26th March: Expedition to Perga

After a very slow start to the day we eventually emerged from the hotel and headed to Meydan Junction, ten minutes' walk outside the old town, to catch the bus towards Perga. It was not until we were seated on the bus that we noticed that the time was an hour later than our watches indicated. I'm sure I started to feel hungry as soon as I realised the clocks had changed and it was 1 p.m., not midday. 

We were dropped off at the small town of Aksu and were left with a 15 minute walk towards the ruins of Perga. The city was founded by Greek colonists in around 1000 BC and was ruled by the Persians from the 6th century BC until it was "liberated" by Alexander the Great in 333 BC. Two centuries later and the city was under Roman rule.

Approaching the ruins of Perga

We were greeted on our arrival by the theatre, standing on the outskirts of the city. Unfortunately it was fenced off for restoration so we were unable to have a closer look. We made our way into the impressively complete hippodrome and then headed to the main entrance, guarded by the ticket office. A tour group was just making its way through the main Roman gate, so we bore right towards a 6th century basilica, in whose peaceful shadow we enjoyed a tasty picnic. 

1st century AD stadium

Lunch by the basilica

After finishing our lunch we strolled around the ancient agora, then walked along the stone road that ran through the centre of the old city. Running through the middle of the road was a long water channel, several feet wide. Sparse columns lining the road hinted at past glories. After walking a couple of hundred metres up the road, alongside to the water channel, we arrived at the Akropolis fountain. The remains of a statue of a river god watched over the fountain, which used to collect the rain water running down the mountain and funnel it into the water channel running through the heart of the city. 

Agora

The main road through the city

Water channel flowing through the city from the Akropolis fountain

Fountain of the Akropolis

From there we walked back south, through the grass beside the road, where we spotted a friendly tortoise. A little further on we saw another couple of tortoises, who seemed to be rather frisky. We left them to it, wandering over towards the Roman Palaestra (wrestling school), a sad shell of its former self. 

Another curious tortoise

Remains of the Roman Palaestra

Walking back towards the exit we arrived at the vast bathhouse, the walls of which were mostly still standing. We meandered from room to room, past exposed conduits that used to heat the baths. Clem spotted a room with mosaics that we couldn't quite see properly, so we clambered up the walls for a better look; they turned out not to be particularly spectacular. 

Inside the huge bathhouse

More of the baths

Mosaics

Standing alongside the bathhouse were the remains of the Hellenistic gate, dating from the 2nd century BC. The towers were incomplete and restoration work was underway on one side, but like Roger Moore they looked good for their age. Finally we passed beneath the younger and prettier Roman gate and out of the main complex.

Hellenistic gate from the rear ...

... and from the front

View of snow-capped peaks across the ruins

The rear of the Roman gate ...

... and the front, with the Hellenistic gate just about visible

By then the dark clouds looming overhead had started to make good on their promise, so we scurried for shelter beneath one of the arches of the stadium. It was not long before impatience (mostly Clem's) trumped our fear of the drizzle and we abandoned the stadium for the road to Aksu. This would have backfired, as the rain increased, had a kind driver not stopped to give us a lift to the bus stop. 

Sheltering from the rain

We arrived back at the hotel at around 5.30, then spent the evening wandering again around the old town, along the Roman harbour and through the narrow streets of the bazaar.