Aspendos

Next stop: Aspendos, a Greco-Roman city dating from about 1000 BC. It's had quite a history. Built by the Greeks, it was later under Persian control, then taken back by the Greeks, then taken back by the Persians, then overrun by Alexander the Great, and ultimately surrendered to the Romans, beginning a long decline; it was periodically repaired by the Seljuks and used as a caravansarai. The monumental entry is still pretty much intact.

Most of the restoration has been lavished on the theater, built in 155 BC and originally seating 7000. It now hosts an annual opera and ballet festival attracting around 10,000 people.

The theater sports some beautiful detailing in the stage area:

Notice the face carved into this piece:

There are still traces of paint left by the Seljuk occupation: