Chambers at Large in Alanya, Perge & Aspendos, Turkey
- Amelia Chambers
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Around Black Friday in December Jet2 offered a very good deal on a trip to Antalya: five star hotel on the Med, adults only, all inclusive. Doing a quick search of what there was to see and do it didn’t take long to discover there was plenty to explore including a castle in Alanya and a fabulous Roman amphitheatre in Aspendos. Those who regularly read my blog know I’m a sucker for castles and I love Roman ruins.
My flight was on Friday 13th which did not deter me, nor many others as the plane was full and as we descended into a very modern Antalya airport, the view of the snowcapped peaks of the Taurus Mountains and the lush green fields made it almost feel like home!
Alanya Castle dates back to the Roman era, but was rebuilt and expanded by Alaeddin Keykubad, the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum, in the 13th century and is strategically situated on top of a promontory from where I could see for miles across the Mediterranean Sea and the surrounding landscape. The views are spectacular.
I was pleased I took a taxi up to the entrance gates as the climb is steep and winding but, as I was the first visitor on a rather overcast Monday morning, I had the place to myself (except for a few cats) for an hour or so.
Unfortunately the castle is in ruins, but it doesn’t take too much imagination to visualise what it was like back in its day. A small church is a central feature with a domed roof and the castle walls are pretty much intact. Blue and white tiles found at the site give a good idea of how the interior of the castle was decorated.
This castle has to be the most accessible I have ever visited. Wooden pathways facilitate wheelchairs and there are even lifts up to the crenelated walls of the castle from where one can see the busy port and Cleopatra’s Bay, possibly named after the infamous Egyptian queen by her lover Mark Anthony.
A cable car runs up to the castle from the bay, but it is still necessary to walk up numerous steps to reach the top. I went down that way, passing a thousand year old mosque, a graveyard, several cats, shops and restaurants.
Having spent a couple of relaxing days in the spa and by the pool I took a tour to the Roman city of Perge (pronounced Per-gay). The city is in ruins, but again it doesn’t take too much imagination to visualise how busy this city was in the first and second centuries. With marble quarries nearby, this city became a trade hub for sculpture and stone.
Even the butcher’s sign is carved in a square white marble stone, but an unusual feature is the remains of a water cascade that decorated the street to the agora (market place). A feat of incredible engineering as the channel and the nearby aqueduct are sloped by only a millimetre or so, facilitating the water to run down from the Taurus Mountains into the city.
The city’s baths near the main gate show how the water was heated via fires beneath the tiled flooring. Wood from nearby forests was used, but the remainder of these have been cleared in recent years to allow the building of numerous hotels, some the size of palaces, along the Mediterranean coast.
It’s not often I learn about a famous woman in Roman history, but Plancia Magna, a high priestess of the Temple of Artemis and daughter of the local governor, actively improved the city by financing the restoration of the city gate, decorating the horseshoe shaped entrance with statues, set in alcoves, of the imperial family and deities. It must have looked very impressive in its day.
Known as the Daughter of Perge because she cared so much for the city, she was venerated after her death with statues and it is mentioned that she “spent her own money… spent lavishly” and “she spent beyond her husband's control.” It is good to know that even in the first and second centuries AD that there were a few independent women!
Saving the best until last the amphitheatre of Aspendos has to be one of the most spectacular I have ever seen. Built in the second century AD it has been well maintained being not only a theatre but a caravanserai. Once the Roman Empire crumbled, the amphitheatre, with its arched colonnades, was ideal to shelter merchants and their camels carrying goods from the far east along the Silk Road. It was worthwhile for the locals to ensure the amphitheatre did not fall into ruins as they charged a nominal fee for an overnight stay.
Today the magnificent building holds a few shows each year as the acoustics are amazing and, as I left, I was fortunate to hear a guide sing an aria from an Italian opera to prove the point.
My week in Alanya just flew and having learned there are more ruins to see in Antalya I am heading ack there next year, especially if I’m offered another terrific deal from Jet2. I fly out from Belfast and that is where I stayed for a few days on my return, but more about that in my next blog.
Meanwhile thanks for reading and safe travels.
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If you haven’t read my other blogs on castles, please click on the following links to discover more:
Castles in Ireland
Castles in the UK
Castles in Romania
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