Sightseeing: Selge

Selge was an important Pisidian city. It lies on the southern slopes of the Taurus in a naturally fortified spot difficult of access. It is reached by a forest road that climbs past cliffs, rivers, and small waterfalls, and then passes over a Roman bridge. Thanks to its natural and historical treasures, it has been included in the Köprülü canyon ( Bridged Canyon) National Park.

According to Strabo, Selge's founder was Calchas, and it was later resettled by the Lacedaemonies (Spartans). The first settlement occurred during the Doric migrations which took place at the end of the second millennium B.C. and were connected with the Trojan War. The second settlement took place at the beginning of the seventh century B.C. together with the colonization of Rhodes. No inscription confirming this has come to light in the city, however and the idea that colonists would choose a place hard to spot from the coast and hidden in the mountains seems difficult to accept.

We do not possess any continuous account of the city's history. According to the sources, Selge, an ancient foe of Termessos, took up sides with Alexander the Great when he came here. Most likely Selge was at war with its neighbours almost all the time, due to the deep-seated and widespread tendency to bellicosity in this region.

Selge lay on three hills surrounded by a fortification wall. This wall, of which a portion survives today, had seven main entrances and high towers spaced at intervals averaging 100 metres. The first ruin visible today is the Greco-Roman type theatre, which forms part of the modern day village of Zerk. Immediately to one side of the theatre one can trace the outlines of the opposing rows of seats belonging to the stadium, even though it is, on the whole, in a very ruinous state. There are also several surviving inscriptions recording victories in the stadium at Selge. The remains of two temples can be found atop the highest hill to the west. Behind this hill is a giant round cistern, built not only for rainwater, but also to hold water brought by a channel coming from the north-west. Between this hill and the other hills to the south-east, lie the other principal municipal buildings. Here on an incline lie the extremely fragmentary remains of a very long porticoed street, a nymphaeum, and a bath. On top of the hill to the south-east lie the remains of a large square plan agora enclosed on three sides. Attached to it is an apsidal basilica belonging to a later period.