About Aspendos
Outside the city, in the Serik district, some 40 to 45 km east of the center, the theater of Aspendos was designed in the 2nd century by the architect Zenon, who was born right there. The seating area is about 96 meters across and has room for something like 7,000 people. Centuries later, the Seljuks repaired the building, used it as a caravanserai and, in the 13th century, turned the stage into a palace.
And the audience filled it again. Since 1994, the State Opera and Ballet has held an annual festival there that draws about 10,000 spectators, well over the number of seats Zenon planned. Set aside some time for the 19-km Roman aqueduct, whose final stretch has a well-preserved inverted siphon.
