People often will ask me “what is your favorite site in Turkey (or Israel, or Greece, or . . . .)?” I have so many favorites that it is a difficult question to answer, but in Turkey, Sagalassos is one of my top picks.
Sagalassos is a magnificent ancient city located about 80 mi. [130 km.] north of Antalya. It was one of the largest cities of the region/district of Pisidia. Although located in a very remote territory it was conquered by Alexander the Great and it was near one of the ancient roads that ran from Attalia (mod. Antalya)/Perge to Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:13-14; 14:25).
The well–preserved Hellenistic “Fountain House” on the north slope of Sagalassos.
Fountain Houses usually were built at the site of a spring
but were not as elaborate as Nymphaea
This Doric structure is partly reconstructed and actually is functional today!
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Among the many well–preserved remains is a partly reconstructed “Fountain House” from which the inhabitants of Sagalassos could draw water.
Mountains in the region of Sagalassos
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Fountain Houses were common in ancient Greco- Roman Cities. For example compare the ones at ancient Corinth: the “Upper Peirene Spring” on the Acrocorinth; the Peirene Fountain and the Glauke Fountain in lower Corinth; and the Lerna Spring at the Asclepion at Corinth.
Sagalassos has been under excavation since 1990 by a Belgian team led by Mark Waelkens of the Catholic University of Leuven. Because of its remoteness it is very well-preserved and Waelkens’ team has made some outstanding discoveries and has been very diligent in the preservation and restoration of the site.
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