Ariassos Antik Kenti

Ariassos, one of the cities of the Pisidia Region, is located 50 kilometres north of Antalya, to the west of Çubukbeli at an altitude of 924 metres, the pass connecting the Antalya coast to Anadolu Patosu, and 1 kmilometre from Akkoç Village. The official foundation year of the city is 189/188 BC, in connection with the campaign of Manlius Vulso and the Peace of Apameia. The city continued minting coins from the 1st century BC until the Period of Gallienus (253-267). The city is shown by Hierokles in the Province of Pamphylia in the Late Antique Period. Until the 12th century, it is referred to in the Notitia Episcopatum as the bishopric of the Pamphylia II Region.

Antalya Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism

Ariassos, which was in unity with the other Pisidia cities, was located in the Roman Period as a pass where its roads were built. After the Byzantine Period, life in the city came to an end. When the city plan of Ariassos is examined, from east to west there are first a necropolis area, the southern corner of the city walls and civil structures, the city gate, a possible colonnaded street extending westward from the gate, the main city settlement on the north side of this street, and again a necropolis area to the west. The city was placed on terraces formed on the northern slope, parallel to this street extending in the east-west direction. Its most important structures are the city gate, which is standing almost completely intact, mausoleum-type tomb structures, city walls, Roman Road, waterway, Nymphaion, Bouleuterion, a considerably ruined Gymnasion with a lost section, bath and theatre structures. At the beginning of the valley through which Ariassos City is entered rises the monumental entrance gate, the most magnificent ruin of the city. It is understood that the three-arched city gate was in use in the time of Severus Alexander.

Antalya Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism

In addition, three small church buildings were identified, two on the colonnaded street accepted to have existed between the city gate and the fountain building, and one in the northwestern part of the city. On the western slope of the city, there is the remnant of the Ancient Roman Road descending by cutting across today's Akkoç Village road. It was made with large, neatly laid blocks. This road is the road coming from Termessos to the western gate of Ariassos. After the city gate, the most striking structures of Ariassos are the monumental tombs.

Antalya Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism

Integrated with the city settlement, there are two necropolis areas on the east and west sides. On the northern side of the western necropolis, there are 9 mausoleum-type tombs. These are double-vault covered on an orthostat podium seated on a two-crepis stylobate. The rooms where the sarcophagus is located are reached by 6 steps between the antae. In the western necropolis, forty more simply built tomb buildings with direct entrances, seated on a quadrangular plan one- or two-step platform, were also identified. In the eastern necropolis, nine tomb structures appear before us. Apart from these, limestone sarcophagi with tabula ansata on the sides and Pisidia-type shields on the narrow faces, and simple burial forms carved directly into the rock were also used.

Source: "Ariassos", Dünden Bugüne Antalya II. Cilt, Antalya Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism (2012)

Places to Visit in Antalya Address: Ariassos Antik Kenti, Akkoç, Döşemealtı, Antalya