Bergama

Bergama is a city in the Northern Aegean region of Turkey, 120 km north of Izmir and with a population of 104,980 in 2021. It's best known for the extensive ruins of Pergamon, a World Heritage site.

Understand

 * "I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is . . . "
 * - Revelation 2:12-17; St John of Patmos threatens the church of Pergamos.

Bergama or Pergamon / Pergamos (Πέργαμον / -ος) probably derives from a word meaning "hill", like the European "berg". It grew up as a semi-independent Hellenistic city-state under the Attalid dynasty, 281–133 BC. Its ruler Eumenes II beautified and fortified the ramshackle settlement into a fine Acropolis, vying with Athens. He tried to keep on friendly terms with Rome, but in 133 BC came a hostile takeover. However that wasn't the end of the show: Pergamon was only 13 km from the sea and was a trading city, probably with a cosmopolitan population. By 90 AD that included a small Christian community, one of the "Seven Churches of Asia" addressed by St John of Patmos. From around 110 AD Emperors Trajan then Hadrian embellished the Acropolis further, and the best of the ruins are from this period. Some dozen later conflicts didn't do too much damage, nor did modern urbanisation, so they remain the reason to visit and rank as one of the top sights in Turkey.

Get in
Bergama is 7 km from a major highway intersection, which is a stopping point for frequent inter-city buses round the clock. With your own vehicle from Istanbul follow O-5 (toll) to Soma then take D240. From Çanakkale follow the coast road D550. An agreeable side road in good weather is to leave D550 just before Ayvalık and take the scenic lane over Kozak plateau.

Buses from Istanbul take 8-9 hours via Bursa for a single fare in 2022 of about 500 TL.

Buses from Çanakkale take 4 hours for 160 TL. From Ankara they're 9 hours for 420 TL.

Operators on these routes include Metroturizm, Pamukkale and Flixbus. Other bus lines rush past on the highway non-stop.

From Izmir, take the local IZBAN train to its north terminus at Aliağa. Bus 835 runs every 30 min from the IZBAN station to Bergama Otogarı and town centre, and the total journey takes 2 hours. You need an izmirimkart since the train and bus don't accept cash.

is the inter-city bus station, away out west at the junction of D550 and D240. So it's convenient for buses on long-distance routes but is 7 km from downtown and 10 km from the main sights. See below for the local bus onward, or you might take a taxi or dolmuş. In 2022 passengers describe it as a ghost factory: a creeking empty place with no toilets, refreshments or other facilities, and hardly any staff or buses to be seen. Some buses don't turn into the station but drop you besides the seething highway - crossing it safely is simply not their responsibility. Your dilemma will be whether to do so, or to seek onward transport from the drop-off.

is the terminus for all the local Eshot buses, including the 835 from Aliağa.

Get around
Downtown is navigable on foot, including Red Basilica, the Archaeology Museum, the Asklepion and the base station for the Acropolis cable car.

It's a 3 km hike up the lane to the main Acropolis entrance and top cable-car station, so if you've brought a car use it. The cable car starts near the exit gate and brings you to the main entrance. In October 2023 one-way trip is 250 TL and round-trip 300 TL which seems to be overpriced and way more expensive than the short taxi ride to the main entrance.

Bus 835 from Aliağa calls every 30 min at the main Otogarı then heads into town, so this is your budget connection from the inter-city routes. Predatory taxi drivers will claim it's not running today. Their price should drop sharply when you show them the Eshot real-time bus tracker.

Buses 831, 832 and 833 run north to the mountain village of İncecikler.

