Selge Serenity: A Turkish Escape Off the Beaten Path

Located east of the province of Antalya, within Koprulu Canyon National Park and on the southern slopes of the Taurus Mountains, was the significant Psidian city of Selge. Nearly 1000 meters (3280 feet) above sea level, the ancient site is barely accessible in a region well-protected by cliffs and valleys. In order to reach the location, follow the Antalya – Alanya highway, turn left after traveling 5 kilometers (3 miles) from Aspendos, and then continue driving 34 miles (55 kilometers) through a forested area in the direction of the mountains.

Selge History

Selge Serenity A Turkish Escape Off the Beaten Path

Selge’s past is not well known to us. Strabo claims that Calchas, a legendary soothsayer from the Trojan War in the second millennium BC, is the foundation of the city. Later, Spartans, or Lacedaemonians, made this area their home. Later, after Rhodes was colonized, more people arrived here.

Alexander the Great, who besieged Termessos in the fourth century BC, had an alliance with Selge, an old opponent of Termessos. Due to the hostile nature of the people living in Pisidia, Selge was constantly at odds with their neighbors and maintained their independence.

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Selge only briefly lost its freedom after the Galatian Kingdom was established in 25 BC; after that, they enjoyed cordial relations with the Romans and kept their independence until the fall of the Roman Empire.

The Goths in Phrygia rebelled against the Byzantine Empire when Theodosius I arrived in the fourth century AD, attacking and destroying numerous cities in Anatolia. In 399 AD, the Goths launched an assault on Selge as well, but they were unable to take it.

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