Kibyra (Gölhisar)

KIBYRA (Gölhisar), ancient Lycia / Asia Minor, modern Turkey.

COORDINATES: 37º09’38.54’’N // 29º29’20.77’’E

TIPOLOGY: Greek theatre. Urban.
DATE: End I B.C.
TRANSFORMATIONS: Roman stage building, first half III A.D.
CAPACITY: 7.400 spectators.
CAVEA: Facing south-east. 81 m. diameter. Cavea exceeds semicircle. Maenuanum: ima cavea with 15 rows of seats in 5 cunei. Media cavea with 12 rows of seats in 10 cunei; Summa cavea with 7 cunei  and 10 steps, but did not extend to the entire width of the cavea.
ORCHESTRA: 35 m. diameter.
STAGE BUILDING: Was removed in roman times, only part of the scaenae frons survives with 5 doors.
LOCATION: On a hill, 2 klm. north-west from modern Gölhisar, about 100 klm north-east from Fethiye.
MY BEDSIDE TABLE: Sear, Frank; “Roman theatres: an architectural study”. Oxford University Press, 2006.// Ciancio Rossetto, Paola; Giuseppina Pisani Sartorio (eds); “Teatri Greci e Romani: alle origini del linguaggio rappresentato”. Rome: SEAT, 1995.// Bean, George; “Lycian Turkey”. London, Ernst Benn, 1978.// Yilmaz, Yasar; “Anadolu Antik Tiyatrolari”. Istanbul, Yem Yanin, 2010.

OUT OF PRINT: Two times I were in Kibyra, two times -one was Kurban Bayrani day, I felt the same. After visiting more than 450 ancient theatres Kybira´s was the one that made me felt scared, I do not know why. I have slept in some ancient theatres, but I think I will never do it in Kybira´s one. Anyway is one of my favourite places, it is impressive, being on the top of the cavea you can feel vertigo, due to the slope of the rows, like in Selge´s ancient theatre.