Official Language:
Turkish
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Currency:
Turkish Lira
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Population:
Approximately 100,000 call Bergama and Dikili (the
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Weather:
Climate and current weather information for Bergama: The summer months are hot and dry, with daytime temperatures between 80 and 90°F (27-32°C) degrees. Winters are extremely mild.
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Pergamum is located approximately 105 kms north of Izmir City. It is the 3rd largest, and one of the most beautiful provinces of Turkey. Dikili leads the way to the ancient city of Pergamum, Cruise ships dock at Dikil from here it is approximately a 30-minute drive to Bergama, located beneath the ancient city of Pergamon. The Acropolis and the Asklepion of ancient Pergamum (also written as Pergamon), both listed among the top 100 historical sites on the Mediterranean. Pergamum thrived under the Romans from the 2nd century BC to the 2nd century AD. Today Pergamon lies in ruins, and modern Bergama is just a small rural village. Today this is the location of some of the greatest Classical treasures in the Mediterranean. Ancient Pergamon is situated on a hill above the modern city of Bergama, located only 16 miles off the Aegean coast. Today its location is in Turkey, however during the Hellenistic Age, in 320-30 BC, it was very much a part of the large Greek empire built by Alexander the Great. After his death, the kingdom was split between his generals, one of whom was responsible for making Pergamon one of the most powerful and beautiful cities in the ancient world. At its peak in the 2nd century BC, Pergamon was ruled by King Eumenes II, who through an alliance with Rome was able to expand his empire while transforming the city into a major center of art, architecture, and learning. He designed his city to be seen from the valley below. It was designed to be imposing.
Designed after the Acropolis in Athens, the city was built like a fortress. Built high along a mountain ridge with the most important religious and civic structures located on the very top including the palace, library, and the Altar of Zeus, while on the middle and lower hillside were temples, a market, and residential buildings. Pergamon eventually did become part of the Roman Empire. There are many Roman remains, mainly at the foot of the hill, the location of the Asklepios Sanctuary and the Red Hall. This ancient city of Pergamon is situated on a hill above the now modern city of Bergama, about 16 miles off the Aegean coast. In the past it was part if the Greek empire, under the leadership of Alexander the Great. However, today it is located in Turkey. After the death of Alexander the Great, the kingdom was split between his generals. It is from one of them that the Attalid Dynasty was created and made Pergamon one of the most powerful and beautiful cities in the ancient world.
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Dikili:
The small attractive fishing village. It is a very typical Aegean village with cafes, tea gardens, and some small souvenir stores and local handicrafts. After climbing up the hills all day, Bergama is the perfect place to stop and rest in.
Pergamon:
Situated directly above Bergama. Here you will find the remains of the ancient city set along a mountain side. The structure bares resemblance to the Acropolis in Athens. There is an upper and lower city. The latter occupied the lower slopes of the hill which is now where you will find Greek and Roman remains including the Asklepion Sanctuary, the Red Hall, a large market, a gymnasium, two temples, a Roman amphitheater, and a racetrack. If you go along the main street in the lower city and through the gate to the top of the hill, you will find the ruins of the Attalid palaces, the sanctuary of Athena, a temple to Trajan, the Altar of Zeus, the library, and a theater. See below for more details.
Bergama:
which is a district of Izmir, is situated on the North side of the plateau which the Bakirçay flows, on the ridge of a peak which is 300 meters height. It is 25-35 kilometers further than the Aegean sea and The Çandarli Bay. Its today's name comes from its ancient name "Pergamon" It was an important center due to its wonderful monuments of the First Age, its strategic position of the Medival Age besides it was a center of a big Kingdom, Karesiogullari and lastly Ottoman Empire. The foundation date is not known exactly but the city walls were built in 7 B.C. and it started to become urbanized according to the information's which were gotten from the archeological excavations. Its name was heard in the Anabasis of Ksenofon (355-35 2 B.C.) among the historical statements for the first time. According to the knowledge's in these statements in 547 B.C., Pergamon was in the hands of the Pers who invaded Anatolia and they settled an organization there. The city which was taken by Alexander the Great in 334 B.C. was firstly taken by Frigya-Likya King Autigonos and then taken by King of Trakya king Philaetairos after the Alexander the Great’s death. After Lysimakhos’ death Philaetoiros seperated from Trakya Kingdom and found a new autonom civilization which was tied to Selevkos Kingdom, (283 B.C.). This civilization was made wholly independant by F. Eumenes (263-241 B.C.), Pergamon after half an hour century continiued to be the cultural and the managerial center of the Kingdom which it gave its name to. It led its brilliant period during F. Attalos and his son. Various monuments such as acropolis and theater were erected in the city. The city went to the hold of Roman rule with its glorious library, 120,000 population and parshomen paper that was produced from the leather which the city takes its name from. It became an important center of Asian province in Roman period. A lot of changes were made in Hadrianus period and the city was garnished with Roman structures. In the years that the Christianity was expanding, Pergamon was a center bisaopments that Byzantians tied to Ephesus and then it became a metropolitan. The Turkish surges started in the 12th century. Although the Turk invaded the city in 1113 it lasted a short period. The city which went among the rule of Turks and Byzantine was a target for the Crusaders, for a certain period. In 1302 when the Byzantine a rule disappeared, the Karesiogullari took the control. Just after 1341 Pergamon was taken by Ottomans.
