Türkiye'nin kültür turizminde çok özel bir yeri var Aspendos Antik Tiyatrosu'nun. 1800 yıl önce inşa edilen, Selçukluların restore ederek koruduğu, bugüne kadar gelen 9 bin kişilik bu muhteşem amfitiyatro, 11 yıldır yazın bir opera ve bale festivaline evsahipliği yapıyor.

Geçen yıl Avrupa Festivaller Birliği'ne üye olan, TSE tarafından kalite belgesi verilen ve İngiliz The Independent Gazetesi tarafından dünyanın en iyi 5'inci opera festivali seçilen bu etkinlik, Akdeniz kıyılarımıza gelen turistlerin sadece deniz ve güneşle değil sanatla iç içe bir tatil yapmasını sağlıyor.

24 Ekim 2003'te alınan kararla, Aspendos Festivali, Avrupa Festivaller Birliği'nin (EFA - European Festivals Association) üyeliğine kabul edildi. Bir başka önemli gelişme daha oldu. Aspendos'a gelip organizasyonu inceleyen Türk Standartları Enstitüsü yetkilileri festivale TS-EN-ISO 9001:2000 belgesi verdiler. Ayrıca İngiltere'de yayınlanan Independent Gazetesi, yaptığı araştırmada, dünyanın en iyi 10 opera festivali arasında beşinci sırada Aspendos'u gösterdi.

Manavgat'ın kuruluş tarihi kesin olarak bilinmemekle birlikte, yerleşim merkezi oluşunun M.Ö. 150-200 yılları arasında olduğu sanılmaktadır. 400-500 yılları arasında konaklama ve göçme şeklinde geçici yerleşmelere sahip olduğu söylenmektedir. M.Ö.'sinden yakın zamana kadar, şimdiki ilçe yakınlarında kayıklar ve gemilerin çay üzerinde bulunan iki yaka arasında yük ve insan taşımacılığı yapıldığı, belgelerden anlaşılmaktadır. Malazgirt savaşından sonra bu yöreye Horasan'dan gelen yörükler ve Yörük Beyleri yerleşmiştir. Manavgat çayının batı yakası Turgay beylerinin, doğu yakası Senir beylerinin tımar, zeamet ve başları olarak Cumhuriyet dönemine kadar devam etmiştir. Daha sonra bu iki yaka birleştirilerek 1913 yılında Manavgat adı ile ilçe olmuştur.


Manavgat Etkinlikleri
Manavgat Dağ Bisikleti Maratonu
2006 Yılından itibaren Side-TUDER organizatörlüğünde düzenlenen Manavgat MTB Maratonu, 2007 yılında Uluslararası, 2008 yılında ise Dünya Kupası 1. Ayağı Seviyesine ulaşmıştır. Dünya Bisiklet Federasyonu (UCI)'nun da desteklediği organizasyon her yıl Mart-Nisan aylarında gerçekleşmektedir.

Ayrıntılı Bilgi İçin: http://www.manavgatmtb.org/

urning off the Antalya - Alanya road at kilometer 30 in the direction of the village of Belkis we come to the best - preserved ancient theater in Turkey. According to Strabo, the city of Aspendos was founded by colonists who came from Argos under the leadership of Mopsos. Coins minted in the 4th and 5th centuries B.C. give the city's name as Estwediya. (Aspendos had the distincition of beign the only city besides Side that coined money in its own name at that early period.) For a while, the city was a member of the Athenian martime alliance (the Delian League). A naval battle was fought off Aspendos in 469 B.C. during which the Persian fleet was defeated by the forces of the Athenian general Cimon. Despite this however we see Aspendos beign used as a Persian base in 411 B.C. With Alexander's defeat of the Persians in 334 B.C. Aspendos was freed of persian rule. It was ruled by various Hellenistic period kings following the death of Alexander and like most other in Asia minor it came under roman rule in 133 B.C. The city particularly flourished in the 2nd and 3rd centuries. A.D. in the 5th century the city's name was changed to Primupolis. Aspendos was badly affected by the Arab incursions in the 8th century. The Seljuks, who arrived in the area in the 12th century, appear to have made use of some of the ancient structures, the theater beign among them. one may approach the ruins by car as the theater and we shall begin our tour there.

