Türkiye is a European country, an Asian country, a Middle Eastern country, Balkan country, Caucasian country, neighbor to Africa, Black Sea country, Caspian Sea, all these.

Aspendos hits you with scale before you’ve even stepped inside. From the outside, the theatre looks solid, almost fortress-like, with thick walls and a brooding presence, diminished somewhat by the cheery posters. But walk through the gate and it opens into one of the most breathtakingly preserved Roman theatres I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen a lot of them. Outside the theatre, the site is scattered and more worn, but still worth exploring. The aqueduct in particular is enormous, a feat of engineering snaking across the countryside.