The
ancient city, 48km east of Antalya, is most famous for its theatre,
probably the best preserved in Asia Minor. It is still in use today, and
stages the annual Aspendos Opera and Ballet Festival every summer. It was
the scene of a huge bloody battle between the Persians and the Greeks in
469 BC, and then ruled by the Spartans 120 years later. The city became
part of the Seleucid kingdom after the death of Alexander the Great, and
then became part of the Roman province of Asia in 133 BC.
The famous theatre was built in the 2nd century AD, using a Roman design,
and it is still intact. Ataturk was responsible for much of the
restoration, who declared that it should be used as a theatre rather than
simply a museum after his visit.
In addition to the theatre, there is an acropolis on a hilltop, of which
the nymphaeum and basilica are still fairly intact.