I've recently returned from a family holiday to Turkey and I would like to share some of my favourite moments with you...

Before we set off on our travels we had already decided to go sight seeing and after searching the internet we had already chosen our desired destination. My girlfriend and I are both keen on history and being that my better half is a Roman lady our decision was an easy one to make. The only problem we had was how to sell this historical day-out to our near-teenage daughters...

After keeping our day-out a secret until the last minute we revealed to them that we were going to 3 different sites that day. The first, which you'll be reading about in this post, was to the historical city of Perge. The second part would take us to Kursunlu's gorgeous waterfalls and the 3rd and final part of our adventure would take us to Aspendos, where we would visit their awe inspiring amphitheatre.
(Unless stated, all images are my own)

So, that's the introduction over with, now lets take you back in time...

Welcome to Perge.

The historical story of an Anatolian city

Pegre or Perga was once the capital city of Pamphylia, an Anatolian city which lies 15km from Antalya. Inscribed on pillars at the Hellenistic gates to the city are the names of 7 heroes of the Trojan war and two of these names are thought to be the founders of Perge. Mopsos & Kalchas came to Pamphylia around 1200BC and began building the city of Perge under Persian rule. This lasted until 333BC when Alexander "The Great" took control after a willing surrender by the residents of Perge. So willing were the people of Perge to have Alexander rule over them, they even guided him through the awkward mountainous terrain which separated Perge from its rivals in Side.
After the death of Alexander and the subsequent infighting of his generals, Perge then came under the rule of the Roman Diadochi empire (a Seleucid dynasty from Syria) which was also founded by Alexanders generals, in 301BC.

Under Roman rule Perge would see its most glorious years and between the 3rd & 1st century the town was developed according to an impressive plan, even by today's standards. During this time Perge was hailed as the most beautiful city in all of Anatolia.

In the 3rd century the city of Perge would compete with its rival, Side, to keep hold of their status as most important town within Pamphylia. Both Perge and Side minted their currency with the words "First in Pamphylia", so it is safe to say that their rivalry remained regardless of who ruled over them.

Perge also gained renown for its worship of Artemis, goddess of fertility and protector of wild animals, children, women and the frail. According to Greek mythology, she was the daughter of Zeus and sister of Apollo and would eventually become patron of Perge. In the 2nd century BC, Perge began minting its own coins on which the image of Artemis can be seen. These Hellenistic coins were stamped with her Pamphylian name, Vanessa Preiia(Queen of Perge), and then later under her Greek name, Artemis Pergaia.

The Artemis temple, often characterised by its beauty, size and magnificent architecture, was built on top of a high hill but its location still remains a mystery.

pic source

Modern-day Perge

Like a gigantic ancient Jigsaw puzzle, Perge is being painstakingly restored, piece by piece. As we entered the site there was an inventory of pillars and connecting stones that had been discovered, all ready to be reassembled.

Below are pictures of some of the baths that have been uncovered by archaeologists.

Each bath was kept at a different temperature to the next, in order to satisfy the needs of the people of Perge. While being shown around by our guide we were informed of how the wealthy towns folk would have the finest of everything, right down to the serving girls who were often brought over from Rome.

Once everyone had finished bathing and bartering they would then travel a short distance across town to be entertained at the local stadium.

Within the arena the people of Perge would enjoy events, such as horse racing and of coarse Gladiatorial battles to the death.

Perge was indeed a magnificent city to see and standing within its walls gave us all a real taste of what life was like all those years ago. It was obvious, even in its ruined state, that Perge was a place of refined pleasures and those fortunate enough to live there had very good reason to be proud of the city they called home.

For me, this place is certainly up there with some of the best I've been lucky enough to see and the memories will be with me and my family forever.

I hope you have all enjoyed my post. Please join me again for part 2, where I will take you all to Kursunlu's beautuful waterfalls. Until then, I bid you a happy farewell.