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was smuggled
to Germany in 1897.
Climate : The Mediterranean Climate dominates the region.
Summers are hot and dry while winters are mild and rainy.
Bergama Archeology Museum : The museum contains over 10,000
archaeological and ethnographic works. The archaeological artefacts
belong to the Bronze, Archaic, Classic, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine
ages, and ethnographic exhibits consist of Ottoman relics and articles
from the Bergama region. Exhibited in the outer garden of the museum
are tombstones and sarcophaguses, while the inner garden contains
pieces of architecture, reliefs, colossal statues and stone inscriptions.
Opening
hours: 08.30-12.00 & 13.00-17.00, closed on Mondays.
Ancient Cities
Acropolis : The Acropolis was built on an extremely steep hill,
approached by a winding road ascending some 300m. In this uniquely
designed city, religious, official, social and commercial buildings
are all found side-by-side. On top of this hill, which has been
inhabited since ancient times, are the palaces of the King of Pergamum.
There are also five cisterns and an arsenal on the hill. Below these
buildings is the Temple of Athena, as well as the Library and the
Temple of Trajan. The Altar of Zeus was carefully placed below these
buildings on a terrace. One of the steepest amphitheatres in the
world is found here. The lowest section of the acropolis is the
gymnasium and the Temple of Demeter. Because of the topographical
location of the city and the course of the main street, all the
buildings of the acropolis are line up in a north-south fashion,
but the buildings all face west so that they can be seen from far
away. The Altar of Zeus was not encircled with colonnades for the
same reason. The Agora and Athena Temple also have an unobstructed
view of the plain.
The
Temple of Athena : The temple columns and architrave pieces
are still in Berlin. The fact that the city's most important temple
is the Temple of Athena, as it is in Izmir, Milet, Eriythrai, Foca
and Assos as well, reflects the religious tradition of Western Anatolia.
Eumenes II had a two-storey covered walkway built along the length
of the eastern and northern sides in the Hellenistic style, to commemorate
his successful war against the Seleucids, Celts and Macedonians.
Library
: Adjacent to the sacred site of the Temple of Athena, are the
remains of the famous Pergamum library. The library, whose entrance
used to be on the top floor of the gallery, dates back to the reign
of Eumenes II and contains a magnificent reading room measuring
13.53 x 15.35 metres. Equipped with wooden shelves, the library
also contained a 3.5m high statue of Athena, which is now in the
Berlin Museum. During the reign of Eumenes II, the holding capacity
of the library multiplied immensely, and its only equal in the world
was the Library of Alexander.
Arsenals
: The military arsenal is on the north end of the acropolis,
on the other side of the palaces and the Trajaneun, approximately
10m downhill. There are five compartments, all parallel to one another.
Trajaneum
: This, the highest terrace in the acropolis, was made for the
Roman Emperor Trajan, who was declared to be divine and before that,
there was undoubtedly a Hellenistic structure on this site. Measuring
68 x 58 m, the temple sits perched upon a high terrace surrounded
on three sides by covered promenades. Hadrian had the temple built
for his predecessor Trajan, but it is known that both of the emperors
were worshipped here because the colossal heads of statues of Trajan
and Handrian honouring them were found here. These items are also
on display in the Museum of Berlin.
Theater
: Built on a very steep slope, the Pergamum theatre is one of
the Hellenistic period's finest architectural achievements. The
steepest amphitheatre in western Anatolia, it has a capacity of
10,000 people. In Hellenistic times the stage was made of wood;
set up for the performances and then taken down again.
The
Temple of Dionysos : The people of Pergamum built this very
alluring temple on the north side of the 250m- long theatre terrace,
specifically so it would dominate the landscape of the area. This
well-preserved temple with its beautiful profile and altar is a
prostylos built upon a podium in the Ionic style. This exquisite
monumental structure with its distinctively Roman understanding
of art, located at the end of a long road, was a big influence on
the European Baroque school of architecture. The building underwent
radical changes during the Roman era. The original Hellenistic and
Roman pieces are in the Museum of Berlin.
The
Altar of Zeus : Located about 25m below the lower terrace of
the Temple of Athena, the altar was positioned at the very centre
of a 69m x 77m area. It is likely that the area was open on every
side so that it could be easily seen for miles around. Its reliefs
are not background ornaments, but play just as important role as
the altar itself. The altar, only the foundation of which is still
in Pergamum, has been reconstructed and is today on display, with
all of its reliefs, in the Berlin Museum.
Upper
and Lower Agoras : The Agoras (Forum) are terraces located south
of the Altar of Zeus and were built in the Hellenistic period in
the style of Hermes, the god of commerce. Because of the levels
of the surrounding land, the covered patios are three storeys on
the outside, but only one inside. The Upper Agora was once the focal
point of social and commercial activities in the city, although
little remains of it today. South of the gymnasium is the Lower
Agora, work and homes of the common people. The main street of the
city passed right through the middle of the Agora, and below is
the Temple of Demeter, the place where rituals for a better after
life were practiced.
