get to see these in person someday. Until then, THANKS!
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com/?s=The+Adventures+of+Fuzzy+and+Boomer&submit=Search
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
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Hopefully…. (we could do a swap, lol)
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🙂
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com/?s=The+Adventures+of+Fuzzy+and+Boomer&submit=Search
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
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