Aksu

PERGE
Perge is 18 km. east of Antalya between the Duden and Aksu streams. This is reached along the Antalya-Alanya highway, turning north at Aksu, going 2 km. further on. As it was not located on the coast, it was not subjected to raids by pirates and therefore continued its progress without interruption. It was settled in 1200 B.C. In 223 B.C. Perge, like Side, reached an agreement with Alexander and thus did not go to war or suffer the usual ravages. It lived through the Hellenistic, the Roman and the Byzantine epochs. Its 15,000 spectator theater was built in the 2nd century A.D., and the nearby stadium could hold 12,000 people. With the exception of the Aphrodisias stadium, it is the best preserved in Anatolia. There are 30 rooms, believed to have been used as shops, underneath the stadium seats. A great many statues and other valuable items have been unearthed in recent digs, many of which are in the Antalya Museum. Some of the things worth seeing in Perge are the Hellenistic gate, the agora, the nymphaeum, the colonnaded streets, the sarcophagi, the basilica and the acropolis.