Asklepion Theater – East View / Captured in the Pergamon / Bergama - İzmir - Türkiye
Eastern perspective of the theater, emphasizing the colonnaded street stretching to the right, offering a unique architectural angle.
Through My Eyes: Asklepion Archaeological Site (Bergama) and Pergamon Ancient City (Historical Place Museum)
My first steps into the museums of Bergama go back some 35 years, when my wife Kathy’s interest in health led us to spend time at the Asklepion site. Even then, despite the crowds, we could easily explore thanks to the map and concise information handed out at the entrance.
Visiting again last year and this year, I was saddened to see how little has changed—except for the worse. Beyond a fixed general map, no handouts or detailed guides are provided. Toilets stood closed, with peeling white doors, and several areas looked neglected. In most Turkish museums today, “audio guide services” in multiple languages are offered, which is wonderful. But in such a vast site, walking without a map feels almost like punishment. Even for me, someone aiming to photograph pre-planned spots, it was nearly impossible to find them—wandering around for hours without success. QR codes under signboards, which should be helpful, didn’t work after several attempts. Eventually, I gave up.
Pergamon Ancient City, with its heavy visitor traffic, suffers from similar neglect. Disorder is the first impression: collapsed stone columns fenced off with plastic chains, and ongoing excavation near the ancient theater leaving unsightly views of plastic sheets under the harsh sun. Thousands of visitors take photos here—yet these “dirty details” end up in every frame unless edited out.
What troubles me most is the lack of clear orientation. At Pergamon, even the scaled reconstruction panels do not show clearly where visitors are standing. Such “small but vital” shortcomings reduce the impact of this extraordinary heritage. I sincerely believe that these treasures deserve the same careful attention as Istanbul’s Topkapi Palace, Dolmabahçe Palace, Archaeology Museum, or Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts.
Meanwhile in Berlin, the Pergamonmuseum—Germany’s “most visited art museum”—has closed the great hall displaying the Pergamon Altar until 2026 for renovation. For decades, Türkiye has formally requested the return of these artifacts, excavated from within its borders. While that debate continues, my hope is simple: that the values of Bergama itself, here on Türkiye Aegean coast, will be properly revisited, protected, and presented with the dignity they truly deserve.
Additional Information -
Pergamon Acropolis: Once the capital of the Attalid dynasty (3rd–2nd century BC), the Acropolis of Pergamon was home to some of antiquity’s greatest achievements: the renowned Library of 200,000 volumes, the invention of parchment, the steepest ancient theater with a capacity of 10,000 spectators, and the monumental Altar of Zeus, decorated with a frieze of the Gigantomachy. Today, remains of temples, fortifications, and the theater still dominate the hilltop, overlooking the Bakırçay plain.
Asklepion: Dedicated to the God of Healing, Asklepios, this sanctuary dates back to the 4th century BC. It developed into one of the most advanced healing centers of the Roman world, offering treatments through sacred springs, mud baths, dream therapy, music, and diet. The complex included a theater for 3,500 people, libraries, temples, baths, and circular treatment rooms. It is also the birthplace of Galen, one of antiquity’s greatest physicians and father of pharmacology.
I've captured some unforgettable moments with my camera, and I hope you feel the same joy viewing these images as I did while shooting them.
Thank you so much for visiting my gallery, whether you leave a comment, add it to your favorites, or simply take a moment to look around. Your support means a lot to me, and I wish you good luck and beautiful light in all your endeavors.
© All rights belong to R.Ertuğ. Please refrain from using these images without my express written permission. If you are interested in purchasing or using them, feel free to contact me via Flickr mail.
Your comments and criticism are very valuable.
Thanks for taking the time to stop by and explore :)
Asklepion Theater – East View / Captured in the Pergamon / Bergama - İzmir - Türkiye
Eastern perspective of the theater, emphasizing the colonnaded street stretching to the right, offering a unique architectural angle.
Through My Eyes: Asklepion Archaeological Site (Bergama) and Pergamon Ancient City (Historical Place Museum)
My first steps into the museums of Bergama go back some 35 years, when my wife Kathy’s interest in health led us to spend time at the Asklepion site. Even then, despite the crowds, we could easily explore thanks to the map and concise information handed out at the entrance.
Visiting again last year and this year, I was saddened to see how little has changed—except for the worse. Beyond a fixed general map, no handouts or detailed guides are provided. Toilets stood closed, with peeling white doors, and several areas looked neglected. In most Turkish museums today, “audio guide services” in multiple languages are offered, which is wonderful. But in such a vast site, walking without a map feels almost like punishment. Even for me, someone aiming to photograph pre-planned spots, it was nearly impossible to find them—wandering around for hours without success. QR codes under signboards, which should be helpful, didn’t work after several attempts. Eventually, I gave up.
Pergamon Ancient City, with its heavy visitor traffic, suffers from similar neglect. Disorder is the first impression: collapsed stone columns fenced off with plastic chains, and ongoing excavation near the ancient theater leaving unsightly views of plastic sheets under the harsh sun. Thousands of visitors take photos here—yet these “dirty details” end up in every frame unless edited out.
What troubles me most is the lack of clear orientation. At Pergamon, even the scaled reconstruction panels do not show clearly where visitors are standing. Such “small but vital” shortcomings reduce the impact of this extraordinary heritage. I sincerely believe that these treasures deserve the same careful attention as Istanbul’s Topkapi Palace, Dolmabahçe Palace, Archaeology Museum, or Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts.
Meanwhile in Berlin, the Pergamonmuseum—Germany’s “most visited art museum”—has closed the great hall displaying the Pergamon Altar until 2026 for renovation. For decades, Türkiye has formally requested the return of these artifacts, excavated from within its borders. While that debate continues, my hope is simple: that the values of Bergama itself, here on Türkiye Aegean coast, will be properly revisited, protected, and presented with the dignity they truly deserve.
Additional Information -
Pergamon Acropolis: Once the capital of the Attalid dynasty (3rd–2nd century BC), the Acropolis of Pergamon was home to some of antiquity’s greatest achievements: the renowned Library of 200,000 volumes, the invention of parchment, the steepest ancient theater with a capacity of 10,000 spectators, and the monumental Altar of Zeus, decorated with a frieze of the Gigantomachy. Today, remains of temples, fortifications, and the theater still dominate the hilltop, overlooking the Bakırçay plain.
Asklepion: Dedicated to the God of Healing, Asklepios, this sanctuary dates back to the 4th century BC. It developed into one of the most advanced healing centers of the Roman world, offering treatments through sacred springs, mud baths, dream therapy, music, and diet. The complex included a theater for 3,500 people, libraries, temples, baths, and circular treatment rooms. It is also the birthplace of Galen, one of antiquity’s greatest physicians and father of pharmacology.
I've captured some unforgettable moments with my camera, and I hope you feel the same joy viewing these images as I did while shooting them.
Thank you so much for visiting my gallery, whether you leave a comment, add it to your favorites, or simply take a moment to look around. Your support means a lot to me, and I wish you good luck and beautiful light in all your endeavors.
© All rights belong to R.Ertuğ. Please refrain from using these images without my express written permission. If you are interested in purchasing or using them, feel free to contact me via Flickr mail.
Your comments and criticism are very valuable.
Thanks for taking the time to stop by and explore :)