Pergamon which was a castle city surrounded by city walls at the top before, was surrounded in Attalos period twice, it was in the condition of being a big and a safety city and in the Roman period a panaroma of expanding to plateau was seen. It strored this physical feature when it came to Turks, besides it regained vividness and it grew as an Turkish City. According to the archive records a small factoryzof grape bozashop, candle small factory at least 350 shops which its incomes belong to some certain in stitutions, a bedesten, at least three inns, four Turkish Baths and a Kervan Sarayi (Palace) were placed in the city. We can list the most clear structures which endured till today and erected in Ottomans period as below: Ulu Mosque (XIV. Century), Çukurhan (XV. Century), Tashan (1432), Bedesten (XV. Century), Kursunlu Mosque (1435), Haci Hakim Mosque (1508-1509), Ansarli Mosque (1543), Sadirvanli Mosque (1550), Selimiye Mosque (1890-1891).
Archaeology Museum:
The collection of statues, objects, and gravestones housed in this museum represents a fraction of the Acropolis and Asklepion ruins that the Germans didn't carry off. In spite of this, a visit here is a worthy complement to the site visits, and the curators have even been kind enough to create a faithful replica of Zeus's Altar, saving you from a trip to Berlin. Some other notable objects amidst the artifacts include a statue of Hadrian taken from the Asklepion library, a 2nd-century-A.D. stone horse from the altar of Zeus, and the oldest statue in the museum, a 4th-century-B.C. kuros, An early example of the realism of the sculpted human form. The ethnographic wing exhibits a collection of objects, costumes, and textiles from the surrounding region.
Athena Temple:
Athena Temple that was erected on the terrace of the theater, is an erection on 6 10 columned Dore, Merely certain items of the groundwork of the temple were stored partially to 120 mt. height. Some parts of the temple’s columns and architrave are still in Berlin Museum. It is a settled custom of the Western Anatolian that the most important temple of the city belongs to Goddess Athena is a reflection of Izmir, Milet, Erythrai, Foça, Assos’s tradition. Athena ordered 2 staged stoas to be built along the temple’s Eastern and Northern sides after the victorious wars against the second Eumenes Seleukos, Galats and Macedonians. These were erected with Hellenistic style.
The Library:
The attached erection that in the north of Athena sanctified region are ruins of the famous Pergamon Library. The library which was exceeded from the top floor of the gallery before belongs to the 2 nd Eumenes Era and it has a big, 13.53*15.35 dimensional reading room. The Athena sculpture that was 3.50 meters height situated in this library which was furnished with wooden-ledges. This sculpture is preserved in the Berlin Museum today. The great rival of the library which affluenced in the 2 nd Eumenes Era was the library of Iskenderiye. The Pergamons discovered parshomen as a result of the prevention of the exportation of papirus by Egyptians. This the first parshomen of the world was used in Pergamon. Antonius, gifted the library that had 200,000 books to Cleopatra, however this prosperous treasure doomed with the burning of the Iskenderiye Library.
The Places:
The ruins which belong to the Palaces of Pergamon Kings localized the southern side of the library and stoas that side of the library and stoas that surrounded Athena Temple. These were two great houses of peristyle type that had courtyards in the middle it is consented that the small one on the North belonged to Attolos and the bigger one was built in Eumenes Era. The Mosaic parts which were found in the palaces are stored presently in Berlin Museum.
