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Bergama Archeology Museum
The museum contains over 10,000 archaeological and ethnographic works. The archaeological artefacts belong to the Bronze, Archaic, Classic, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine ages, and ethnographic exhibits consist of Ottoman relics and articles from the Bergama region. Exhibited in the outer garden of the museum are tombstones and sarcophaguses, while the inner garden contains pieces of architecture, reliefs, colossal statues and stone inscriptions.
Museum Tel: +90 232 631 28 83
Opening hours: 08.30-12.00 & 13.00-17.00, closed on Mondays.
Arsenals
The military arsenal is at the north end of the acropolis, on the other Side of the palaces and the Trajaneun, approximately 10m from downhill. There are five compartments, all parallel to one another.
Theater
Built on a very steep slope, the Pergamum theatre is one of the Hellenistic period's finest architectural achievements. The steepest amphitheatre in western Anatolia, it has a capacity of 10,000 people. In Hellenistic times the stage was made of wood; set up for the performances and then taken down again.
Upper and Lower Agoras
The Agoras (Forum) are terraces located on south of the Altar of Zeus and were built in the Hellenistic period in the style of Hermes, the god of commerce. Because of the levels of the surrounding land, the covered patios are three storeys on the outside, but only one inside. The Upper Agora was once the focal point of social and commercial activities in the city, although little remains of it today. South of the gymnasium is the Lower Agora, work and homes of the common people. The main street of the city passed right through the middle of the Agora, and below is the Temple of Demeter, the place where rituals for a better after life were practiced.
Gymnasiums
The magnificent gymnasium of Pergamum was located on three terraces, one above the other. Inscriptions have been found which indicate that the first floor was for children, the second floor for youth and the top floor for adults. The Upper Gymnasium is also known as the Ceremony Gymnasium. All three of these gymnasiums were built during the dynastic period during the second half of the 3rd century BC.
Asclepion
Asclepion translates as 'place of Aesklepios', the son of Apollo and the god of healing and health, and was an important health centre in Greco-Roman times. Among the types of therapy practiced here were mud baths, sports, theatre, psychotherapy and use of medicinal waters. A colonnaded street leads to the Asclepion, and to the left of the entrance is the temple of Asclepios. This domed temple with its exceptionally thick 3m walls was built in 150 AD, with donations made to the god of health. The interior side was decorated with colorful marble mosaics, and surrounded by galleries on three sides, the Aesklepion has a passageway running through the centre alongside the sacred spring towards the therapy building. It is thought that patients were cured here by the sound of running water and by the persuasive hypnotic techniques used by the priests.
The Temple of Serapis
The biggest structure and best-known attraction in the town is the Kizil Avlu (Red Basilica), by a temple made of red brick dedicated to the gods of Egypt. The temple lies in what is now the modern day town of Bergama. The two pools in the temple with towers indicate ritual cleansing rites and a religious background that was neither Greek nor Roman. The fact that it faces west, and is decorated with statues in an Egyptian style, indicates that it was possibly presented to Serapis, the Egyptian god of the underworld. In the Byzantine period, it was turned into a church by extensive remodelling, especially to the apse sections, and was dedicated to the Apostle John. In early Christianity, it was one of the Seven Churches of Asia Minor addressed by St John in the Book of Revelation, who referred to it as the throne of the Devil. Although a crumbling ruin, it still contains the remains of a mosque in one of the towers.
Mosques
The mosques, that located in Bergama are; Ulu Mosque, Şadırvan Mosque, Seljuk Minaret, Kursunlu Mosque, Hacı Hekim Mosque in the bazaar, Laleli Mosque on the road to Asclepion, Yeni Mosque and Emir Sultan Minaret.
Inns
Cukur Inn
Between the leather shops and the Ekin Guild on Seftali Street, this caravanserai was probably built in between 14th and 15th centuries, judging from the construction techniques used. It is obvious that there was also a vaulted bazaar here. There is a window in the small section of the room made from horizontally laid bricks, and laid into a wall made from small stones and mortar. The small consoles under the eaves on one side of the room is a style specific to Pergamum, and there are eight brick-framed windows in this wall.
TaS (Stone) Inn
Located on Rustiye Mektebi Street, beside the Küplü Baths, the inscription above the door indicate that this caravanserai was built during the reign of Sultan Mehmet's son, Sultan Murat, in 835 (1432 according to the Gregorian calendar). The inscription is written on chiselled stone, underneath which is a low arch made in classical Turkish design, using nine stones with marble door-posts. Traces of arches in front of the door indicate that there was also a vault or dome here one time. Upon entering the door, on the right are vaulted rooms that were used as a barn, and a room reserved for writing documents. The vaults in places were fallen and wooden coverings have been added.
High Plateaus
The Kozak High plateau, is 20 km from Bergama, and can be reached by taking the Bergama-Ayvalık road.
Thermal Springs
Mahmudiye Thermal Spring
The radioactivity in these 26ºC waters is relatively high. There is no calcium in these sodium rich springs.
Geyiklidağ Thermal Spring
These hot springs are rich in sulphur, which in used to treat people suffering from chronic infection syndrome, chronic upper respiratory infections and nephritis. Situated between Bergama and Kozak Bucak, there are no facilities around this area.
Guzellik Thermal Spring
Located 4 km from Bergama, Guzellik Thermal Spring has is a domed facility with two marble pools. Built in the reign of the Pergamum King Eumenes, the spring known as The Eskulap Baths has been famous for years. Today there are bungalows and a hotel belonging to Bergama adjacent to the forest where the spring is located. The temperature of the water is around 35ºC, and the sodium bicarbonate and sulphuric waters of this spring are good for those suffering from rheumatism, kidney disorders or cardiovascular conditions. In addition, people with oily skin are believed to benefit from its beautifying powers. Cleopatra is even rumoured to have visited the spring when she was in Pergamum, and owes a portion of her much celebrated beauty to the fact that she bathed here. The relatively high radioactivity of the water is equal to 1.5 eman.
Haydar Thermal Spring
North of Pergamum in the village of Ilica near Kozak, there are ruins of a Roman bath, but the area is best known for the hot sulphurous spring waters, good for muscle aches and certain skin conditions.
Derekoy Spa
It is in the west of the district of Bergama, 15km from Altinova, has a treatment centre with curative baths said to be beneficial for sufferers of several aches.
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