See

 * Kurtuluş Camii is the mosque in the north rotunda, with a separate entrance.
 * Education Museum (Bergamalı Kadri Eğitim Tarihi Müzesi) is a converted schoolroom on Dede Sk 100 m north of Red Basilica. It's open M-F 09:00-16:00.
 * (Ulu Cami or Yıldırım Cami) was built in 1399 by Sultan Bayezid I - known as "Thunderbolt" (Yıldırım) for his habit of blazing into battles without figuring out how to conduct them. It's had spells of disrepair but has been restored and is still in use.
 * was built in 1550 and restored in 2017. Çukur Han opposite was a 14th century caravanserai, an overnight stop for travelling merchants, but if it's not promptly restored it's going to fall to bits. Taş Han is another caravanserai just south, sadly dilapidated.
 * is the name given to this structure, to distinguish it from the town's other theatres. It's circular and deep, so there would have been a very steep rake to the banks of seating. But nowadays there's no seating, just a few retaining walls, so frankly it looks like a crater.
 * was built in 1550 and restored in 2017. Çukur Han opposite was a 14th century caravanserai, an overnight stop for travelling merchants, but if it's not promptly restored it's going to fall to bits. Taş Han is another caravanserai just south, sadly dilapidated.
 * is the name given to this structure, to distinguish it from the town's other theatres. It's circular and deep, so there would have been a very steep rake to the banks of seating. But nowadays there's no seating, just a few retaining walls, so frankly it looks like a crater.
 * Viran Kapı is a ruined gateway on the street up to the Asklepion.
 * impounds a large irrigation lake. The last 200 m of road is closed so park by the gate and walk on. Nice views if there's a good level of water, but in summer you may encounter only a ribbon of pea soup. No swimming or other water activities are permitted.
 * Allianoi in the hills 18 km northeast was a spa resort in the Grecian era and developed into a miniature Pergamon under the Romans. But don't make a special trip to the ruins, which since 2011 lie deep beneath the Yortanlı irrigation lake.
 * Allianoi in the hills 18 km northeast was a spa resort in the Grecian era and developed into a miniature Pergamon under the Romans. But don't make a special trip to the ruins, which since 2011 lie deep beneath the Yortanlı irrigation lake.

Do

 * Football: Bergama Belediyespor play soccer in TFF 3 Lig, the fourth tier in Turkey. They are without a regular home ground as their 14 Eylül Stadyumu (14 Sept Stadium) has closed.
 * Aquapark 3 km southwest along the main highway gets poor reviews for hygiene and facilities, but if the kids are having hysterics at the prospect of yet more Graeco-Roman ruins . ..
 * Bergama Kermesi is a cultural festival held over a week in mid-June.

Buy

 * Lots of small supermarkets, Şok is the commonest chain.
 * Kınık Cd north side of Red Basilica has shops selling kilims, traditional hand-made woollen carpets.
 * Pine pistachio (cam fistigi) is a specialty of Kozak, the plateau north of town.

Eat

 * Small places line the main street a block west of Red Basilica. Go by how appetising the smell is, not by the decor.



Drink

 * Bars lie a little further south down Cumhuriyet Cd. By the Archaeology Museum are Dostlar Birahanesi and Leyla Meyhanesi.
 * Wine is grown in this region. The closest vineyard is Uysal in Teğelti (Tiyelti) village west of Asclepieion.

Stay safe
The city is safe, you just need usual care of valuables, traffic, and sun-protection on the exposed Acropolis.

The mangy stray dogs sometimes snarl at passers-by but prefer to mutilate each other.

Connect
As of July 2022, Bergama and the main east-west highway have 4G from all Turkish carriers, but coverage is patchy on the road north across the hills. 5G has not rolled out in Turkey.

Go next

 * Dikili is the nearest beach resort, with a long sandy beach north and attractive rocky coasts south around the headland to Çandarli.
 * Foça and its associated resorts are further south, on the edge of Izmir so they're busy on summer weekends.
 * The other Seven Churches of Asia can be toured by making a loop around Izmir through Akhisar, Sardis, Alaşehir and Denizli, then taking in Ephesus.
 * Izmir is a busy modern city but with lots to see and do. The raucous Aegean tourist strip starts south of the city.
 * Istanbul to Izmir is a long distance itinerary passing through Bergama.