Exporing where East meets West in Türkiye

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Wednesday, 15 April 2026 - We left Simurg Inn early and stopped at Pergamon, a UNESCO site built across steep terraces. We explored temples, the theater, and the Asklepion healing center. We continued to our hotel in Şirince, ending the day in the hillside village as sunset settled over western Türkiye.

We left Simurg Inn early and headed toward Ephesus, stopping first at ancient Pergamon, a UNESCO World Heritage Site designated in 2014.

turkey2026 — From the cable car we climbed above Pergamon and looked down at the road winding toward the Lower Acropolis. The steep terrain shows how the city was built in layered terraces across the hillside.

turkey2026 — At the entrance to Pergamon, we spotted a Starred Agama lizard resting on the stone, one of the common reptiles still found around ancient sites in western Türkiye.

turkey2026 — The Temple of Athena sits near the entrance to Pergamon, built in the 3rd century BC and modeled after the Parthenon in Athens during the reign of Philetaerus.

turkey2026 — Fallen columns lie scattered across the site, marking the remains of structures that once defined Pergamon’s upper acropolis.

turkey2026 — Above the theater terrace, the Temple of Athena once stood in the Doric style, though today only its low foundations remain visible.

turkey2026 — A 12th-century Byzantine watchtower, later reinforced for defense. Its heavy masonry has helped it survive better than many surrounding ruins.

turkey2026 — Columns of the Trajaneum (Temple of Trajan), a Roman temple built under Trajan and Hadrian, set high on the hill with sweeping views of the landscape.

turkey2026 — Close detail of the Trajaneum columns shows the refined stonework that defined Roman imperial architecture on Pergamon’s upper terrace.

turkey2026 — The Temple of Trajan sits on a massive terrace supported by vaulted substructures, likely repurposed as storage in Byzantine times. Its foundations reveal layers of earlier Hellenistic construction.

turkey2026 — The Trajaneum is surrounded on three sides by colonnades. Its rear terrace sits higher due to the slope of the hill. The temple originally featured a peripteral design with nine columns on the long sides and six on the short sides.

turkey2026 — Nearby, the Officers’ Houses sit beside residential and military structures, reflecting how civic and military life were integrated in upper Pergamon.

turkey2026 — Pergamon’s ancient theater, carved into a steep hillside, is one of the steepest in the ancient world and could seat around 10,000 spectators.

turkey2026 — At the base of the theater are the ruins of the Temple of Dionysus, built in the 2nd century BC from marble and dedicated to the god of theater.

turkey2026 — Across the site, scattered architectural fragments show the scale and density of Pergamon’s original urban landscape.

turkey2026 — Stone seating steps of the theater descend sharply on the slope, emphasizing the engineering required to carve the structure into the hillside.

turkey2026 — The underground arches supporting the Temple of Trajan. The arches seen here are part of the substructure (vaulted tunnels) supporting the terrace upon which the main temple was built in the 2nd century AD.

turkey2026 — The Temple of Dionysus, accessed by a grand staircase, was originally built in the Ionic style and later restored during Roman times.

turkey2026 — From the upper terraces, we looked across a site that may have included temples dedicated to Zeus or Hermes, though much remains fragmented.

turkey2026 — The Altar of Zeus once stood here in Pergamon’s acropolis. It was later moved to Berlin and reconstructed in the Pergamon Museum.

turkey2026 — From the cable car descent, the full scale of Pergamon becomes visible as ruins stretch across the hillside in multiple layers.

turkey2026 — We continued to the town for lunch before visiting the Asklepion healing center. From the parking area, Pergamon rises in the distance on the hill.

turkey2026 — The Sacred Way (Via Tecta), was a grand, colonnaded road that connected the city of Pergamon to this famous healing sanctuary.

turkey2026 — Along the Sacred Way, a stray dog rested in the sun, a quiet contrast to the ancient ceremonial road beside it.

turkey2026 — The Asklepion of Pergamon, considered one of the most advanced medical centers of antiquity and sometimes described as an early psychiatric healing site. Galen, one of antiquity’s most influential physicians, trained here.

turkey2026 — An underground tunnel once carried water beneath the healing complex, providing a calming sound for patients walking through.

turkey2026 — Stone steps and a single column mark one edge of the Asklepion complex, part of its fragmented but still readable layout.

turkey2026 — Marble stair details within the Asklepion show the refined construction of a site designed for ritual movement and therapeutic process.

turkey2026 — Olive groves surround the Asklepion ruins, framing the ancient healing center within a still-active agricultural landscape.

turkey2026 — Corinthian columns with ornate acanthus-leaf capitals, a hallmark of Greco-Roman architectural decoration.

turkey2026 — The Asklepion forms a large rectangular complex surrounded by stoas. The northern stoa retains Ionic columns, with some replaced in Corinthian style after earthquake damage in 175 AD.

turkey2026 — A shallow pool sits near the entrance to the Asklepion, part of the water-centered environment associated with healing rituals.

turkey2026 — We ended the day in Şirince, a hillside village where Cal stepped out at dinner to capture a view of the town from our hotel.

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