The Arsenals :
Which were also known as military property depot were located on the Northern end of the acropolis and further than palaces and trajaneun about 10 m. Lower. These are five long parallel errections. 13 differenet volumes of andezit shells wer e obtained in them. These shells were presently preserved at down Agora in open air. The northern corner of the Acropolis which the Arsenals were found soveigned the encompassment. Besides it was situated in a place that the enemies coming closer could not see it. It was in a very convenient condition as to defend the city.
Trajaneum:
The temple which were made for the godfied Roman Emperor Trajon, is on the highest terrace. It is undoubtful that, there had been a Hellenistic structure in there before. The temple that was surrounded with stoas by the three sides, rises on a 68 mt. D imensional terrace. The 6' 9 columned, peripteros temple is Korint style. It reminds the Dionysos Temple which located on the terrace of the theatre with its podium and the steps of the front side, whereas it is similiar to Roman samples due to its feature s. The temple was ordered to be erected by hadrian for Trajan. However it is understood that, two Emperors were worshipped together in this place because the collosol marbles heads of the sculptures of Trajan and Hadrian was found in the temple. These are found in Berlin Museum.
The Theatre:
The Pergamon Theatre was built on a steep slope and is one of the most elegant architectural constructions of the Hellenistic era. Being the steepest theatre of Western Anatolia, it has a capacity of holding 10.000 people. The part where the viewers sit are made up of 80 rows the row on the very top is 36 m. Higher than the level place of the orchestra. The stage part was made of wood in the Hellenistic era and was only set up on play days and was taken down later.
The Dionysus Temple:
The people of Pergamon built the glorious temple on the north of the 250m. High theatre’s terrace, where it would be dominent of the whole touring area. The rich profile of the temple, which was well protected like its altar area, is a prostylos that ris es on a platform in an Ionian order. Being on the end point of a long road and also being an attractive monument it makes up the first step of the Roman Art style together with the European Baroc architectures city planning. The temple underwent a great c hange in the Roman era. Original pieces belonging to the Hellenistic period and the Roman era are preserved in the Berlin Museum.
The Agora:
It is found on the south of the Zeus Altar. It belongs to the Hellenistic period. The Agora which belongs to Hermes the God of trade, was built in the Dor style. The walls of the agora are three layers on the outside and only one layer on the outs ide because of the topographic circumstances. The city road passed through the Agora. The base of the Demeter temple can be seen on the west side of the area.
The Gymnasiums:
The city of Pergamon had a splendid Gymnasium that is found on top of each other on three separate terraces. It is know from the inscriptions that were found that the bottom terrace belonged to the children. The middle terrace to the teenagers and the to p one was the adults. The gymnasium on the top was called the Ceremony Gymnasium. The three gymnasiums were built in the period of the kingdom before the 3rd century B.C.
Red Basilica (Kizil Avlu):
This is one impressive pile of red brick. Built during the reign of Hadrian, and dedicated to the Egyptian god Serapis (the model for the Greek god Isis), this temple was later to become one of the seven churches of the Apocalypse. The temple was destroyed in the Arab raids of A.D. 716 to 717, and then was converted by the Byzantines into a basilica. The enormous building straddles the ancient Selinus River (today the Bergama Cayi), whose two subterranean galleries provide a canal for the water to pass. True to the ideal that holy ground is always holy ground, a small mosque resides in one of the towers.
The Acropolis:
Dominating the summit of a hill almost 300m (1,000 ft.) high, the Acropolis provides a humbling view of the surrounding plains, aqueducts, and reservoir below. The remains of this once-great empire are no less impressive, despite the fact that most artifacts are now on exhibit at the Pergamum Museum in Berlin. Here it's still possible to ramble around the Upper and Lower cities, amid the palaces, public and private buildings, and temples too large to cart away. Although only the foundation remains,
The Temple of Athena:
It was probably constructed, using the acropolis of Athens as a model, in the 3rd century B.C. in the earliest days of the Pergamene kingdom. Today you can see the architrave, along with fragments of columns, in the Berlin Museum.
