Things to Do in Turkish Riviera

The remains of the ancient city of Perge, lie just 17km (11mi) northeast of Antalya and is the region's most significant Roman ruin.

Dating as far back as the Bronze Age, Perge was originally settled by the Hittites around 1500 BC and under Roman occupation grew to become one of the most beautiful cities of the ancient world. An important city for Christians during the Byzantine period, Saint Paul is said to have preached his first sermon here in 46 AD.

Excavations began on the site in 1946 and have since uncovered a large Greco-Roman theater with fine marble reliefs, a stadium that could seat over 12,000 people, a Hellenistic-Roman city gate flanked by ruined towers, a long colonnaded street, a large agora (central market), public baths and a gymnasium. Of these ancient remains, the theater and the stadium are Perge's best-preserved sites.

Many ancient scholars came out of Perge, including the physician Asklepiades, the philosopher Varius, the famous mathematician Apollonius (a pupil of Archimedes) and the female Roman ruler of the city Plancia Magna.

Exhibiting over 12,000 artifacts relating to the history of the Mediterranean and Pamphylia regions in Anatolia, Antalya Museum (also known as the Antalya Archaeological Museum) is one of the largest and most important museums in Turkey.

Born out of an attempt to prevent the country's archaeological treasures from being plundered by the Italians during World War I, the museum started its life in a mosque in 1922, only moving its collection to its present building in 1972.

Today the museum has 13 exhibition galleries that include regional excavations and galleries of prehistory, pottery, mosaics and various statues, as well as sarcophagi, coins, jewelry and ethnographic collections. There are also open-air galleries and a garden. 

Most of the best preserved finds from the ruined ancient cities of Anatolia can be found at the museum, and it's a fantastic way to grow your knowledge and understanding of these ancient civilizations, their Gods, culture and icons.