It is known that this city, which is located to the east of Antalya and 18 km away from Antalya, was founded in the 7th century BC. Founded by the Achaeans, Perge was one of the most important settlements of Pamphylia and was the capital of the region and was home to Lydia, Persia, Roman and Byzantine empires, respectively. As it is not at the seaside, the city, which is far from the pressure of pirates and looters, has continued its development in the social and economic spheres and has survived many works intact. The Roman ruins of the city include the theatre, stadium, Roman gate and south bath.
The theatre scene in the ancient city is decorated with reliefs of Dionysos, the god of wine. In the 7th century AD, it shrank with the Arab attacks but continued to exist until the 10th century AD. It is known that the city is famous for its wonderful architecture and marble sculpture. Perge consists of two main streets, one in a north-south direction and one in the east-west direction.
The water canal that runs along the north-south direction along the collonaded street is one of the most important works of that period. Perge is located in the agora where the commercial and political activities are carried out. In the middle of the agora, there is a large courtyard and shops around it, and it is understood that these shops mainly sell meat and fish. It is possible to see a knife-shaped marble relief sign indicating that there is a butcher shop in front of one of the shops. There are two towers, four monumental fountains, two large Turkish baths, fortification walls, towers, gates, agora, collonaded street, necropolis, basilica, stadium, which survived to the present day, among the ruins in the ancient city.
The works are exhibited in the Antalya Museum. Entrance to the ancient city of Perge is chargeable and museum cardholders can visit for free. The ancient city is open to visitors every day between 08:00 and 19:00 in summer and between 08:00 and 17:00 in winter. Those who want to go to the ancient city of Perge can follow the Antalya – Alanya route and signs, and those who want to go by bus from Antalya can go to Aksu district by bus AC03 and then go 2 km by foot or by taxi. There is a free parking area for visitors arriving in private cars.
Stadium
The stadium in the ancient city is one of the best ancient stadiums in the world. This rectangular stadium was built in the 1st century AD. The stadium is 234 meters long and 34 meters wide.
Ancient theatre
An important work in the ancient city is the ancient theatre. The amphitheatre, which has a capacity of 13 thousand people, consists of three sections: the orchestra and the stage. It is understood from the remains that Gladiator and wild animal fights were performed in this theatre. There are 23 rows of seats at the bottom of the theatre and 19 seats at the top.
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