Balbura (Katara)

BALBURA (Katara), ancient Lycia / Asia Minor, modern Turkey.

COORDENATES: 36º57’14.59’’N // 29º34’56.73’’E

TIPOLOGY: Greek theatre. Urban.

DATE: Mid – II B.C.

TRANSFORMATIONS:

CAPACITY: 1.800 spectators.

CAVEA: facing south. 36 m. diameter, exceeeds semicircle. Maenianum: 16 rows of seat are visible on 3 cunei.

ORCHESTRA: 11 m. diameter.

STAGE BUILDING: It´s the best preserved a complete wall built on slope of polygonal rusticated masonry.

LOCATION: Balbura has two theatres, these is called “upper theatre” and it´s located on south slope of north hill, 6 klm. south-east from Altinyayla, 25 klm. south from Gölishar

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; “Lycian Turkey”. London, Ernst Benn, 1978. // Freely, John; “The Western Mediterranean coast of Turkey”. Istanbul, Matbaacilik ve Yayincilik A.S., 1997.

 

 

OUT OF PRINT: These is one of these theatres that you spent time to find it. In my first travel to Lycia, I was not able to find it, I only had very poor references in Bean´s book, it was a day in which I lived with the snow on road and to take references was very difficult, I did not have a gps either. Anyway I found it in my second travel, it was difficult but too much exciting... the bad new was that I did not have references to look for the second one theatre, I tried to recognize the land was it was not possible... maybe, I hope, there will be a third time, another travel to Lycia, and I will try it again, of course.