Some 17km east of Antalya and 2km north of Aksu on highway D400, Perge was one of the most important towns of ancient Pamphylia. Inside the site, walk through the massive Roman Gate with its four arches; to the left is the southern nymphaeum and well-preserved baths , and to the right the large square-shaped agora . Beyond the Hellenistic Gate , with its two huge towers, is the fine colonnaded street , where an impressive collection of columns still stands.
The water source for the narrow concave channel running down the centre of the colonnaded street was the northern nymphaeum , which dates to the 2nd century AD. From here it's possible to follow a path to the ridge of the hill with the acropolis .
Perge experienced two golden ages: during the Hellenistic period in the 2nd and 3rd centuries BC and under the Romans in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD (from which most of the ruins here date). Turkish archaeologists first began excavations here in 1946 and a selection of the statues discovered – many in magnificent condition – can be seen at the Antalya Museum.
Excavations and restoration work continue on site. At the time of writing Perge's theatre and stadium, each of which sat 12,000 spectators, and are located along the access road before you reach the site entrance, were both closed.
The easiest way to reach Perge is to take the AntRay tram to the last southern stop (Meydan) and catch bus AC03 from there to Aksu (TL3, 30 minutes, 15km). You can easily walk the remaining 2km north to the ruins. Many Antalya travel agencies run combined excursions to Perge and Aspendos. A taxi tour will be about TL160.
