Links to Port Pages
Dikili, Turkey
We've never heard of Dikili. So looking on the internet I found the site "DikiliGuide.com" and here's how they describe the town - "Dikili is located in a unique geography with its special sun, deep blue sea, 40 kilometers of blue flagged beaches, productive plains and thermal springs providing health for centuries. These specialties make Dikili a very unique and remarkable summer resort in Turkey. Places of interest and popular sights in Dikili include; Bademli Village, Ataturk Botanical Garden, ancient city of Atarneus, Nebiler Village and Nebiler Waterfall, Lake Karagol, Kemete Plateau, Kalem Island and Olof Palme monument.
Popular things to & attractions in Dikili include; Day out at the beaches, hot springs & mud treatment, daily boat trips, watching the sunset at the seafront, hiking & trekking and visiting the other popular resorts nearby Dikili. On your day out in Dikili, it is highly recommended to stroll through the Bariskent hill and have a bird eye view and enjoy the beautiful nature & long coastal line."
Dikili is the port to reach ancient Pergamum. Researching the town you learn there is not much there. Pergamum, or Pergamon, was settled by multiple civilizations eventually ruled by the Persians before falling to Alexander the Great . Looking on Wikipedia there are a number of ruins and structures remaining on the Acropolis. Of note is the Hellenistic Theater with a seating capacity of 10,000. This had the steepest seating of any known theater in the ancient world. At the foot of the Acropolis is the Santuary of Asclepius.
Panoramic View - photo from Wikipedia
Author: "Pergamon 10" by rapidacid
What we plan to do:
Pergamum & Asclepion - we scheduled this excursion.
Discover the archaelogical ruins from the ancient Roman city of Pergamon and the ancient health center, The Asclepion on this half-day tour.
Pergamum Depart from Dikili Poes. The city of Pergrt to Pegamum, passing through the fertile plains watered by the Selinus River, a site settled by one civilization after another since ancient timamum was ruled by Lydians and by Persians before falling to Alexander the Great in 334 BC. When Alexander died, control of the city passed to one of his generals, Lysimahchus, who controlled a great part of the Aegean region. After Lysimachus' death a cascade of kings and emperors ruled the city and the kingdom of which it was the center, from Philatairos to Attalus to Eumenes, to Atallus II, whose will finally declared that Pergamum would become a part of the Roman Empire after his death. 500 years later, around 300 AD, this already great city's golden age began with the invention of parchment in the city. You will tour the remains of the city's most famous landmark, a library that contained 200,000 volumes and put Pergamum on a par with Alexandria as a cultural center of the Roman Empire.
As you walk around the acropolis, located atop a steep hill with a spectacular view, you will get the impression that the city was built to be an inaccessible fortress. And it was. Continue on, admiring the celebrated library, a steep and impressively dignified theater, temples of Trajan and Dionysus, the monumental altar of Zeus, the sanctuary of Demeter, a gymnasium on three terraces, and the Agora.
Asclepion Your next stop will be the Asclepion, named after the god of health, which is reached via a sacred road lined with still more monuments and architectural fragments from antiquity. The Asclepion added to the city's reputation as a center of learning and science, and contained a rehabilitation center, an Ionic portico, sacred spring, latrines, and a "psychotherapy tunnel".
At the conclusion of your visit, re-board your coach for the 45-minute drive back to the pier.
