[Turkey Self-Guided Tour Day 7] Xanthos Ancient City, the Millennium-Old Theater, and an Archaeological Treasure Trove: A Day Exploring Antalya's Ancient Civilizations

Itinerary Overview Today we depart from Konya to begin our journey exploring the historic civilizations along Turkey's southern Mediterranean coast. Our guide has moved up the gathering time especially to give us a surprise bonus stop at the beautiful little town of Sille, before heading further south, passing magnificent lake views and distant snow-capped mountains, and arriving at the ruins of the ancient Greek port of Side, the remarkably well-preserved Aspendos Theatre, and wrapping up the day with the spectacular Antalya Archaeological Museum as our grand finale. 📍Today's route: Konya → Sille Town → Lake Beyşehir → Sidyad (Side) Old Town → Aspendos Ancient Theatre → Antalya Archaeological Museum → Dinner and check-in in the city Sille Town: A relic of faith amid Greek charm In the morning we visited Sille Town on the outskirts of Konya, which retains a strong Greek architectural style and was once home to a Greek settlement.The town's most famous landmark is the Hagia Eleni Church—named after the mother of Constantine the Great—which is an important pilgrimage site for European visitors. Since public transportation is not very convenient unless you drive yourself or hire a private car, a separate visit is not particularly recommended.

▲Sille Old Town Streetscape: Beautifully Preserved Stone-Paved Streets

▲ The Greek architectural style is still preserved in this small town

▲The tour guide explained that this arc-shaped opening was specially designed at the time to let pedestrians avoid horse-drawn carriages.

▲Hagia Eleni Church: An Ancient Church Named After Saint Eleni Lake Beyşehir: Where Lake Waters and Snowy Mountains Meet Leaving the small town behind, we continue heading south, and along the way we pass Turkey's third-largest lake—Lake Beyşehir (Beyşehir Gölü). The waters of the lake reflect beautifully with the snow-capped mountains in the distance, creating a charming contrast. The scenic beauty along the lakeshore is truly breathtaking, making it a picturesque passage that compels you to pause and admire the view through your car window.

▲ Distant view of Lake Beyşehir and the snow-capped mountains Side Ancient Town: Where an Ancient Greek Harbor Intertwines with Modern Life At around two in the afternoon, we arrived at the Mediterranean coastal town of Side, an important port city from ancient Greek times that has now become a popular resort destination. The coexistence of ancient ruins and modern buildings is its most distinctive feature. Walking through the town, you can see the remains of the ancient Roman marketplace, theater ruins, and the arched columns of the old harbor, while tourists leisurely stroll around the nearby cafes and shops. Our guide told us that in ancient times this place traded mainly with Alexandria in Egypt, which made me recall standing on the other side of that sea back in 2023 — now I've finally set foot on this side too, as if fitting in another piece of the puzzle of this journey.

▲ Ruins of the Ancient Roman Forum: The Colonnade Street is a remnant of the indoor markets of that era

▲Ancient Theatre and Arch

▲Xidai Ancient City, where historical relics and modern architecture coexist

▲Mediterranean Harbor

▲ The restored temple is a trace of this town's former glory Aspendos Theatre: A hall of sound that has stood for a thousand years After departing from Side, we headed to the ancient theatre of Aspendos. Built in the 2nd century AD, this Roman theatre is the most completely preserved classical theatre in all of Turkey, and it still continues to host music and drama performances to this day. Although it is not as large in scale as the Roman Colosseum, it is remarkably well preserved with outstanding acoustics, and it is still used today for various kinds of performances — a wonderful example of ancient and modern blending together. We went inside to look around, and standing in the seating area, it felt as though we had traveled back in time to sit among an ancient audience, sensing the cultural atmosphere of that era.

▲Stage Area: Roman-style theaters use a wall to block the scenery behind, so the audience can focus more on the stage

▲ Full view of the theater: the well-preserved curved stands remain intact — sit here and travel back a thousand years to ancient times

▲Modern equipment behind the scenes Antalya Museum of Archaeology: A thousand-year story from prehistoric humans to sculptures of the gods Although we were delayed by the evening rush-hour traffic, we still managed to enter the Antalya Archaeological Museum (Antalya Müzesi) before 20:30. It houses thousands of years' worth of artifacts excavated from Antalya and the surrounding southern region, making it a museum not to be missed. The exhibition halls begin with the evolution of prehistoric humans, then present in sequence the Çatalhöyük culture, the ancient Greek and Roman eras, and the development through to the Ottoman Empire, painting a complete picture of Antalya's long river of civilization.Pottery, glassware, and religious artifacts are all on display. The Roman sculpture gallery is the most spectacular, with lifelike statues of figures from Greek mythology, royalty, and nobility. There are also numerous elaborately carved sarcophagi—such as reliefs of Medusa and Cupid, and coffins replicating temple facades—that are simply dazzling to behold. The second floor houses the ancient coin and metal artifact exhibits, displaying everything from Greek gold coins and Roman silver coins to Christian gold ornaments and church stained-glass patterns, showcasing the empire's wealth and the beauty of religious art.

▲ Pottery and Glassware Exhibition Area

▲Statue Gallery: Sculptures of figures from Greek and Roman mythology — many of them are missing their heads, because during wars, other nations would take the heads of the statues away.

▲ Roman-style mosaic tile carpet

▲ Exquisite sarcophagus carving: Medusa is the guardian of the coffin, while Cupid is the angel who leads the way to heaven

▲ Ancient Coins and Ornaments Display Case: The Dynastic Marks on the Coins Bear Witness to a Thousand Years of Change

▲Golden glittering church stained-glass windows A surprise outside the museum: peacocks appear in the night By the time we left the museum, dusk had already fallen. To our surprise, we spotted three peacocks in the courtyard perched leisurely on the treetops — one white, one black, and one colorful. The tour guide laughed and said these are "living exhibits" deliberately raised by the museum, and also one of the special features of this place.

▲The White Peacock on the Treetop Dinner in Antalya and First Impressions of the City After checking into our hotel in Antalya, we simply settled our luggage and headed to a nearby restaurant for dinner. This Mediterranean city feels completely different from Konya yesterday—relaxed and easygoing, an open seaside city. Tomorrow, we'll head to one of Turkey's most popular natural wonders—Pamukkale! 📌 Full Record of Our Turkey & Greece Independent Trip Turkey Chapter Day 1-2: First Impressions of Istanbul | Day 3: Hagia Sophia and the Grand Bazaar Day 4: Cappadocia's Breathtaking Hot Air Balloons | Day 5: Exploring the Underground City on the Green Line Day 6: Salt Lake Sky Mirror and Konya's Whirling Dervishes | Day 7: Antalya's Ancient Theater and Old Town Day 8: Lake Salda and the Golden-Lit Pamukkale | Day 9: A Relaxing Day in Marmaris Greece Chapter Day 1: The Knights' Road of Rhodes | Day 2: Morning Swim in the Aegean Sea and a Tour of the Old Town Day 3: Day Trip to Delphi and the Monasteries | Day 4: The Classic Route of the Athens Acropolis Day 5: Flea Market and Acropolis Museum | Day 6: Attica Department Store and Archaeological Museum