The vitality that has lasted for nearly two thousand years

The ancient Aspendos theater, not far from Antalya, was built in the second century AD and is the best-preserved ancient Roman theater, capable of accommodating fifteen thousand people. From the stage's sound and lighting equipment, it can be seen that the ancient theater still frequently hosts performances. When we arrived, a group of students was visiting, and a middle-aged man who seemed to be a teacher recited a passage or poem on stage. The students responded to him from the stands, witnessing the vitality of the ancient theater. The stage backdrop wall is relatively simple, built with neatly arranged stone blocks. It has two layers of eaves with intricately carved patterns. The triangular pediment in the middle of the second layer is engraved with Dionysus, the god of drama. The most striking part is a row of arches (some of which are later additions) above the stands, arranged in a semicircle, elegant and magnificent. Behind the arches forms a curved corridor, where walking through it, one can feel the changes in light and shadow, as if a thousand years pass in an instant. The scenic area is actually quite large, with many other ruins, but they are all very dilapidated, and the roads are difficult to walk, so there are almost no people. Therefore, most tourists spend only twenty to thirty minutes visiting the theater with the 15-euro ticket before finishing their tour.