Bergama (Pergamon)

The modern town of Bergama is not particularly picturesque town and I certainly wouldn't recommend it as a destination from which too base your holiday, however it has a fascinating history making it perfect for a day trip. 
The older part of the town has some old style town houses and its not overly touristy so can be a nice place to observe the Turks going around their day to day business. Attractions at Bergama include two large archaeological sites, a museum of archaeology and a gargantuan brick temple earmarked as the throne of the devil in the coming Armageddon.




Museum of Archaeology in Bergama
The museum at Bergama is well established having been built on the orders of Fevzi Çakmak in 1932. Recently it has been refurbished to a high standard. The exhibits are mostly from nearby Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman remains. Outside the front of the museum there is a collection of sculptures and decoratively carved Islamic tombs and grave markers. Inside there are more sculptures many of which have had their heads removed and apparently stolen by western collectors. By far the most interesting exhibit for me was about the altar of Zeus of which there is a reconstruction and a collection of photographs and drawings. The original was removed by German Archaeologists in 1878 and shipped piece by piece to Berlin where it was re-built in the museum of Berlin, an act of cultural theft and vandalism that still shocks over one hundred years later. The original location of the alter is visible on the Acropolis. The museum also contains a nice collection of 19th century Bergama kilim rugs. The local villages still produce high quality handmade kilim rugs with patterns and designs that are specific to Bergama.

The Acropolis
The Acropolis was for me the most impressive of the two sizeable archaeological sites and can be reached by a brand spanking new cable car. It sits on top of hill overlooking the town and a recently completed dam. Once you have ignored your way past the standard ramshackle collection of touting gift shop owners you can enter the sizeable remains of the old citadel which includes temples, alters, monumental tombs, theatres and military buildings, not to mention some beautiful and far reaching views. Highlights were the partially restored temple of Trajan and the theatre of Pergamon, which is gigantic, apparently accommodating 10,000 people in one go, it is also jaw droppingly steep! A visit to the Acropolis makes for a pleasant and fascinating afternoon stroll which took us about two hours. 
 
Asklepion
On the other side of Bergama are the remains of Asklepion an ancient medical centre, in its time one of the most important in the world. It was constructed in the 4th century BC and as well as the temple of Asklepion it it has an interesting history in medical research including early experiments with water therapy, music therapy and dream analysis.



Red Basilica 'the throne of the devil'
The enormous Red Basilica (Kizil Avlu) can be found in the centre of Bergama, and is hard to miss as it is by far the largest building in town.
The basilica has a certain eerie quality, partly because its a giant derelict building in the centre of town and partly because its referenced in the Bible as being one of the seven churches of the apocalypse, and is referred to by St John in the book of Revelations as 'the throne of the devil'.

Rev 2:12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges
Rev 2:13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's throne is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.

Purportedly built around the early 2nd century the temple was dedicated to the pagan Egyptian god Serapis. Like many older religious buildings it was recycled firstly as a church by the Byzantium empire in the 4th century, and latterly as a mosque. The building was badly damaged by Arab raiders in 716 AD and a smaller church was built inside. The current day mosque is situated in a tower to one side.


Getting there
Most day trippers come by bus and organised tours. If your coming by car Bergama is easily found on the main road between Ayvalik and Izmir. The two archaeological sites have designated parking, but parking near the museum and around town is tight and you will normally arrive back at your car to find a parking attendant hovering, but the parking charge is reasonable so not to worry.













.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Istanbul 2010 - European Capital of Culture

Istanbul is the European capital of culture for 2010, to quote the website "The European Capital of Culture is a city designated by the European Union for a period of one calendar year during which it is given a chance to showcase its cultural life and cultural development." What this means for anyone travelling to Istanbul this year is a year long program of special events and sprucing up of existing attractions in Istanbul. Including new exhibitions and museums, special events celebrating Turkish music and culture including a music festival and other live performance arts, exhibitions celebrating the countries history of visual arts and a map of guiding you to traditional arts and crafts centers of Istanbul. At the height of the summer there will be an Ottoman style imperial performance in Sultanahmet square involving fireworks, acrobats, wrestlers, riders, horse races and martial arts. For more information about Istanbul as the European capital of culture for 2010 and a ...
Read more

Istanbul - City of the World's Desire

Image
Istanbul without a doubt my most favourite city in the world, located in north western Turkey split in half by the Bosphorus, the straits that separate Europe from Asia. Not only is it the only City in the world to be situated in two continents simultaneously, but it is also one of the largest cities in Europe. The sheer scale of the city is at first intimidating and later impossible not to fall in love with, hence the reason I return every year. For most visitors your first glimpse of the city will be as your plane comes in over the Sea of Marmara, complete with seemingly motionless boats, once you sight land you notice the glittering minarets and tightly packed high rise blocks before touch down at the thoroughly modern Atatürk Airport. Once you venture out into the city you will be immediately struck by the hustle and bustle of life in Istanbul, the packed streets and noisy roads as twelve and a half million people go around their daily business. Istanbul is not known as the “Cit...
Read more

Travelling by Dolmus in Turkey

Image
The humble Dolmuş (pronounced Dol-moosh) sometimes referred to as a shared taxi is the cheapest way to travel in Turkey, Dolmus buses vary from city to city sometimes a small minibus sometimes a converted transit van. They normally stick to a set route although I have known them to go off route to drop you off closer to you destination in Istanbul. Dolmuş stops are indicated by a blue bus stop style sign with a large white “D” on it in some areas in other areas there are no marked stops, however Dolmus buses will stop and pick up or drop off anywhere along their set route you just have to hail them like a taxi. The sign in the front window of the Dolmuş usually indicates the route of the bus saying both the departure and destination point. It is generally accepted that the Dolmus never runs on time, and in fact the name Dolmuş translates as a taxi that doesn't start until its full (stuffed full) with passengers. Once you have hailed the Dolmus take a seat and pass your money to th...
Read more