How to visit and what to see in Pergamon (Türkiye): schedules, prices

The remains of the ancient Greek city of Pergamon, which are located next to the modern city of Bergama, they form one of the most important archaeological sites that can be visited in a trip through Türkiye.

Due to its geographical location, near the coast of Aegean Sea, in the heart of the classical Mediterranean world, Pergamon It became an important political, economic and cultural center.

The remains are so important and belong to so many different cultures, that the Unesco He included it in 2014 on the list of World Heritage.

It is one of the fundamental stages in a trip along the Aegean Coast of Türkiye, whose journey can begin in Troy and after Pergamon, continue by Izmir, Ephesus, Pamukkale, Priene and Temple of Apollo at Didyma to end in Bodrum.

These are the most important stops, but along the way, you also pass through very interesting towns and some very pleasant beaches.

The land where it is located Pergamon It influenced its design and the development of its urban planning.

Curiosities history of the Greek city of Pergamon

From the beginning of its history, the city was a complex of structures that formed two parts, which can be seen very well today during the visit.

On the one hand there was the citadel with their walls at the top of the hill, while a lower city stretched, surrounded by other walls, at the bottom of the slope.

Although the place had been inhabited for many centuries before, the period of splendor of Pergamon It goes from the time immediately after Alexander the Great.

At that time it became the capital of one of the kingdoms that emerged after the dismemberment of its empire, and then in the later Roman age was considered the capital of the province of Asia Minor.

For several centuries it was one of the most opulent cities in the Mediterranean world and one of its main cultural centers.

Its library was one of the most important, and a good part of its collections became part of those of the Library of Alexandria.

It is worth remembering that, although the use of parchment did not arise here, its name means "from Pergamon", which tells us about the number of pieces of this material that were stored in this cultural institution.

The buildings of asclepion, a place dedicated to god of medicine, they formed a school dedicated to this science that attracted scholars and pilgrims.

What to see when visiting Pergamon in Türkiye

Una visit to Pergamon is going to have one duration of several hours and is divided into at least four parts somewhat separated from each other.

On one side is the Acropolis, at the top of the hill, which is surely the most spectacular part.

On the way there you pass by the red room, also called the Red Basilica, and a third zone is the asclepion, of great cultural importance, although with less impressive remains than those of the Acropolis.

The fourth visit is Archaeological Museum, which should probably be the first thing you need to know in order to get a good idea of ​​the whole.

For visit these four places you have to purchase one different input for each one, unless you have a pass valid for national museums and archaeological sites.

It is possible to organize to spend a night in Bergama and thus be able to take the pulse of a city of about 70.000 inhabitants and discover its corners and other memories of its history that are not necessarily so old.

Pergamon Archaeological Museum in Türkiye

The Archaeological Museum is located on the main avenue, next to a park.

It is relatively small, but presents an interesting collection of statues Of the call Pergamon School. These sculptors were among the first to represent the gods with clearly human features.

Here you have all the information about Schedules and prices for the visit to the Pergamon Archaeological Museum.

Acropolis of Pergamon in Türkiye

Now Acropolis You can go up by taxi, on foot or by cable car.

The latter is the most original way, and allows you to get closer and see from the air some areas that can be seen when you leave, in case you descend on foot.

Keep in mind that the Acropolis It was the area of ​​residence of the royal family and the notables of the kingdom, so there are remains of several palaces and everything has a very official character.

The wall that surrounded this area can still be largely seen.

The main door gives access to the area of ​​the royal palaces, although contrary to what happens in other Hellenistic cities located in flat areas, the peculiar location of Pergamon He did not allow the construction of monumental palaces.

Actually these palaces They were like large private houses organized around patios.

The destruction due to the passage of time does not allow us to see large spectacular remains, although archaeologists have identified the royal residence of Eumenes II, one of the great monarchs of Pergamon.

