Termessos

Overview

The path climbs through the trees, past fallen columns and tombs half hidden in the trees. Then the forest opens, and you stand at the top of a theater perched on a mountain ledge, with the plain of Antalya far below. Alexander the Great looked up at this city and called it an eagle’s nest. He walked away. This is Termessos.

Termessos is a wild mountain ruin near Antalya. Nobody rebuilt it after the people left, and until recently no one excavated it, so it still feels like a discovery. Bring good shoes, because you will climb for every view. Our Termessos and Kaleiçi tour pairs the climb with the old town of Antalya.

Termessos, the Eagle’s Nest Above Antalya

Termessos lies northwest of Antalya, high on the slopes of Güllük Dağı, the ancient Mount Solymos, in the Taurus Mountains. The city stands on a natural platform high on the slopes of Güllük Mountain.

The ruins sit inside the Güllük Dağı-Termessos National Park, so forest covers much of the site. From the parking area, a steep path leads up to the city. Allow plenty of time, especially if you want to reach the tombs on the upper slopes.

The City Alexander Could Not Take

The Solymi and the eagle’s nest

The people of Termessos called themselves the Solymi. They worshiped Solymeus, a mountain god whom they later identified with Zeus. In 333 BC, Alexander the Great surrounded the city. Even a small force could defend it, so Alexander gave up and marched on to Sagalassos instead. For that city, see our Sagalassos tour from Antalya.

The story of Alcetas

After Alexander died, his general Alcetas fled to Termessos from his rival Antigonos. The elders of the city decided to hand him over. However, the young men of Termessos refused, so Alcetas killed himself rather than be captured. Afterward, Antigonos abused the body and left it unburied, but the young men recovered it. Then they buried Alcetas with honor and built him a fine tomb.

An independent city

Later, Termessos made friends with Attalos II, king of Pergamon, who gave the city a two-story stoa. The Roman Senate also granted it independence, and its coins proudly carried the word “autonomous”. An earthquake broke the aqueduct and cut off the water supply. So the people left, and the empty city survived the centuries almost untouched.

Climbing Through Termessos

King Street and the city walls of Termessos

On the way up, you follow the line of King Street, which the people of the city built in the 2nd century AD. It passes through the old walls and runs straight to the center. In the walls east of the gate, look for inscriptions of a dice oracle, which told fortunes by the numbers thrown.

The theater of Termessos

The theater is the highlight of any visit. Its seats look out over the Pamphylian plain toward the sea. The stage building dates from the 2nd century AD. Below the stage, five small rooms once held wild animals before fights in the orchestra.

The agora and the odeon

Next to the theater lies the agora, raised on stone blocks above five large cisterns. Nearby, the odeon still stands almost to its roof line. Eleven large windows lit its interior. It may also have served as the council house.

The temples and the colonnaded street

Archaeologists have identified six temples at Termessos. One was probably for Zeus Solymeus, while a small temple of Artemis was paid for by a woman named Aurelia Armasta and her husband. Along the main street, look also for the inscribed bases of statues of athletes, most of them wrestlers.

The necropolis of Termessos

Tombs surround the city on three sides. One rock-cut tomb shows a horseman in relief, and it may have belonged to Alcetas himself. Higher up, many stone sarcophagi lie scattered among the trees. Some still carry inscriptions that call down the anger of the gods on grave robbers.

A National Park Around a Ruin

Termessos is protected as a national park, so the forest around it is home to wildlife and forest trails. For more wild places, see nature and wildlife in Turkey.

Food on the Mountain Road

There are no restaurants in the ruins, so carry water and a snack. Afterward, head back down to Antalya for dinner in Kaleiçi, where you can try tahinli piyaz, the local bean salad with tahini.

How to Visit Termessos

Getting to Termessos

• By car: drive northwest from Antalya toward Korkuteli, then follow the signs into the national park.
• By tour: day trips from Antalya often pair Termessos with Perge or Aspendos.
• Further inland: continue north to Sagalassos, another mountain city taken by Alexander in 333 BC.
• On foot: from the parking area, the path to the theater is steep and rocky.

Local tips for Termessos

• Wear hiking shoes, because the paths are steep and uneven.
• Go early or late, since the climb is hard in the midday heat.
• Carry enough water, because there is little on the mountain.
• Visit its old rival, the mountain city of Selge above Köprülü Canyon.
• Go back to the Stone Age at Karain Cave, a Neanderthal home in the same hills.
• We arrange your entry to Termessos and plan the climb around it.