It is not clear when the city was founded. Its Luwian name points to the Hittite period (c. 1700-1200 BC). The first written reference to Kastabala comes from an inscription in Aramaic (5-4th c. BC) and mentions 'Kastabalay'. In the Hellenistic time, the city became Hierapolis (2nd c. BC) only to regain its original name under Roman rule. The Romans brought peace and prosperity to Cilicia, and left many traces of their architectural genius behind. Also in Kastabala.
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| Kastabala * |
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| Landform (Google Earth) * |
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| City plan (Zeyrek, 2015) |
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Information on colonnaded street *
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Popular prospect: Roman colonnaded
street and Armenian castle *
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Roman column of Corinthian order *
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Byzantine church, 5th c. AD; built on east-west
axis and basilica plan (nave and two aisles) * |
Almost all early Byzantine churches in Cilicia are basilicas. Their mass construction is closely linked to the growing importance of Isaurians at the court of Constantinople in the 5th century AD and subsequent financial support. Isaurians, a mountain-dwelling people, lived in the northeastern corner of Rough Cilicia. The Diocletian administration reforms in the 4th c. AD shaped Isauria as a separate unit with the centre at Seleukia (Silifke). The culmination of the highlanders' power came in the last quarter of the 5th c. AD with the rule of Zeno, who was an Isaurian himself. His death in 491 AD ended the architectural boom and the 'Golden Age' in Cilicia (Hill 1996).
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| Roundheaded windows of apse * |
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| Some edits required * |
The board is not specifically informative and at times hardly intelligible. The theatre was built by the Romans in the 2nd century AD. In this period also other theatres in Cilicia were built, i.e. at Elaiussa-Sebaste, Olba or Diokaisareia. During my visit, I could meet an excavation team working on unearthing the lowest rows of the construction. The capacity of the theatre was estimated by one of the archaeologist in situ at c. 4000 spectators. It looked smaller to me, and I would say the cavea could take around 3000 people.
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| Ongoing excavations * |
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| Roman public bath, 1st or 2nd century AD * |
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Public bath; as it is near theatre we can assume
it had representative look in its heyday * |
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Pass cut in rock on which Armenian
castle was built * |
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Fantastic view on colonnaded
street and beyond * |
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Approaching Armenian castle
(13th c. AD) |
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| Inside castle * |
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| Tiny theatre down there... * |
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| ...and vaulted terrace, too (Zeyrek, 2015) * |
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| Information on Bodrum Castle * |
Edwin John Davis, a British religious official and traveler, visited Cilicia in the spring of 1875. He was the first to describe the ruins of Kastabala in his book 'Life in Asiatic Turkey', published in 1879. Since he didn't know the original name of the place he accepted the toponym used by the locals - Bodrum (spelled Boudroum in the book). Today, the Armenian castle at Kastabala still bears this name.
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| Back to colonnade * |
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| Solid piece of work * |
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Fine Roman craft *
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