2 Perge and Aspendos

So after a late night it’s an early morning as 630 and I’m getting a tour of the ancient city .
I’ve set the alarm but of course we are in Turkey so …Fajr is the first of five mandatory daily prayers in Islam, performed at dawn before sunrise which is 5 or 3 my time !
I’m awake but then sleeping when the second chorus is … birdsong!
The town is very quiet ! It’s a good central old town location.

My solo tour with guide takes me down to the harbour and past old minarets , Madrassas Muratpasa , Hadrians gate again and we manage to sneak in some local tea!

Breakfast back at hotel is very local! The travellers appear - 4 Americans ( one about to turn Canadian !) a Canadian , an Australian and a fellow Brit ! Good natured bunch!

And then it’s off to the ancient city of Perge and the Roman amphitheatre of Aspendos!

First up is the aqueduct that’s mostly there and strangely it’s water flowed by pressure not incline !They are exceptional examples of Roman hydraulic engineering that utilized positive pressure through inverted siphons to transport water across valleys. Contrary to the belief that Roman aqueducts only used gravity flow, these sites demonstrate advanced knowledge of hydraulic pressure to move water! Well! Didn’t know that !

A pit stop of fresh orange juice and pomegranate juice!

We arrive at the ancient city of Aspendos. The jewel in this site's crown is the enormous Roman theatre, built in the reign of Marcus Aurelius in the 2nd century AD. Spectacularly well-preserved, the intact theatre holds approximately 15,000 spectators, crammed onto the stone seating for gladiator and animal shows- not today , we also missed some time ago …Ray Charles!


After a Antalya style bean salad with tahini sauce, Tahinli piyaz! We are off again to
the ancient city of Perge, a vast sprawling site of mainly Roman ruins, with features such as huge pre Roman towers , Roman baths, a large stadium, theatre, and a very very long colonnaded street!
We walk it in the afternoon heat and the view from on high of the area is very impressive !

Home for a beer and hopefully some local fish !Read more