Next you get to the calls Arsenals, where the military installations were located and where the court officials lived, a curious place is a circular well with a column in the middle.

It would probably be covered with a dome, which would be one of the earliest attempts to cover a space with this method. The system was so poorly developed that it needed central support.

At one end of this area a good stretch of wall is preserved.

Then you go through the Library and Temple of Athena before arriving at Trajaneum.

This temple, dedicated to Trajan and his successor Adriano, has the most striking remains of the entire complex, and is the only building that remains from the Roman era in the Acropolis.

Pergamon Theater in Türkiye

Through a tunnel you reach the ,.

Muchos ancient theaters They were built taking advantage of the slopes of hills, but this is an extreme case. The rows of seats adapt as best they can to the very steep slope and the whole thing produces a certain sensation of vertigo.

In a theater that could accommodate up to 10.000 spectators, the effect is spectacular.

Temple of Dionysus and Altar of Zeus in Pergamum

At one end of the theater was the Temple of Dionysus and, in the other, the Altar of Zeus.

The latter, one of the most imposing buildings in the entire city Antiquity, was covered with magnificent reliefs that represent the battles between the gods and the giants.

The german archaeologists which they dug in Pergamon They were taken to Germany and now they are in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin.

Now in Turkey only the base of this gigantic altar remains and it would be impossible to imagine what this place would have been like 2.000 years ago if we did not know the Berlin museum.

Whether descend on foot from the Acropolis goes through the call Middle City with different remains such as Temple of Demeter, Gym (the largest known from the Hellenistic period), the so-called Z Building and palace of Attalus I.

Before leaving the Acropolis You have to think about the success that architects and urban planners had in building a city on top of a hill that rises about 250 meters above the surrounding area.

The water supply was through a 45-kilometer-long pipeline that had to overcome a gradient of 900 meters.

Here you have all the information about schedules and prices to visit the Pergamon Acropolis. It is found at this link.

Red Basilica at Pergamon in Türkiye

The increase in population caused the city to expand in the lower part of the hill, and the Red Basilica and Sanctuary of Asclepion They are the most important structures of that expansion of the Greco-Roman city of Pergamon.

on the way to asclepion you can visit the Red Basilica.

Although very damaged today, it is the largest preserved monument of the ancient Pergamon.

It is a structure made up of two circular buildings and is actually a temple dedicated to the Egyptian gods Serapis and Isis whose cult was widespread in imperial Rome in the places where Egyptian merchants settled.

A part was used as a church in the early days of the Christianity.

Here you have the information of Schedules and prices for visiting the Red Basilica.

Sanctuary of Asclepion in Pergamon

The most important place in the Lower Town is Sanctuary of Asclepion, which is accessed through a columned path called Via Tecta, which was a shopping street where pilgrims could find everything they needed.

The sanctuaries dedicated to Asclepius, god of medicine, were erected next to sacred sources of medicinal waters.

In them, religious rites and medical treatments that included the interpretation of dreams were carried out. Galen, the most famous doctor of the Roman period, was born in Pergamon and began his career in asclepion.

After passing the Via Tecta you get to Temple of Zeus-Asclepius and a very peculiar structure with vaulted tunnels that was the main hospital.

Patients and visitors attended performances in the theater at the other end of the main courtyard.

Right in front of the theater is the sacred spring, original center of the sanctuary. current visitors take the opportunity to drink from the fountain of Roman times that is still flowing.

Here you have the information of Schedules and prices for visiting Asclepion.

What to do in Bergama in Türkiye

Finally, if you are spending the night in Bergama, you can take the opportunity to get to know life in a traditional city, explore its alleys and, above all, go to the Haci Hekim Hamami, a 16th-century bath that offers one of the best experiences of its kind in a trip through Türkiye.

After a day of visits and bathing, you can have dinner in one of the birahanesi (restaurants with gardens where beer is one of their main offerings) on the main avenue, the best way to complete a perfect day.