Tour Duration :
7,5 - 8 hours
Min.# of guests :
20 guests
Max.# of guests :
150 guests
Meals :
Yes
Refreshments :
No
Walking Level :
Medium
Dress Code :
Comfortable
walking shoes with rubber
sole and a hat with sunshade
are reccommended. |
|
To begin this tour, you depart for Perge, whose fantastic ruins date back to around 1000 BC. Legend has it that the city was founded by two Trojan seers, named Mopsus and Calchas, who fled the long siege of their home city and sought the solace of a more peaceful land. Perge was not a very large city, but its theatre held nearly 14,000 people. Looking at the lower part of the stage, you may be able to make out beautiful marble reliefs, friezes, statues and carvings that once decorated the theatre’s entire stage facade.
The inhabitants of Perge, like those of Ephesus, worshipped Artemis, and the goddess became strongly associated with the city. As Christianity gained prominence, the Virgin Mary began to take her place, and it is thought that Perge may have played an important role in the early spread of Christianity. Looking around the ruins of an ancient Basilica, you will see this first-hand.
You climb a scenic hilltop to reach Aspendos, near the Eurymedon River with the splendid backdrop of the Taurus Mountains, which was a major port city in the Roman period. To date, only parts of Aspendos have been excavated, but the Roman theatre here is the best-preserved of any on the Mediterranean coast, barely deserving the by now perhaps all-too-familiar label, “ruin”.
Lunch will be served at a good resort hotel in the area. From lunch you move on to Side, a stunningly situated seaside village where Marc Antony and Cleopatra played out one scene in their romantic saga, and where you can take advantage of the chance to walk off that scrumptious dessert you just had. Side, meaning “pomegranate” in a longlost local language, was an important seaport at the beginning of the first Millennium. You’ll walk through broad colonnaded streets lined by ancient buildings and to a central agora, where pirates once unloaded and sold their cargo.
Passing through the agora, you will admire Side’s 15,000-person theatre, which was built in the 2nd century AD. This theatre, once home to legendary gladiatorial bouts, was converted into a massive open-air church in the 5th century. Recently the site, has enjoyed a remarkable resurrection, and is home to an eclectic but tasteful blend of ancient ruins and modern beach side hotels, cafés, and nightclubs. At the end of the program you will return to the pier to rejoin the ship. |
