The stadium and the theater are the first structures you see before you enter the city itself. The stadium is one of the best preserved in Turkey.
The stadium is "U" shaped with 12 rows of seats, room for 12,000 spectators. There were 30 arches along the long sides and 9 along the short, containing entrances and shops.
Originally used for athletic contests and gladiatorial combats, it was later used for wild beast shows.
The theater, built in the 2nd century, has 19 tiers of seats below and 23 above, with a total capacity of 12,000. The stage building, portions of which is shown here, was destroyed in an earthquake. The seating area is still mostly in tact, but because restoration of the stage area is in progress, it is only shown on larger guided tours.
Just when you are "in the moment of thousands of years ago" you come around a corner and are brought back into reality by the site of a modern day housing building in the same view as the ruins. And life goes on....
No comments:
Post a Comment