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The Roman city
of Selge is set
high in the mountains above a dramatic
gorge
cut by the Köprüçay (Bridge Creek) (map).
The Turkish village of Altinkaya has
grown up amid the scant ruins of the Roman theater,
city walls, agora temple of Zeus, and
of a Byzantine church.
If you take a day excursion to Bridge
Canyon National Park (Köprülü Kanyon
Milli Park), you may want
to go another 12 km (7.5 miles)
to Selge to enjoy its beautiful
mountain setting, the Roman ruins,
and perhaps a hike into the hills.
Although Selge was a relatively prosperous
city under the Romans, it has always
had a problem obtaining water. The
ciy's excellent Roman engineers solved
the problem for a
time, but the scarcity of water and
the necessity of bringing it to the
city over long distances limited Selge's
growth.
The modern village of Altinkaya has
the same problem.
Even so, Selge's Roman ruins are worth
seeing. The theater seating
is in fairly good condition, all things
considered. After
nearly 2000 years of use, the skene (stage
wall) was destroyed by lightning less
than a century ago. (It's that pile
of rubble behind the stage.)
Car is
the best way to get to Selge. Plan
a day
excursion from Antalya, Belek,
Side or even Alanya, and plan to spend
some time in Bridge
Canyon National Park as
well. You might even want to go river
rafting there.
If you
take one of the infrequent minibus
dolmuses from Serik on
the Antalya-Alanya highway,
you may have to stay overnight. Villagers
will offer you space to roll out
your sleeping bag, and may be able
to cook
you simple meals.
Distances & Travel Times
Bridge
Canyon Nat'l Park (Köprülü Kanyon):
12 km (7.5 miles) SE, 25 minutes
Alanya: 140
km (87 miles) SE, 2.25 hours
Antalya: 108
km (67 miles) SW, 1.75 hours
Side: 81
km (50 miles) S, 1.5 hours
River
Rafting
Day Trips & Excursions from
Antalya
Mediterranean
Turkey
Where
to Go
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