Aspendos
To balloon over Aspendos is a dream come true!
Aspendos, located beside the river Köprüçay at the end of a road off the Antalya -Alanya highway in south-western Turkey, is world-renowned for its magnificent ancient ruins, and Antalya Balloons aims to float over these spectacular remains in the course of every unforgettable flight. Most famous is the huge theatre of Aspendos, one of the finest, most complete examples of Roman amphitheatres in the world and certainly the best-preserved Roman theatre in Turkey. Designed during the 2nd century A.D. in honour of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius (AD 161-180), it is carved out of the north-east flank of a hill.
‘Re-discovered’ in 1871, the amphitheatre is in excellent condition. Although it is impossible to determine its exact seating capacity, with thirty-nine tiers of steps — 96 metres long - it is said to have seated between 10,000 and 12,000 people. In recent years, concerts given in the theatre as part of the Antalya Film and Art Festival have shown that as many as 20,000 spectators can be accommodated. The theatre at Aspendos is also famous for its magnificent acoustics: the slightest sound made at the centre of the orchestra can easily be heard from the topmost galleries.
Another of Aspendos’ awe-inspiring feats of engineering is its second century AD Roman aqueduct, situated about one kilometre north of the town. This kilometre-long series of 15 metre-high arches, which still maintains its original impressive height, brought water twenty kilometres to the city from the mountains at the north via a channel formed by hollowed-out stone blocks placed on top of the arches. Near both ends of the aqueduct the water was collected in towers some 30 metres high before being distributed to the city.
There is an amusing anecdote about the construction of the aqueduct, just outside the town, and the theatre. In ancient times, the King of Aspendos had a daughter of rare beauty named Semiramis, whose hand in marriage was contested by two architects. The king decided to marry her to the one who could build an important public work in the shortest space of time. The two suitors thus set to work but completed the theatre and the aqueduct simultaneously. As the sovereign liked both buildings and was unable to rank them, he proposed the Solomonic solution of dividing his daughter in half to honour his promise to both men. The aqueduct-designer accepted this but the other preferred to spare the life of the princess by granting her wholly to his rival. In this way, the King understood that that architect had not only built a magnificent theatre — the pride of the town — but would also make an excellent husband to his cherished daughter; consequently, it was to him that he granted his daughter’s hand.
Aspendos’ principal hilltop ruins also include a basilica, an agora, and some rock-cut tombs of Phrygian design which are above the acropolis, behind the theatre. The first - reached via a footpath starting alongside the theatre — is a Roman basilica measuring 27×105 metres which would have been used for many purposes concerned with public affairs such as markets and law courts. The basilica consists of a large central hall with a high roof and columns separating it from surrounding smaller chambers.
Aspendos was occupied by Alexander the Great in 333 BC and later passed from Pergamene to Roman rule in 133 BC. However Aspendos, like most of the other Pamphylian cities, reached its height in the second and third centuries A.D. Most of the monumental architecture still visible here today dates to this golden age.
Although the city was not on the coast, nevertheless ships were able to reach it via the river Eurymedon, now known as the Kopru Cay, on whose banks it was situated. This accessibility, together with the productive plain and the thickly forested mountains that lay behind Aspendos, were major factors in its development. Gold and silver embroidered tapestries woven in the city, furniture and figurines made from the wood of lemon trees, salt obtained from nearby Lake Capria, wine, and especially the famous horses of Aspendos were its foremost exports. Although they were renowned as grape-growers and wine merchants, they did not offer wine to their gods in their religious rites, explaining this omission by saying that if wine were reserved for the gods then birds would not have the courage to eat grapes!
But for the lucky customers of Antalya Balloons, there will always be the traditional Champagne celebration after every flight to overrule those ancient ways and enhance the unforgettable memories of a spectacular experience!