Eumenis II's construction of the great library rivaled the one at Alexandria, provoking the Egyptians into an embargo of papyrus. Lacking such a basic essential, the people of Pergamum were forced to come up with an alternative, and parchment was invented. Ironically, when Pergamum came under Roman rule, Marc Antony gifted the entire 200,000-volume collection to Cleopatra, shipping the contents of the rival library back to Alexandria, where, tragically, the entire collection was destroyed in a fire. A 3m (10-ft.) statue of the goddess Athena, discovered in the area of the reading room, is now housed in the Berlin Museum.Near the temple of Athena are the remnants of the Palaces of the Pergamene Kings. The smaller, northern building is believed to have been that of Attalos, while the larger palace most likely belonged to Eumenes II. Mosaics discovered in the internal courtyards of the palaces are now in the Berlin Museum.With the Romanization of Pergamum, many of the Hellenic foundations were simply adapted to suit the arriving Roman emperors and administrators. The Temple of Trajan is an example of this, and because of removal or looting, the temple remains date to Hellenistic times.The remarkable theater, built into the hillside and split into three sections of tiers, was composed of 80 extraordinary levels that seated up to 10,000 people. The panorama is awe-inspiring -- a fact not overlooked by Eumenes II, who had a 240m-long (800-ft.) stoa (covered arcade) constructed along the upper terrace of the theater. At the northern end of the terrace promenade was the Temple of Dionysus, which, along with the altar, is in a fairly good state of preservation. The Temple of Dionysus was restored by Caracalla after a fire gutted the interior.
The Zeus Altar:
The largest building on the Acropolis is the Altar of Zeus, built during the reign of Eumenes II. This magnificent Altar of Zeus contained a frieze over 25m long about 69.77 m (364 feet) depicting battles between the gods and giants. Big and rose right in the center. Most probably four sides of the altar were open and the monument was seen easily from everywhere. This large and impor tant construction of the Pergamon Acropolis during the most successful times of the Kingdom, when the second Eumenes was King. The horseshoe shaped Pergamon Altar has close counterparts in the Menderes Magnesiasa and Prien. The altar is a monument that has combined the arts of architecture an sculpture in the best way. Here the reliefs are not in the second place, fragments of the altar were recycled in the construction of the Byzantine fortification walls, but rediscovered by Carl Humann in 1871 and later reconstructed in the Berlin Museum. The reliefs (also in Berlin) depicted the mythological battle between the Giants and the Gods an analogy to the Pergamene victory of the Galatians.The Agora and Agora Temple lie to the south of the Altar of Zeus. As you head down the hill to the south, you arrive at the Lower City, where, up until a brush fire cleared out the overgrowth, not much more than crumbling foundations remain. Ambitious types and those heading down to town on foot should keep an eye out for what's left of the Sanctuaries of Hera and of Demeter, the Temple of Asklepios, several gymnasiums, a House attributed to Attalos, and a Lower Agora.
The Asklepion:
This famed ancient medical center, built in honor of Asklepios, the god of healing, was also the world's first psychiatric hospital. Many of the treatments employed at Pergamum, in complement with a sacred source of water that was later discovered as having radioactive properties, have been used for centuries, and are once again finding modern application. The treatments included psychotherapy, massage, herbal remedies, mud and bathing treatments, the interpretation of dreams, and the drinking of water. The Asklepion gained in prominence under the Romans in the 2nd century A.D., but a sacred site existed prior to this, as early as the 4th century B.C. Oddly enough, everybody who was anybody was dying to get in; patients included Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius, and Caracalla. Therapy included mud baths, music concerts, and doses of water from the sacred fountain. Hours of therapy probed the meaning of the previous night's dreams, as patients believed dreams recounted a visit by the god Asklepios, who held the key to curing the illness. Galen, the influential physician and philosopher who was born in Pergamum in A.D. 129, trained and then later became an attendant to the gladiators here.
The Sacred Way:
Access is via the Sacred Way which at 807mt. (2,690 ft.) long and colonnaded, originally connected the Asklepeion with the Acropolis. The sacred way becomes the stately Via Tecta near the entrance to the site and leads to a courtyard and fallen Propylaeum, or Monumental Gate. Don't miss the focus of the first courtyard, an altar inscribed with the emblem of modern medicine, the serpent. To the right of the courtyard is the Emperor's Room, which was also used as a library. The circular domed Temple of Asklepios, with a diameter of 23mt. (78 ft.), recalls the Pantheon in Rome, which was completed only 20 years earlier. Reachable through an underground tunnel is what is traditionally called the Temple of Telesphorus, which served as both the treatment rooms and the sleeping chambers, an indication that sleep was integral in the actual healing process. At various spots in the center of the complex are a total of three pools and fountains, used for bathing, drinking, and various other forms of treatment. The semicircular Roman Theatre flanks the colonnaded promenade on the northwest corner of the site.
Shopping:
Bergama and Dikili both offer plenty of shopping. Souvenirs such as reproductions of ancient artifacts, carpets, ceramics, and leather goods can be found.
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