Perge

What makes it special

Two round towers are the first thing you see, and they are the symbol of Perge. They are Hellenistic, older than almost everything behind them, which is Roman work from the city's richest years.

Beyond the towers runs the colonnaded street, with a walkway on each side and a stone water channel down the centre. That channel fed four monumental fountains and two baths, the largest in the region. Check the paving for the wheel marks left by carts.

The street ends at a monumental fountain with a statue at its centre. Water once poured out from beneath the statue and ran down the channel through Perge.

The stadium is the other reason to come. It is a long U-shaped arena, and official figures put its capacity at up to 12,000. It is the second largest of its kind in Anatolia and one of the best preserved anywhere from antiquity.

The vaulted rooms under its seats held shops and entrances. Perge was also one of the ancient world's main centres of sculpture, though what stands on site today is the architecture alone.

Visiting

Walking in from the car park, you pass the toilets, turn left and go through the arches under a grass mound. You come out in the middle of the stadium, where every third vault under the seats opened onto the arena. If you find that way shut, the stadium is still in view from the access road.

Back at the main gate, you show your ticket and meet the Hellenistic Gate and its towers. Behind it the street runs to the monumental fountain on a single signposted path, so you cannot lose the route.

The theatre is closed until its restoration is finished, so you see it only from outside. It stands across the road from the car park, below Kocabelen Hill.

The statues and theatre reliefs found here belong to the Antalya Museum in the city. Check that its galleries are open before you plan an afternoon there.

Guided or on your own

A guide is optional at Perge. The route through the ruins is one path with signs at every monument, so you can follow it on your own. If you hire a car with a driver from Antalya, the driver is not a licensed archaeological guide and the fare does not include your ticket.

Tips

In summer, come at opening time, before the tour groups arrive from Antalya, or by four in the afternoon, which still leaves three hours before the gates close. Wear trainers or other closed shoes, since the marble paving is uneven and slippery in places, with patches of loose sand.

Carry a hat and plenty of water, as the sun reflects back off the stone. Skip the guidebook in the gift shop.