The Aspendos theater is built of regularly dressed blocks of conglomerate while the door and window frames are of a cream-colored limestone. One enters the skene through five doors, the one in the middle on the east being larger than the other four on located two of either side. The stage building is a two-tiered facade with four rows df windows, each row of which is of a different form and size. The niches contained decorative statuery. Even today the facade has an attractive appeal. From inscriptions at the theater we know that the structure was built during the reign of Marcus Aurelius (161-180) by two brothers, Curtius Crispinus and Curtius auspicatus, to be dedicated to the gods and the emperors. The architect's name was Zeno. The auditorium is divided in two by a diazoma and there is a gallery of columns surmounting the top row of seats. While the theater appears to be built on barrel - vaulted substructures, parts of it do rest against the hillside. With a seating capacity of 20.000 the Aspendos theater is still usable today. North of the theater at the same level is the stadium.

The Aspendos stadium resembles the one at Perge: the spectator's seats are also set on vaults. To the south of the theater are the remains of a gymnasium and baths now in ruins. If we ascend to the acropolis on the hill above the theater from the path connecting the theater and stadium we pass through the eastern of the city's three gates into the ruins of the city proper. Proceeding west from this gate, we come upon a basilica, part of which was used for government and civic affairs and as a courthouse. Much of this section is still standing. The triple - nave basilica extending 105 meters to the west was a commercial building while the agora lay to its west. The agora was surrounded by public buildings. West of the agora is a covered marketplace measuring 70 meters in length. The front was open consisting of a row of shops with a stoa in front. north of the agora are the remains of a nymphaion (fountain) of which only the facade measuring 32.50 meters in length and 15 meters in heigth remains. This elaborately decorated facade has two rows of niches. Northwest of the fountain are the remains of the bouleuterion, which was used as the city-state's parliament hall.In the center of the ruin are the traces of the foundations of a monumental arch. At the southern end of the basilica are the remains of exedrae, which served both as pedestals for statues and stone benches for the public. Another of the remains worth mentioning at Aspendos are the city's magnificent aqueducts, parts of which are in the nearby village and on the site of the ruins.

Near Side lies Manavgat, which has a small and a bigger waterfall. The small one is merely a rapid, but a boat-tour from Side has to stop here. There are some waterwheels, with no obvious purpose. The big waterfall is nice. It is crescent shaped, and although it is not high, it is pretty broad. The water is at least at one side very shallow, so it makes a nice spot for a picture. Next to Leon is standing another photographer with his model, waiting for us to leave. It is a place with a lot of trees, providing with plenty of shadow. And there are some souvenir shops and places where you can buy a drink or something to eat. In the warm and rather dry surroundings, it forms and oasis. 


Manavgat Etkinlikleri
Manavgat Dağ Bisikleti Maratonu
2006 Yılından itibaren Side-TUDER organizatörlüğünde düzenlenen Manavgat MTB Maratonu, 2007 yılında Uluslararası, 2008 yılında ise Dünya Kupası 1. Ayağı Seviyesine ulaşmıştır. Dünya Bisiklet Federasyonu (UCI)'nun da desteklediği organizasyon her yıl Mart-Nisan aylarında gerçekleşmektedir.

Ayrıntılı Bilgi İçin: http://www.manavgatmtb.org/

Das Side Theater, das an die 15.000 Zuschauer fasste. Das Theater ist hervorragend erhalten und deshalb unbedingt einen Besuch wert. Auf der Agora, dem Marktplatz und Treffpunkt für religiöse Veranstaltungen der damaligen Zeit, befindet sich direkt hinter dem Theater eine eingestürzte Bühnenfassade. Dieser Marktplatz war auch damals ein gigantischer Umschlagplatz für den Sklavenhandel. Die alten Stadtmauern stehen teilweise noch, wobei besonders das Nympheum, der Zentralbrunnen, der Teil der Wasserversorgung war. Über Bäder und Thermen verfügte das alte Side auch. In einem befindet sich heute das Archäologische Museum der Stadt, das wunderschöne alte Marmorstatuen ausstellt. Zu den Wahrzeichen von Side gehören die wieder aufgestellten Säulen des Apollontempels. Nachts werden diese Säulen angestrahlt und bilden an der Küste eine traumhafte Kulisse. Überhaupt ist besonders in den Abendstunden ein Spaziergang am dortigen Hafen Pflicht, da es kaum etwas Schöneres gibt, als dort dann zu flanieren und in einen der Cafes den Sonnenuntergang vor dem Hintergrund der Ruinen zu betrachten.İn dem Antikischen Theather wird seit 8 jahren jeden September das Side Kultur & Kunst Festival hergestellt.