Gymnasiums
: The magnificent gymnasium of Pergamum was located on three
terraces, one above the other. Inscriptions have been found which
indicate that the first floor was for children, the second floor
for youth and the top floor for adults. The Upper Gymnasium is also
known as the Ceremony Gymnasium. All three of these gymnasiums were
built during the dynastic period during the second half of the 3rd
century BC.
Asclepion
: Asclepion translates as 'place of Aesklepios', the son of
Apollo and the god of healing and health, and was an important health
centre in Greco-Roman times. Among the types of therapy practiced
here were mud baths, sports, theatre, psychotherapy and use of medicinal
waters. A colonnaded street leads to the Asclepion, and to the left
of the entrance is the temple of Asclepios. This domed temple with
its exceptionally thick 3m walls was built in 150 AD, with donations
made to the god of health. The interior was decorated with colorful
marble mosaics, and surrounded by galleries on three sides, the
Aesklepion has a passageway running through the centre alongside
the sacred spring towards the therapy building. It is thought that
patients were cured here by the sound of running water and by the
persuasive hypnotic techniques used by the priests.
The
Temple of Serapis : The biggest structure and best-known attraction
in the town is the Kizil Avlu (Red Basilica), a temple made of red
brick dedicated to the gods of Egypt. The temple lies in what is
now the modern day town of Bergama. The two pools in the temple
with towers indicate ritual cleansing rites and a religious background
that was neither Greek nor Roman. The fact that it faces west, and
is decorated with statues in an Egyptian style, indicates that it
was possibly presented to Serapis, the Egyptian god of the underworld.
In the Byzantine period, it was turned into a church by extensive
remodelling, especially to the apse sections, and was dedicated
to the Apostle John. In early Christianity, it was one of the Seven
Churches of Asia Minor addressed by St John in the Book of Revelation,
who referred to it as the throne of the Devil. Although a crumbling
ruin, it still contains the remains of a mosque in one of the towers.
Mosques : Among
the mosques located in Bergama are Ulu Mosque, Şadırvan Mosque,
Seljuk Minaret, Kursunlu Mosque, Hacı Hekim Mosque in the bazaar,
Laleli Mosque on the road to Asclepion, Yeni Mosque and Emir Sultan
Minaret.
Inns
Çukur Inn :
Between the leather shops and the Ekin Guild on Seftali Street,
this caravanserai was probably built between 14th and 15th centuries,
judging from the construction techniques used. It is obvious that
there was also a vaulted bazaar here. There is window in the small
section of the room made from horizontally laid bricks, and laid
into a wall made from small stones and mortar. The small consoles
under the eaves on one side of the room is a style specific to Pergamum,
and there are eight brick-framed windows in this wall.
Taş (Stone) Inn : Located
on Rustiye Mektebi Street, beside the Küplü Baths, the inscription
above the door indicate that this caravanserai was built during
the reign of Sultan Mehmet's son, Sultan Murat, in 835 (1432 according
to the Gregorian calendar). The inscription is written on chiselled
stone, underneath which is a low arch made in classical Turkish
design, using nine stones with marble door-posts. Traces of arches
in front of the door indicate that there was also a vault or dome
here one time. Upon entering the door, on the right are vaulted
rooms that were used as a barn, and a room reserved for writing
documents. In places were the vaults have fallen, wooden coverings
have been added.
High
Plateaus : The Kozak High plateau, 20 km from Bergama, can be
reached by taking the Bergama-Ayvalık road.
Thermal Springs
Mahmudiye Thermal Spring : The radioactivity in these 26ºC waters
is relatively high. There is no calcium in these sodium rich springs.
Geyiklidağ
Thermal Spring : These hot springs, rich in sulphur, are used
to treat people suffering from chronic infection syndrome, chronic
upper respiratory infections and nephritis. Situated between Bergama
and Kozak Bucak, there are no facilities around this area.
Güzellik
Thermal Spring : Located 4 km from Bergama, Guzellik Thermal
Spring has is a domed facility with two marble pools. Built in the
reign of the Pergamum King Eumenes, the spring known as The Eskulap
Baths has been famous for years. Today there are bungalows and a
hotel belonging to Bergama adjacent to the forest where the spring
is located. The temperature of the water is around 35ºC, and the
sodium bicarbonate and sulphuric waters of this spring are good
for those suffering from rheumatism, kidney disorders or cardiovascular
conditions. In addition, people with oily skin are believed to benefit
from its beautifying powers. Cleopatra is even rumoured to have
visited the spring when she was in Pergamum, and owes a portion
of her much celebrated beauty to the fact that she bathed here.
The relatively high radioactivity of the water is equal to 1.5 eman.
Haydar
Thermal Spring : North of Pergamum in the village of Ilica near
Kozak, there are the ruins of a Roman bath, but the area is best
known for the hot sulphurous spring waters, good for muscle aches
and certain skin conditions.
Dereköy
Spa : West of the district of Bergama, 15km from Altinova is
a treatment centre with curative baths said to be beneficial for
sufferers of several aches.
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