Aspendos

Situated close to the Antalya province of Turkey, Aspendos is a famous historic attraction that was once a Greco-Roman city in Pamphylia. It is divided into the Lower and Upper City and is renowned for its magnificent architecture dating back to the Antiquity. The most famous attraction here is a Roman theatre which is among the best-preserved ones in the world. Aspendos is mostly visited on a tour from Antalya and Side.

Big enough to seat approximately 15,000 - 20,000 people, the Aspendos Theatre was built under Marcus Aurelius’ rule in the 2nd century CE and is one of the biggest Roman theatres in Asia Minor. It is semicircular in shape and is divided into 20 seating tiers. There is a two-storey stage wall that features double columns with Ionic and Corinthian columns. It has since been restored and is known to host music and dance festivals. The most notable one is the annual Aspendos International Opera and Ballet Festival which is organised in the spring and early summer months. Some of the other attractions in Aspendos include vestiges of a basilica, a Roman aqueduct, the Roman Eurymedon Bridge, the agora, baths, nymphaeum and more.