Aspendos and Perge were founded after the Trojan War. At first Aspendos was a part of Lycia and later became a part of Pamphylia. The city, founded in the beginning of VII century BC, in some historical periods was under the domination of Persia, Antic Delos Marine Union, Macedonia, Byzantium, Seljuk and Ottoman Empires. Mild climate and convenient location have contributed to the rapid development of the city, turning it into one of the largest shopping centers. They have established a port on the banks of the river Eurymedon and planted around olive orchards and vineyards. Famous port and trading city was engaged in trade of corn, jewelry, wine and horses. Fast horses of Aspendos were the best throughout the ancient world.
The city was situated on two hills: the higher one - the "Great Hill" or Buyuk Tepe, where stood the acropolis, agora, basilica, nymphaeum and bouleuterion or "council chamber". Of all these buildings, which were the very hub of the town, only ruins remained. At a distance of approximately one kilometer from the city, one can still see the remains of the Roman aqueduct (preserving its original height) that supplied Aspendos with water, transporting it from a source located more than 20 km away from the city.
But the most important building that made Aspendos a cultural center was its amphitheater.
Aspendos Theater (II century AD), which can accommodate 12 thousand spectators, has been perfectly preserved to this day almost in its original form. The theater is semi-circular in shape with the widest section of 95 m. At the top, in the last rows of seats there's a gallery, decorated with 59 vaulted arches. The surviving inscriptions announced that the architect of this grand structure was Zeno.
They say the king of Aspendos had a beautiful daughter Belkis. He promised she will marry a man who builds the most remarkable construction for the city. 2 people met the challenge. One was to build an aqueduct, and the second one - a theater. Both have finished work simultaneously, and the king went to inspect the task. He was fascinated by the aqueduct and almost decided the fate of his daughter, but when inspecting the theater, he suddenly heard a soft voice: "Belkis will be my wife." There was no one nearby, and only far below the stage the architect Zeno stood. It was impossible to imagine the best demonstration of perfect acoustics. But the aqueduct was perfect, too. Then the king took a compromise solution - he decided to cut his daughter in half and give each builder one part. Zeno said that in this case he renounced his claims... and then won the hand of a princess.
Every year in mid-June a 3-4 weeks Opera and Ballet Festival starts. It performs both Turkish and foreign artists. Tickets cost from 20 lire. Spectators come from Antalya on special buses. They depart every evening at about 18.30-19.00 from the Archaeological Museum and the statue of Ataturk at Cumhuriyt Cad. Acoustical opportunities of this ancient Roman theater allow artists to perform without microphones and aerophones. There is no roof, and viewers sometimes have to watch performance in the rain.
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