Pergamon Theater and Pergamon are important sites that were established and constructed during the Hellenistic Period. This ancient city is in Izmir, Turkey, and one of the notable ancient cities of the Aegean region. Every year, thousands of foreign and domestic visitors visit Pergamon Theater and other ruins in the ancient city. In the area, you can also visit excavations of the Pergamon ancient city.
Pergamon Ancient City was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2014 and is strictly protected by the Turkish Government. In this guide, we are going to provide detailed information about the Pergamon Theater as well as other ruins and sites you can visit in the area.
Firstly, we will start with the visit, and then provide information on the history of the theater. Later, you can find some technical information about Pergamon Theater.
When Can You Visit Pergamon Theater?
Since Pergamon ancient city is on UNESCO World Heritage List, it is an important tourist destination in the world. Thus, the visits to the area are controlled by the relevant institutions in Turkey. The visiting hours are divided into two groups as summer and winter.
Visitors can visit all the sites in Pergamon between 08:00 and 19:00 between 1 April and 1 October during summer. In addition to this, the visitors can visit these sites, including Pergamon Theater, between 08:30 and 17:30 between 1 October and 1 April. We would like to note that the ticket booths are closed half an hour before the closing time.
Pergamon Theater History
Pergamon Theater is one of the important structures that are in the Pergamon ancient city. This amazing city used to be one of the most important destinations in ancient times and is home to Pergamon Theater, which has 10,000 people capacity, palaces, library, and much more. The area was also the home of the most important medical center and schools.
Technical Information on Pergamon Theater
Pergamon Theater was built on a slope, which is about 30 degrees. All experts accept that this ancient theater is one of the most beautiful structures that was built during the Hellenistic period. It is worth noting that this theater is also the steepest theater in the western part of Anatolia and has a 10,000 people capacity.
During the Hellenistic period, the stage part of the theater was wooden, and it was set up only in the days when there would be play. After the play, this wooden stage would be removed again and preserved in a different area. One of the most notable temples in the area, the Temple of Dionysus is located at the back of the stage. Pergamon people did not build this temple randomly but built it with an aesthetical concern.
It was built on the northern part of the 250 meters high terrace of the Pergamon Theater so that it offered beautiful scenery. One of the best pieces of news about the temple is that it was well preserved together with its altar. Today, you can find important remains that belong to the Hellenistic and Roman periods in Pergamon Museum.
Today, the Pergamon Theater is still considered one of the notable theaters in the world, which was built in ancient times. Considering the 10,000 people capacity of theater, Pergamon people used to give utmost importance to art but especially theater.
The number of modern theaters that have exceeded 10,000-person capacity in the world is highly limited. Pergamon Theater was built in ancient times, and it is something that we need to appreciate. We highly recommend visiting the Pergamon ancient city and experiencing the Pergamon Theater as soon as possible.
