PERGAMON TOUR

PRIVATE BASIS DEPARTURE FROM IZMIR PIER

Departure:08:30-09:00

Return:19:00

Days of operation:Everyday

Minimum pax required:2

Right after meeting your guide in the port of Izmir we set off for present Bergama(Ancient Pergamon or Pergamum city).Despite two hours  long bus ride there are lots of important sites that really  worth to see and explore which is going to cause you to forget the tiredness.Our first destination will be the Acropolis(the citadel of Pergamon). The function of the acropolis in Pergamon was never the same as the one in Athens. In Athens everything was focused on religion, whereas in Pergamon it was on social and cultural activities, or in other words, daily life. As a result of this contrast, major buildings in Pergamon were reserved for public use in daily life. Even in the temples, religion was of secondary importance. Buildings had large areas for the public where they could meet, walk or join in social affairs. The monuments of the Acropolis were designed to be seen from below and to impress those viewing the city from the valley.All the buildings were built in the Hellenistic period during which constructions were made of andesite and very rarely in marble except for the Trajan Temple.This temple  was a 2th century AD work  in Corinthian order, dedicated to Trajan, built by his successor Hadrian.

The Theatre which is the steepest raked Hellenistic theater in the world. The cavea of the theater which consists of 80 rows of seats is divided into three sections by two diazomas(wide horizontal walkway between the lower and upper tiers of seats). The capacity was 10,000 people. The construction material is andesite.As  it was originally a Hellenistic theater, there was not a permanent stage building and people sitting on the cavea could see outside and beyond the playing area. In the Hellenistic period, performances were held in a festive atmosphere. People used to spend a lot of time in the theater, sometimes whole day. Therefore, they never wanted to block their view of outside and the stage building, being made of wood, was portable.The Zeus Altar The finest altar ever built can be accepted as the Zeus Altar ,of about 180 BC, which stands in its own precinct but, most unusually, without a temple!Much of the structure and almost all of the friezes are taken to Germany and can be visited  now in Berlin.When we finish the acropolis we scroll down the hill and visit The Red Court which was a temple dedicated to Egyptian gods and goddesses , built in the 2nd century A.D. from the time of the Emperor Hadrian. In the Byzantine period it was converted into a basilica which was dedicated to St.John. It was one of the  seven churches of apocalypse.Lunch in a local restaurant.After lunch we continue to ASKLEPION  which was a sanctuary and a healing center built in the name of the god of healing, Asklepios. It was similar to the one in Epidauros in Greece and the in the island Cos. Although this place was set up in the 4 th  BC, it had its heyday during the Roman period. In mythology Asklepios, son of Apollo, the god of healing, was a famous physician. His mother, Coronis, a princess of Thessaly, died when he was an infant. Apollo entrusted the child's education to Chiron, a centaur, who taught Asklepios the healing arts. Asklepios, became so skilled in surgery and the use of medicinal plants that he could even restore the dead back to life.The healing center, Asclepieum, had been something very similar to a modern natural healing clinic. Patients were given exercises, drugs, herbal remedies, or could take the honey cure, drink the waters of the spring or be treated by suggestion. Here the dreams were analysed 2000 years before Sigmond Freud. They could walk among the trees and be calmed by the scent of pine. Over the gate had been inscribed the words: "In the name of the Gods, Death is forbidden to enter". Snakes were sacred to Asklepios because of their power to renew themselves. That is why there is  a relief of snakes at the entrance to the sacred area of the medical center symbolising health. Among the famous physicians of the Asclepieum was Galen. The Asklepion gained in prominence under the Romans in the 2nd century AD, but a sacred site existed here as early as the 4th century BC.The treatments included psychotherapy, massage, herbal remedies, mud and bathing treatments, the interpretation of dreams, and the drinking of water.Quite unlike modern hospitals, everybody  was dying to get in to the Asklepion: patients included Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius, and Caracalla.

BERGAMA CARPETS are world famous. They have  typical  colours and motifs, which are used only in this region.  There are lots of different products such as kilims, rugs. Bergama carpets have smoother designs and   more use of flowery borders.Do not forget to remind your guide to take you to carpet store to witness these beauties with your own eyes.At the end of the tour you will be taken back to port.