Anatalya, Turkey
Shore Excursion and Port Reviews
Ancient Cities of Perge and Aspendos
Grace
At 7am the R-7 nestled against the dock at the Antalya Harbor. A
snow-dusted range of mountains called the Taurun Range surrounded the
pristine bay. The white snow capped mountains forecasted the reason for
the brisk winds and cool temperatures that greeted us. As the bus passed
through a metropolis of modern high-rise apartment complexes and
buildings, people scurried to their jobs and other daily activities.
Vendors balanced large trays of Simach (a local Turkish bread with toasted
sesame seeds) on their head never missing a step. This is Turkey’s answer
to McDonald’s fast food.
Known as the “Turquoise Coast” Antalya’s first industry is tourism, both
for Asia Minor and European travelers. Its second industry, agriculture
boasts cops of handpicked virgin cotton, hothouse vegetables and a variety
of citrus fruits. 90% of the population practices the Muslim religion and
it has only been in the last 2 to 3 years that women have been granted
religious equality now being able to pray side-by-side with the men. A
devout Muslim faithfully prays 5 times a day and travels to Mecca at least
once in their lifetime.
Traveling down the modern 4-lane road system the motor coach arrived in
the rural area know as Seric where we viewed the ruins of the Acropolis
and ancient Aqueduct. We toured an ancient theater/stadium that
accommodated 15,000 people in Belkim on foot. In historic days it was used
as a caravan stop for travelers on camel, mule or horse back. The theater
was an awesome sight. A solo trumpet player (accompanied by a baying dog)
serenaded all of us as we explored the site.
By 10 am we returned to the bus and were on our way to Perge that was once
a walled city. “Arif”, our Turkish guide, skillfully guided us through the
Roman baths and the main marketplace. The ruins of Perge are believed to
have been devastated by an earthquake in the 2nd century and the entire
town was buried and then abandoned. Today the site is still being
uncovered and reconstructed.
Dozens of Turkish vendors (mostly women with small children nestled on
their backs or cradled in their arms) hawked their wares of jewelry and
slate carvings. Some spun cotton into fat balls or worked diligently on
half-finished lace doilies they crocheted. Arif (the guide) was a former
secondary school and college teacher and was well equipped to provide an
excellent tour and an interesting day. I would easily give this tour a 10
on a scale of 1 to 10. If you have any questions e-mail me (Grace) at
itravel@jps.net