8 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

The Enchanting Ancient City of Rome “Sagalassos”

The archaeological site of Sagalassos is a very important and well-preserved settlement located in a magnificent mountain landscape, 7 km north from a village named Ağlasun (province of Burdur, south-west Turkey). Sagalassos is 1,750 meters above sea level.

Sagalassos was the most important city of ancient Pisidia, situated in the Taurus Mountain chain with the Mediterranean Sea to the south and the Anatolian plateau to the north.

Although Sagalassos appears to be a great Greco-Roman settlement, its origins can be traced as far back as the Hittites (1300 BC), who referred to the city as Salawassa. The early settlers preferred a fortified location on the upper mountain slopes. Despite the elevation, the city is kept warm by the fact that the chosen location faces south, while winters here are still cold.

When Alexander the Great came to conquer the area in 333BC, the people of Sagalassos fought back valiantly before succumbing.  It is believed that Alexander had the Heroon constructed in his honor at this time.

Sagalassos passed from ruler to ruler after Alexander’s conquest, until it, like the rest of the region, fell under Roman influence. This was the wealthiest era in the city’s history, and many of Sagalassos’ finest monuments were constructed during this time. Emperors were honored with colossal statues, and Hadrian had the magnificent theatre built on the hill above the capital.

Sagalassos
The magnificent fountain backing the upper square.

After centuries of Hellenization and Roman rule, Sagalassos underwent a third significant transformation in the fourth century: the city became Christian. Significant administrative changes followed, and construction work resumed began at the end of the fourth century following a roughly 235-year hiatus. The city’s elites were less interested than before. From the fifth century on, Christianization widely influenced the architecture of Sagalassos.

About 400AD, city walls were built, signaling an increasing danger of invasion. A series of earthquakes proved to be the largest threat to the region, and a massive earthquake in 590 effectively ended the great city. Sagalassos was deserted though small settlements remained in the region (near the city and down in the valley).

The Heroon of Sagalassos
The Heroon of Sagalassos, thought to have been built by Alexander the Great.

At the same time, the neighboring town of Ağlasun also developed. Sagalassos survived today in Ağlasun, and its name comes from this ancient city. Ağlasun was founded in the Selçuk dynasty in the 13th century when caravanserai and hamams were built near the current city square. It was a booming center in the 16th century when it hosted a regional market.

The city has been excavated since 1990 by archaeologists from the University of Leuven in Belgium.

Among the impressive finds are a beautifully intact theater built by Emperor Hadrian, many ornate fountains (Nymphaeum), the most impressive of which is the Antoninskaya Fountain in the upper agora, and the Heroon, or hero statue, built overlooking the city. these are the remains of the Roman baths, the markets, the bouleuterion (council theater), and the colonnaded streets overlooking the valley far below. The signage in Sagalassos is excellent and very informative, so you will easily be able to find out which monument is which and what the story behind it is.

sagalassos
Sagalassos.

The site has a huge Roman bath, a library, a city mansion with more than 80 rooms, and a theater that can accommodate 9,000 people, as well as other monuments of the city that are 1,000 years old.

The excavated finds have been exhibited in the Burdur Museum.

How to get there 

Car

Head east from D650 (Burdur highway in Antalya) (from the south, follow the D685, from the north to the Burdur Ağlasun highway), to the town of Ağlasun. In the town, you will see signposts that will guide you uphill through the town and north through the mountains to the Sagarassos.

Other

If you don’t have a car but still want to visit Sagalassos, you can take a coach bus to the cities of Burdur or Bucak, from where you should be able to catch a minibus to the village of Ağlasun. From Ağlasun, you can take a twisting 7.5-kilometer trek up the mountains or try to find a taxi in town.

Related Articles

Could the Kerkenes Settlement be Gordion the Second?

1 August 2022

1 August 2022

Although the settlement on the Kerkenes mountain, located within the borders of Sorgun district of Yozgat, has been known and...

A sanctuary for Cult God Mithras discovered in Germany

13 April 2023

13 April 2023

A place of worship for the Roman god of light, Mithras, was discovered during archaeological excavations in Trier, in southwestern...

An olive workshop dating back to the 6th century was found in the ancient city of Dara

16 February 2022

16 February 2022

An olive workshop dating back to the 6th century was unearthed in the ancient city of Dara, one of the...

Magical Roman Phallus Wind Chime Unearthed in Serbia

15 November 2023

15 November 2023

Archaeologists have unearthed a Roman phallus wind chime known as a tintinnabulum, during excavations at the ancient city of Viminacium...

The oldest fortification system in Anatolia is about 8000 years old “Kuruçay Höyük”

14 May 2022

14 May 2022

Kuruçay höyük is located near the village Of Kuruçay, fifteen kilometers south of Burdur. The mound itself is situated upon...

A stunning fresco depicting Helen of Troy is revealed during excavations at the ancient Roman city

11 April 2024

11 April 2024

Archeologists have uncovered remarkably preserved ‘fresco’ paintings on a wall in the banqueting room of a large house along Via...

Structures in Turkey’s Panaztepe pointing out a 5,000-year-old settlement found

8 November 2021

8 November 2021

In the 5000-year-old Panaztepe settlement located in the Menemen district of Izmir, structures thought to belong to the oldest period...

Ceremonial meals may have been served in the 4500-year-old structure unearthed in the Yumuktepe Höyük in Southern Turkey

3 November 2021

3 November 2021

A 4,500-year-old structure containing a jar, many pots, and food fossils has been unearthed at the Yumuktepe Höyük (mound) in...

Offerings to goddess Demeter uncovered in archaic temple on Crete island, Greek

17 November 2022

17 November 2022

Nestled between two mountain peaks overlooking the harbor, excavations in the ancient city of Phalasarna revealed hundreds of offerings to...

2500-year-old Aphrodite Temple Discovered

4 February 2021

4 February 2021

Archaeologists have discovered a 2500-year-old temple built in the name of Goddess Aphrodite around Çeşme and Urla districts of Izmir...

8,500-year-old marble statuette found in Çatalhöyük

28 December 2021

28 December 2021

In the 29th season of the excavations in Çatalhöyük, one of the first urbanization models in Anatolia, in the Çumra...

Decapitated skeletons of Roman ‘criminals’ found on HS2 route

5 February 2022

5 February 2022

Archaeologists working with the HS2 project have discovered 425 bodies on the route of the new railway line – around...

The rich-poor distinction draws attention in the nutrition of the inhabitants of the Ancient City of Pergamon

27 November 2021

27 November 2021

The hegemony of wealth to the poor, arising from the ruler, elite structure, property ownership, unjust acquisition, and distribution of...

Assos Excavations Reveal 2,200-Year-Old Mosaic and Monumental Tomb

10 March 2025

10 March 2025

Archaeological excavations in the ancient city of Assos, situated in Behramkale village in Türkiye’s Çanakkale province in the northwestern part...

After 1,300 years, water to again flow from monumental fountain in the City of Gladiators in Turkey

30 December 2022

30 December 2022

The approximately 2,000-year-old monumental fountain in the ancient city of Kibyra in Golhisar, Burdur in southwestern Turkey will start flowing...