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Translation
Aspendos and Side: Festivals in the ancient theaters
Imagine taking your theater seat in the self-same spot a
Roman citizen would have some 1,800 years ago! OK, the
limestone beneath you is hard (local theater lovers in the
know bring their own cushions) but it’s still radiating
warmth absorbed in the heat of the day.
Above, the only roof is a soft, purple-black and star-strewn
sky. From outside the ancient theater at Aspendos, the best
preserved in Asia Minor, comes the incessant chirrup of
cicadas. Inside the noise is equally insistent -- the
murmurings of a positive babel of voices -- with Turkish,
German, English, and Russian most prominent. As the
10,000-strong audience settles down, the sound of popping
wine corks mingles with the hum of stringed-instruments as
the musicians warm up in the orchestra.
The views from the semi-circular auditorium, comprising 40
tiers cut into the hillside, are breathtaking. At sunset,
the light on the remains of this once wealthy and powerful
city and the Pamphylian plain beyond is at its best. The
ragged spine of the mighty Taurus mountain range looms in
splendid silhouette to the north There’s a faint taste of
the nearby Mediterranean on the breeze, mixing with the
aromatic scent of thyme growing wild on the hills behind the
theater.
As darkness falls the lights dim briefly and the massed
ranks of spectators fall silent. Then stage lights begin to
play across the facade of the richly-ornamented,
multi-tiered stage building, throwing the Ionic and
Corinthian columns and elaborate friezes and pediments into
vivid relief. Slowly the intensity of the lights increases
and the performance begins. Verdi’s Aida is a perennial
favourite, the pomp and splendour of this popular opera, set
in ancient Egypt, working wonderfully well in this setting.
As midnight approaches the show reaches its climax. The
light intensifies, and thousands of people -- having
suspended disbelief for a few memorable hours -- empty out
into the night. The scramble to get out of the packed car
park is undignified and lengthy, but I’m sure that you will
have found the rewards of the experience far outweigh the
pain of departure!
Enjoying a night of top-class ballet, opera or classical
music in the majestic ancient theaters of either Aspendos or
nearby Side is a unique experience. The month-long Aspendos
Opera and Ballet festival has been running since 1994.
Organized by the Turkish State Opera and Ballet directorate,
it is a showcase for the cream of Turkey’s performers and
some fine foreign touring companies -- particularly Russian.
The Side Festival has less of a pedigree and is shorter, but
the splendid setting of its recently-restored Roman theater
(literally a stone’s throw from the Mediterranean) make it a
worthy contender to its longer established rival.
The gateway to both Aspendos and Side is the bustling,
seaside Antalya, easily and cheaply reached by air from both
İstanbul and Ankara. This region is a “heartland” of Turkish
tourism, so there’s a wealth of accommodation to choose
from. Whether you want to stay in a luxurious beachside
hotel with pool, a traditional stone and timber built hotel
in Antalya’s walled old-quarter, or a bougainville-shrouded
pension amongst the Roman ruins in Side, you’ll be spoiled
for choice. Tempting though it may be to spend your days
sunbathing and swimming in the Mediterranean, particularly
if you have come down from ultra-urban İstanbul or Ankara,
it would be a shame, though, not to look around the remains
of one of the great classical-era Pamphylian cities which
have provided the venue for your evening’s entertainment.
The fertile Pamphylian plain was settled by Greeks around
1200 B.C. Isolated by the mountains, it was a remote part of
the world. This didn’t prevent the rise of four great cities
-- Perge, Silliyon, Aspendos and Side. The early history of
Pamphylia has gone unrecorded, but in the sixth century B.C.
the Persians took over. A tug of war between them and the
Greeks ensued. Today’s Köprülü river (which you will first
cross, and then drive alongside for awhile en route to
Aspendos), is the famed Eurymedon. At its mouth, in 469
B.C., the Greeks defeated their Persian rivals in a decisive
naval battle.
Alexander the Great conquered the region in the fourth
century B.C. Three hundred years later this area had become
the haunt of pirates, whose plundering brought down the
wrath of the mighty Romans. They ousted the pirates, took
control of Pamphylia, and gave the region an unparalleled
security for the next few centuries. It was during this
prosperous period that the remarkable theaters in which you
will sit and be entertained were built. There is more,
though, to both cities than their theaters. Aspendos has a
fine acropolis (fortified hilltop), where you can explore
the atmospheric remains of the agora (market place) and
nymphaeum (sacred spring). As you do so, try to imagine the
lives of the well to do Roman citizens who led a life every
bit as civilised as our own -- possibly more so in some
ways, without the tyranny of the industrial revolution and
attendant environmental ills! Brilliant engineers, the
Romans kept their cities well-supplied with fresh water. At
Aspendos, the substantial arches of the aqueduct which
brought water 15 kilometers from the mountains into the
city, stand in splendid isolation to the north of the
acropolis.
Side is even easier to explore than Aspendos, as the modern
town has literally grown-up among the classical ruins. You
are never far from a café or bar, and can interrupt your
explorations for a dip in the Mediterranean from one of
Side’s sandy beaches. The museum, opposite the theater, is
well-laid out and famed for its “Three Graces,” a trio of
(now headless) nude female statues of minor deities. If you
are fond of an after dinner stroll, head for the southern
tip of the promontory, where the elegant columns of the
Athena temple are romantically flood-lit after dark.
The Roman leader Marc Anthony and his royal lover
(immortalized in Shakespeare’s Anthony and Cleopatra) used
Side as a romantic getaway some 2,000 years ago. You could
do a lot worse today -- but wherever you choose as your
base, a night of culture under the stars in ancient Aspendos
or Side is not to be missed.
When to come
Aspendos Festival: Mid-June to Mid-July
Side Festival: Last two weeks in September
What to bring
For an evening at the theater bring: camera, binoculars,
cushion, insect repellent, cardigan or shawl, an umbrella
(thunderstorms are not unknown), a bottle of wine (and
opener!) and snacks
How to get to Antalya
Turkish Airlines fly daily from Ankara and İstanbul, Onur
Air, Atlas Jet and Pegasus daily from İstanbul. Sunexpress
daily from İzmir
Antalya is linked to all Turkey’s major cities by inter-city
coaches
How to get to the theaters
Special buses run from Antalya to performances at Aspendos,
departing from outside the city’s Archaeological Museum at 7
p.m. Buses ply regularly between Antalya and Side from
Antalya’s bus station (otogar). There are dozens of car
rental outfits at Antalya Airport, in the old quarter (Kaleiçi)
and on Fevzi Çakmak Caddesi in the city centre.
Site opening hours and admissions
Aspendos - daily 8 a.m. -- 7 p.m.; YTL 10
Side (theater) daily 8 a.m. -- 7 p.m.; YTL 10. Museum daily
8 a.m. -- 5 p.m.; closed for lunch 12 - 1p.m.; YTL 5. Perge
- daily 8 a.m. -- 7 p.m.; YTL10
14.03.2007
TERRY RICHARDSON ANTALYA
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=105377
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