Sillyon (Asar Köy)

SILLYON (Asar Köy), ancient Pamphylia / Asia Minor, modern Turkey.

COORDINATES: 36º59’24.98’’N // 30º59’14.24’’E

TIPOLOGY: Greek theatre. Urban.

DATE:

TRANSFORMATIONS:

CAPACITY: 2.000 spectators.

CAVEA: Facing sout-east. 60 m. diameter. Only 9 top rows of seats survives. The theatre was on the edge of the hill and collapsed in 1969, falling down part of the cavea, the stage building and the nearby odeon. George Bean saw 15 rows of seats in 60´s.

ORCHESTRA: Nothing survives.

STAGE BUILDING: Nothing survives.

LOCATION: Ancient Sillyon is on a hill, 20klm north-east from ancient Perge; 34 klm. north-east from Antalya. The theatre remains are on south rim of acropolis hill.

MY BEDSIDE TABLE: Yilmaz, Yasar; “Anadolu Antik Tiyatrolari”. Istanbul, Yem Yanin, 2010.// 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; “Turkey´s southern shore”. London, Ernest Benn Limited, 1968.// Freely, John; “The eastern mediterranean coast of Turkey”. Istanbul, Matbaacilik ve Yayincilik A.S., 1998.

 

 

OUT OF PRINT: The ancient Sillyon theatre was the first one I visited in my first travel to Turkey; I can not explain the exciting feelings I had, could not have a better start. The place of ancient Sillyon is absolutely fascinating, magical and enigmatic. A real place where you can talk with the silence, a silence that make you drunk. From the seats, surrounded by sheep I remembered that verses: “Extend the look / fly it in the infinite horizon / like a bird or the rain that settle”. Pamphylia under my fe