Hello my friends. During my visit to Turkey, Aspendos became one of the most amazing places I had the chance to visit. My journey did not start with the legendary theater, which I will talk about later, but with those impressive aqueducts that gave life to the whole city. Perhaps it was for the better, because these aqueducts were the very first thing travelers approaching Aspendos in ancient times saw. Aqueducts were built with a slight slope so that water could flow by the effect of gravity without the need for pumps. These were one of the most impressive engineering marvels of the ancient world.

Sometimes fate brings such moments across our path that it is impossible to plan them. At the entrance of the aqueducts, a sweet local lady welcomed us the guardian of this history corner selling oranges and freshly squeezed juice. She not only showed us the way to the aqueducts, but led us through her own garden. Among the branches of orange trees, in the shade of olives and avocados rare for these regions, she lives in the rhythm of nature just like her ancestors. And I think the true magic of Aspendos lies right here. Not only in its stones, but in the people who have preserved the spirit of this place for centuries.

We found ourselves right under the walls of the aqueducts after passing through the green labyrinth. Time seemed to slow down here. We had stepped back two thousand years ago when the Roman Empire was beginning to rise. People live directly on top of an archaeological monument and judging by the huts, probably for generations. They showed us a secret path directly over the aqueduct.

The Aspendos aqueduct was buil in the second century ad during the reign of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. This period was the golden age of the Roman Empire, showing that the cities of Asia Minor were actively developing and Aspendos was no exception. The aqueduct supplied water not only to residential neighborhoods, but also to the famous Roman theater of Aspendos, baths, fountains and other public buildings. Thanks to the aqueduct the city developed and flourished despite the arid climate of the region. It continued to function not only during the Roman period, but later during the Byzantine Empire period and even the Ottoman period. This shows its extraordinary reliability and durability. There is beauty here, there is silence, there are no tourists. An ideal place to rest.

The total length of the aqueduct was about 19 kilometers. It started from the mountain springs in the northeast of Aspendos and brought water directly to the city. Today only a small but most impressive part of the aqueduct has been preserved. Double tiered arches about 15 meters high and about 300 meters long. This part is located in the plain and was built to preserve the slope of the water channel. In later periods, locals often dismantled ancient structures to take them as building material. The surviving part of the aqueduct has been restored and is now one of the main tourist atractions of this region.

This is not only a functional structure, but also a work of art. Its walls built from neat limestone blocks and beautiful arches reveal the mastery of ancient builders who managed to create a structure that has managed to survive for more than two thousand years. Rumor has it that ancient builders strengthened their mortar by mixing it with milk, which is why the aqueduct is still standing. The arches are woven from wedge shaped stones that fit together seamlessly, giving this structure both durability and elegance. Roman engineers paid special atention to the slope of the aqueduct. The water was calculated to flow by its own current, neither too fast nor too slow, so as not to damage the walls of the channel. The slope was only about 0.2 to 0.3 meters per kilometer, which proves high precision in calculations.

I was just walking past this cyclopean structure. Each of its piers is almost 6 meters. No joke. By the way the Aspendos plumbing is actually quite small by Roman standards. Almost every self respecting city in the Roman Empire had its own aqueduct for access to clean and fresh water. And why didn't the Romans make something simpler? Of course, iron was expensive back then, for example, a plumbing system could be made from the same cheap clay pipes. But no, the Romans built such powerful structures for this that even 2000 years later they still amaze.

There is an interesting legend about the Aspendos aqueducts. According to the rumor, the king of Aspendos announces that he will give his daughter in marriage to the architect who builds the greatest structure of the city. Zenon who built the Aspendos theater and the engineer who built the aqueducts participate in this contest. The king's daughter falls in love with the maker of the aqueduct, but the king is more impressed by the theater and chooses Zenon. Saddened by this decision, the architect of the aqueduct commits suicide.

I climbed onto the aqueduct. It is very high here, one's breath is taken away. We advanced carefully holding onto the branches.

Our tour of the legendary aqueducts of Aspendos has come to an end. We returned to the car and ahead of us, famous ruins and the amazing theater of Aspendos were waiting for us. At the end we would be able to touch the secrets of this ancient city.

The Aspendos Theater stood before us in all its glory. This stone giant is a masterpiece of the ancient world where the tragedy of love and honor took place according to legend. As I just told, the king of Aspendos had promised to give his daughter to whoever built the greatest structure of this city. Zenon, the architect of the theater, won. But this victory turned into great pain for the architect of the aqueduct, his heart could not bear being separated from his beloved.

We reached the foothills of this theater that has survived centuries, wars, earthquakes and is still standing. These walls, these arches, these stones have seen a lot. Because the Aspendos Theater does not just stand, it breathes, gives sound and brings people together just like thousands of years ago.

This Theater is one of the best preserved ancient theaters in the world. The facade of the theater is a masterpiece of second century AD Roman architecture. It continues to challenge the imagination even today. Massive limestone blocks fitted to each other with jeweler precision without using a single drop of mortar. The steps are quite good, about 25 to 30 centimeters high. They progress uniformly one after another, of course not completely perfect, they wobble a bit, but after all it is hand labor. We went inside, the ticket was 20 euros.

We saw that the stage was already being prepared for the evening show. Concerts, opera festivals and theatrical performances are held today on the exact same stones where ancient actors once performed. This place has a capacity of 15.000 to 20.000 spectators. During the Roman empire period, thousands of people gathered to watch plays, gladiatorial fights and musical shows. Thanks to its unique acoustic design, sound can be heard perfectly even from the top rows without the need for any microphones or sound amplifiers. Now the Aspendos Theater is one of Turkey's main concert venues. The Aspendos International Opera and Ballet Festival, classical music concerts and even modern shows are organized here.

We climbed up the ancient stone stairs. These stones, polished by thousands of feet for two thousand years, preserve the memory of every single spectator who once sat here. Roman patricians were applauding here. Medieval travelers were watching with bated breath here. And today modern spectators coming to the concert or play sit here.

A wonderful view opens up from above. The huge semi circular bowl of the theater has sat perfectly on the slope as if nature itself helped create this perfection. Below lies the stage waiting ready for the evening show and the endless rows of stone seating heading towards its center like sun rays. Here, being at the top, I understand why this theater is considered one of the most magnificent places in the world. This is not just a structure, it is a living organism breathing with art and time.

When the city of Aspendos was conquered by the Seljuks in the sixth century, Sultan Alaeddin Keykubat ordered the reorganization of the theater. The stage was converted into a palace, meaning residential and administrative rooms suitable for the palace architecture of the period were built in place of the stage and part of the seating area. This was done in order to use the immense structure as a residence or administrative center. But the main structure of the theater, the amphitheater and the stone stairs reached the present day almost untouched and make it possible for us to admire its original appearance today.

As we were leaving the theater, we found ourselves in the temple of modern souvenirs. Here we encountered magnets depicting Aspendos, jewelry, miniature copies of the theater, gladiator and other ancient warrior figures and even relief panels depicting daily life or mythological scenes of ancient Greeks and Romans. Such souvenirs allow tourists to take a piece of the history and culture of ancient Aspendos with them. Ahead of us was a sign providing information about rare and unique plants you can encounter in these historical places. This shows that these places are rich not only with their historical monuments, but also with their unique plants that deserve special protection and attention.

After the theater we went to see the stadium. I will tell the rest of my Aspendos trip in my next post. See you my friends.