Travel Highlights

Ancient Perge Archaeological Site

This morning, after breakfast, we drove about 20 minutes to Perga. The Apostle Saint Paul and his companion Saint Barnabas visited Perga twice during their first missionary journey. As described in the biblical book of Acts, they "preached the Word" before setting out from Attalia (present-day Antalya) and sailed 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) southwest to Antioch. Paul and Barnabas visited Perga during their first missionary journey, but likely stayed there only briefly and do not appear to have preached there. It was there that John Mark left Paul and returned to Jerusalem. Paul preached in Perga after returning from Pisidia.

The stunning ancient city of Paga contains some of Turkey's most beautiful Hellenistic and Roman ruins, easily accessible from the modern city of Antalya. The city boasts a rich history, with Alexander the Great once striding through its gates and the Apostle Paul preaching there during his missionary journeys. Notable features include a well-preserved theater, the best-preserved Roman stadium in western Turkey, exquisite Roman baths, towering Greek defenses, and rows of beautiful colonnaded streets. The archaeological site of Paga was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List in 2009.

If you'd like to spend a day exploring Turkey's other remarkable sites, you can easily pair Perga with Aspendos, Sillyon, Termessos, or Side. You might also want to visit the Antalya Archaeological Museum, which houses many of the exquisite sculptures discovered by archaeologists at Paga.

Theater

After buying your tickets, be sure to cross the street and visit the theater first! It's separated from the rest of the archaeological site by a modern road. Perge's theater, built in the traditional Greco-Roman style and nestled against Mount Kocabelen, is the third largest theater in Turkey (Ephesus and Aizanoi boast larger theaters). Based on total capacity, it likely accommodated around 12,000 people! The stage was built in the Roman style during the heyday of the Pamphylia region in the 2nd century AD, with a third floor added and renovations later. Today, it's one of the best-preserved ancient theaters in Turkey, rivaling the infamous Aspendos Theater, just a 30-minute drive away.

Hellenistic Gates

After exploring the theater, we crossed the gardens and headed into the rest of the city. Heading straight ahead, we were confronted by the imposing Hellenistic fortifications that once defended the ancient city. The Hellenistic Gate Tower is one of the most unique and intriguing structures at the Paga site. The original tower, built in the third century BC, stood three stories high. During the late Roman period, extensions and niches were added to house commemorative statues. Excavation and restoration work is still ongoing at the Antalya Museums Administration, with a major excavation taking place in 2015.

To the left of the Greek portico and gate tower lies the extensive complex of the Southern Roman Baths. We pass through this remarkable building beneath beautiful, intact arches. Constructed in various stages throughout the first and second centuries AD, these baths boast exquisite mosaics (now covered for preservation) and a veritable exhibition of statuary, now restored. Roman baths were a key feature of many Greco-Roman cities and can be found throughout the world. Perge's complex features four main bathing areas: the apodyterium (dressing room), the frigidarium (cold bath), the tepidarium (warm bath), and the caldarium (hot bath). You can walk through each room and even see beneath the floor, where fiery furnaces heated the baths.

To the right of the Greek Gate lies the elaborate Agora of Perge. Archaeologists have been able to re-erect many of the fallen columns, and we strolled through the ancient stone streets and examined the remains of what was once an exquisite mosaic shop. In the center of the Columned Forum, a circular structure can still be seen, possibly a temple or a religious fountain.

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