28th March: A tale of two Theatres

For the first time in seven months, I was unleashed behind the wheel of a car. Turkey survived, as did we. Setting out in our rented Renault Clio (only 50 lira for the day), our first challenge was finding the way out of the old town, then out of Antalya towards the mountains north-west of the city. Clem navigated with aplomb (despite my ungentlemanly doubts, she reminds me) and I only stalled once. After around 45 minutes we arrived at the turn-off to Termessos, an ancient mountain citadel mentioned in the Iliad, whose unassailable walls even Alexander the Great failed to conquer.

After paying the entrance fee we drove up the mountain along a narrow winding road, tooting the horn as we went around blind corners lest we be ploughed off into the valley to our right by a tour bus coming the other way. We arrived safely, and were relieved to see that the small dirt car park was very sparsely populated, with no large coaches in sight.

We continued up the mountain on foot along "King Street", a rough path winding up through the pass. The sky was overcast and the wind cool, but the steep climb kept us warm. We veered off from the path to check out a huge cistern buried in the undergrowth, enjoying the opportunity to explore the ruins as if discovering them for the first time. This was a vastly different experience to walking the pristinely restored streets of Jerash or Ephesus. Apparently there have not yet even been any excavations here; we resisted the temptation to have a dig around for some antique souvenirs.

Starting the hike up the pass

King Street

Lower city walls

Cistern ruins

After around half an hour we arrived at the upper walls, which protected the plateau on which most of the town had been built. It was clear from our perch atop the walls, looking down over the valley, how impossible it would have been to assault the city. Off to our left were the remains of the gymnasium, vast blocks of stone over which we clambered for a closer look.

Approaching the upper city walls

Looking back down the pass

Overgrown remains of the gymnasium

Ready to hit the gym

We strolled across the rubble-strewn plateau, past the illuminatingly-entitled "unidentified building", and made our way over to the Theatre. On the way we were distracted by another building, apparently the Odeon, above which we could see snow-capped peaks in the distance. Clambering over the rocks again, looking for a better view of the mountains, we somehow found our way around to another building hidden away on the edge of the mountain. Two columns remained, watching over what a toppled sign informed us was the Temple of Zeus Solymeus. From there we had a magnificent view of the valley, all the way down to Antalya and the Mediterranean Sea. We also had a preview of the Theatre, although we had to huddle against the bitterly cold wind for a few minutes while we waited for a man in bright red (a rare intruder in an otherwise peaceful scene) to move from the Theatre's seats and stop spoiling our photo.

Buildings just beyond the upper city walls

A very informative signpost

Odeon and snow-capped peaks

Levitating by the walls of the Odeon

Temple of Zeus Solymeus and the valley below (spot the very small Clementine)

View from the Temple of Zeus Solymeus

Gulf of Antalya in the distance

Looking across at the Theatre

We scrambled down the ruins and over to the Theatre, eschewing the path for a much more entertaining cross-country route. The Theatre was extremely impressive; it was not as huge as the theatre of Ephesus nor as refined as that of Jerash, but the setting was unbeatable.

 

Scrambling up to the Theatre

Ergonomic seats

Clem in the Theatre

Last look at the Theatre

Thanks to our various diversions we had already spent a couple of hours wandering the rugged ruins, so it was time to make our way slowly down the mountain. We passed by several more buildings, mostly rubble but with parts of a wall standing here and there, and turned left to head down the opposite side of the valley from the way that we had come up. This took us past several tombs carved into the rock face (apparently dating to the 4th century BC), reminiscent of Petra although fewer and smaller. We also passed by numerous sarcophagi, many of which were still attached to the rock from which they had been partially-hewn.

Sarcophagi on the descent

Tombs carved into the rock; not quite Petra, but impressive nevertheless

Fortifications on the other side of the valley

The sun started to show its face as we neared the end of the path, which brought us to the Temple of Artemis, again little more than a pile of massive stones with a story to tell. A Turk lurking by the car park directed us a little further on, towards the necropolis, where we found yet more sarcophagi (including one embellished with lions, the sign for which taught me something new: Aslan is Turkish for lion). Finally it was time to hop back in the car for the rather hairy drive down the mountain, descending very slowly while stopping for photos of the beautiful valley below.

What remained of the Temple of Artemis

More sarcophagi

Tomb of Aslan

View on the drive back down to the valley

We drove back towards Antalya and then straight though it, heading east towards Aspendos. After 90 minutes in the car, proceeding at a leisurely pace so as not to have to fill up on petrol, we arrived at the ruined city of Aspendos, famous for its extremely impressive Theatre ("the best preserved Roman Theatre in the world"). We arrived with excellent timing and had the Theatre mostly to ourselves, except for a few tourists posing with two locals dressed as Roman soldiers. We made our way up the steps to enjoy the view while munching on a sandwich for a very late lunch (only mildly disturbed by two small tour groups that arrived soon after us). The Theatre was indeed extraordinarily complete, although we gathered that it did not all date from Roman times; it was restored by a Seljuk sultan in the 13th century for use as a caravanserai and summer residence. 

You stay classy, Aspendos

An authentic Roman scene at Aspendos Theatre

After sating our appetite we left the Theatre and strolled uphill to the Acropolis. There we found a large Basilica and Nymphaeum, standing proud above the rather overgrown vegetation. We continued up to the top of a hill that overlooked the Theatre, bracing ourselves against the stiff wind, then headed back down for a last look at the (hopefully empty) Theatre before leaving. We arrived just as the guard was locking up, but after we pointed out that it was in fact only 4.57 he allowed us in to enjoy a few minutes of having the Theatre all to ourselves.

Climbing up to the Basilica

Nymphaeum

View from above the Theatre

No Roman soldiers to ruin the view ...

... just one very small Clementine

View from the orchestra

Close-up of the scaena

The drive back to Antalya passed without incident, except for a little difficulty navigating the one-way system just outside of the old town (thanks to some misinformation from the rental guy). After passing by the harbour to enjoy the end of the sunset we returned to Hasanaga restaurant, where we had enjoyed our first lunch in Antalya. We took full advantage of the mezze buffet, then followed up with another enormous mixed grill, which I grudgingly shared (with Clem, not the plaintive cat who was eyeing up our plates from beneath a nearby table).

Gulf of Antalya at dusk