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Termessos Ancient City is located in the Gulluk Mountain National Park in Antalya, Turkey. The region looks like a living museum and a natural home for many kinds of flora, including Turkish pine and maquis, and animals including common fallow deer and lynx. With its breathtaking mountain landscapes, fresh air, and intriguing trip over historic ruins, Termessos offers a feast for the eyes, lungs, and mind.
Historical Background
According to legend, the Lycian king tasked the Greek hero Bellerophon with capturing Termessos, a story mentioned in Homer’s Iliad. Thus, he became the legendary founder of the city.
Historical sources about Termessos Ancient City are quite limited, though. The Solyms, descendants of the Luwians, an indigenous Anatolian people, founded the city of Termessos in the southwestern part of the Pisidia Region, in the valley between the peaks of the Solymos Mountain, now known as Gulluk. The residents of Termessos identified themselves as Solymi, a term referring to an Anatolian god later identified with Zeus.
In 333 BC, Alexander the Great carried out a siege on Termessos. The people of Termessos resisted Alexander’s attacks by utilizing the city’s natural defenses. Thanks to the people’s efforts and the city’s geographical location, Alexander’s army left for Sagalassos. Thus, Termessos became one of the two cities in Anatolia that Alexander’s army could not conquer.
The Ptolemies took control of the city after Alexander’s death.
Manlius Vulso, the commander of the Roman forces in Anatolia, punished the Termessians for their capture of the neighboring city of Isinda in 189 BC, following a complaint from the Isinda people. In 71 BC, The Roman Senate acknowledged Termessos as an independent city with the authority to govern itself and create its laws. During this period, the Termessians, also known as Pisidians, engaged in combat with the Lycians, earning them the nickname “the Solyms who fought with Lycians.”An earthquake in the 5th century AD damaged the aqueduct that supplied the city with drinking water, leading to its complete abandonment.
Key Attractıons
Monumental Entrance Gate
The people of Termessos developed positive relationships with the Roman Empire. The city residents could determine their laws and the right to mint their coins.
In the 2nd century AD, during the reign of Emperor Hadrian, the Roman Empire had its golden years. People felt so safe that they didn’t need to build sturdy city walls that surrounded the city. Instead, they built numerous majestic entrance gates. The monumental entrance gate in Termessos Ancient City is one of the numerous majestic gates erected during the Roman Empire’s golden years. Once you exit the parking lot, the path climbs towards the city on your right. It’s still standing in its original place.
What was this monumental gate for? Where did it lead? Through this gate, people accessed a temple honoring Hadrian and Artemis. There isn’t much left from the temple today. However, the discoveries near the gate demonstrate that the temple was constructed in the Ionian architectural style.
Gymnasium and Bath Complex
If you continue climbing southward from the area where the lower city walls and water source are located, you will reach the Gymnasium on the left. One of the well-preserved Termessos ruins, the structure shows its historical significance by having an exceptionally undamaged first floor. The gymnasium was erected in the city center by a man known as “Apollo until death” in 220–230 AD. The structure served as an international campus for students from all over coming for study. Interestingly, this gymnasium also served as a school for girls.
Colonnaded Street
The Market Gallery, also known as Colonnaded Street, is a pedestrian area in the city center. This mostly flat, long street was full of shops and statues of respected city people.
Tomb of Alcetas
Located on the west side of Colonnaded Street, the Tomb of Alcetas is on a secondary path that leads to the Southern Necropolis. Despite its location and construction style, the Tomb of Alcetas is not a true rock tomb. It has unique features and is not found anywhere else. The tomb’s lid remains missing, but you can see the reliefs of round shields, an eagle, and a horseman on the walls of the building.
Who is Alcetas?
Alcetas was one of Alexander the Great’s generals who lived in the 4th century BC. When Alexander died, his generals clashed with each other. Antigonus, another general under Alexander, led the fight against Alcetas. When he lost the Battle of Cretopolis in Pisidia in 320 BC, he took refuge in Termessos. Antigonus was so ambitious to get his enemy back that he started to wait near the city.
The city elders didn’t want their city to get into trouble with an outsider. That’s why they struck a deal with the city’s youth, deciding to hand him over to Antigonus. However, the youngsters didn’t comply with the agreement. They were planning to leave the city as part of a secret plan to keep fighting.
The seniors sent a message to Antigonus informing him they were going to hand over Alcetas. When Alcetas saw he would be captured, he executed himself. The seniors handed Antigonus his body. Three days after mistreating the dead, Antigonus departed Pisidia without burying it. The young people were deeply upset over what had happened to Alcetas. So, they found his body, buried it, and built a mausoleum for him.
Theater of Termessos
The theater of Termessos Ancient City is just to the east of Agora. Nestled on a natural slope in front of a stunning view of Gulluk Mountain, it is a Greek theater built in the Hellenistic style. The capacity of the cavea, the seating area, is over 4500 persons. The theater was modified and a stage building was added to the structure during the Roman era.
The Northeast Necropolis
Termessos is an ancient city with several mausoleums. Most of the 1200 tablets found in the city were from the necropolises. The reliefs at the Northeast Necropolis mostly reflect themes of conflict and heroism, therefore highlighting the bravery and dignity of the past residents. The most often occurring reliefs in the region are spears, shields, and tomb guardian lions. You may be asking why the tomb defender was modeled like a lion. Were there lions in Anatolia? According to 19th-century travelers’ sources, there were lions in Anatolia. Even more interesting, the lion has been one of the most used motifs in Anatolia since the Hittites.
Visiting Tips
If you want to pay a proper visit to Termessos, you should depend on your feet. As the city is located in a national park, you’ll have to spend a few hours to see the Termessos ruins, along with the rich vegetation and herds of wild goats.
Termessos is open to visitors every day between 08:00 AM and 07:00 PM. The entrance fee for the archaeological site is just €3.
How to Get to Termessos Ancient City?
If you want to get to Termessos Ancient City by public transportation, you need to take the Antalya-Korkuteli minibusses to the Termessos junction and then walk nearly 9 km (5.60 mi) from there.
If you are going to Termessos by your private car, enter the Termessos junction on the Antalya-Korkuteli road first. Then follow the 9-kilometer narrow and ramped road to the ancient city. Because there is a parking lot at the city entrance, you don’t need to worry about where to park your car.
Conclusion
Termessos Ancient City provides a lot of information outside of what we covered in this article. Visiting Termessos offers a unique experience that words cannot fully convey: you may stroll through its old streets, immerse in its ancient ruins, and personally observe the amazing scenery. All told you should go to Termessos and discover its ancient beauties, absorb the rich legacy, and marvel at the beauty of nature all around this special archeological site.
Also read: Sagalassos: The City of Water