65 km östlich von Antalya und nur ca. 4 km von Side entfernt liegt die Stadt Manavgat. Die Region um Manavgat bietet eine breite Palette an historischen Orten und die auffallend grüne Natur (überwiegend Tannenwälder) begeistert die Besucher immer wieder. Moderne Hotels liegen an den weiten Sandstränden westlich und östlich von Manavgat, in so bekannten Ferienorten wie Side, Sorgun, Titryengöl, Kumköy oder Çolakli.Manavgat ist - trotz des Tourismus in den Orten der Umgebung - eine typisch türkische Stadt geblieben.Die Lebensader der Stadt ist der dunkelgrün schimmernde Manavgat Fluß, der die Stadt in 2 Hälften teilt und auf dem die typisch türkischen Gulets (Holzboote) zu einer netten Ausflugsfahrt einladen. 

Für Mehr Info: http://www.manavgatmtb.org/

Теaтр Аспендос занимает важное место в культурном туризме Турции. Этот великолепный амфитеатр на 9000 зрителей, построенный 1800 лет назад, сохраненный реставрировавшими его Сельджуами и дошедший до сегодняшних дней, на протяжении последних 11 лет в летний сезон оказывает гостепримство фестивалям оперы и балета.

Это мероприятие, в прошлом году ставшее членом Европейской ассоциации фестивалей, получившее сертификат качества TSE- Института Стандартов Турции и названное английской газетой The Independent 5-ым лучим оперным фестивалем, позволяет приехавшим на Средиземноморское побережье туристам проводить свой отдых не только в контакте с морем и солнцем, но и соприкасаясь с культурой.

Решением принятым 24 Октября 2003 года, Фестиваль в Аспендосе был принят в члены Европейской Ассоциации Фестивалей (EFA - European Festivals Association). Также, произошло еще одно важное событие. Приехавшие в Аспендос представители Института стандартов Турции, провели экпертизу мероприятия и выдали фестивалю сертификат TS-EN-ISO 9001:2000. Кроме того, по результатам исследоваия, проведенного английской газетой The Independent, фестиваль был указан как 5-ый из 10-ти лучших оперных фестивалей мира.

Наряду с тем, что точная дата основания Манавгата остается неизвестной, предпологается, что период превращения его в населенных пункт приходиться на 150-200 годы до Н.Э. Говориться, что между 400-500 годами в этом районе имело место временное заселение в виде остановок путешественников на отдых и переселений. Из документов становиться ясно, что с периода до Н.Э до близкого времени вблизи от сегодняшних границ области, на лодках и кораблях по реке осуществлялась перевозка грузов и людей между двумя берегами. После битвы на Малазгите (Битва при Манцикерте) в этой области расположились Йорюки, пришедшие с Хорасана и Беи Йорюков. Вплоть до периода Республики, западный берег реки Манавгат являлся феодальным владением и резиденцией беев Тургай, а восточный берег принадлежал беям Сенир. Позже два этих берега были объединены о одну административную единицу и с 1913 года стали являться областью с названием Манавгат.

Мероприятия Манавгата
Марафон на горных велосиведах в Манавгате.
Марафон на горных велосипедах в Манавгате (Manavgat MTB Marathon), который организуется Сиде ТУДЕР (Side TUDER) и проводится с 2006 года, в 2007 году получил статус международного, а в 2008 году достиг уровня первого этапа Кубка Мира. Организация, поводимая при поддержке Международного Союза Велосипелистов проводится каждый год в марте-апреле месяце.

Для получения детальной информации :
 http://www.manavgatmtb.org/