Bergama , 100 km from the center of Izmir,is one of the most important cultural treasures of Turkey . Hosting the Ionian, Hellenic, Roman and Byzantine civilizations with a history of 8,500 years, Bergama has been a center of health, culture and art for centuries.
Although we do not understand its value very well, Bergama is a gateway to Izmir’s history with its historical heritage and cultural richness. Bergama, which is 108 km away from the center of Izmir, is one of the oldest settlements in history.
Pergamon Travel Guide
The name Pergamon comes from the ancient word Pergamon . As a word, it means steep cliff, castle, fortified place. As the center of the Pergamon Kingdom in the first age, the center of the Karesioğulları in the middle ages, and finally as an important center of the Ottoman Empire, it is a place that has preserved its importance in every period.
The city, which lived its brightest period in the early days of the Pergamon Kingdom and the Roman State right after it, has left its mark on history and still bears the traces of those days. Located in the Mysia region, which was the crossing point of Eastern and Western civilizations in ancient times, the city is commemorated with important developments that rival the world in science, health, culture, trade and architecture.
Bergama, which was established in one of the regions with the richest historical heritage in Anatolia, was the center of the Pergamon Kingdom, which shaped the history of the region. There is a lot of interesting information about Bergama, which is located between Kozak Plateau and Edremit Bay. Bergama, which is included in the KUNESCO World Heritage List with its 9 different cultural areas, has witnessed many firsts and greats in the past.
Asklepion , one of the most important health centers of ancient times , was also part of the city of Pergamon. The father of pharmacy, the city of Physician Galenos, Asclepion, the culture, science and art center of the Hellenistic period, became one of the most important health centers of its time with medical, surgical and paramedical treatments intertwined with indoctrination and belief.
After the Egyptian Library of Alexandria, the second library opened in the world was in the Ancient City of Pergamon. There was an archive of 200 thousand volumes in the Pergamon Library, the first library of Asia. Parchment, an animal skin used for writing or painting, was also found in Bergama. Derived from the Latin word Charta Pergamena, parchment is used to mean Bergama paper.
According to a common ancient myth, the King of Egypt forbade the export of papyrus to Anatolia so that the Library of Pergamon would not exceed the Library of Alexandria. King of Pergamum II. Eumenes promised great rewards to anyone who would invent a new paper. The library manager of the period, Krates, processed the kid skins and made them writeable and presented them to the king. Starting from the 2nd century BC, parchment spread all over the world from Pergamum.
The first parchment known in history, the first natural treatment, the first city with 4 theaters and the steepest theater in the world came to life in these lands. Bergama Antique Theater, built during the Hellenistic Period, is the steepest theater in the world with an angle of 70 degrees. The theater with a capacity of 15 thousand spectators impresses its visitors with its magnificent view.
st. One of the 7 churches mentioned in the Revelation chapter written by John was located in Pergamum. These 7 churches are used to express communities, not physical structures. Other cities mentioned together with Bergama are Ephesus, Symrna, Philadelphia, Laodicea, Thyatira and Sardis.
