Antiocheia in Pisidia

Pisidian Antioch was refounded as a Roman colony by Augustus and settled with veterans, which is why the plan is Roman rather than Greek - a grid, a forum, a monumental gate and, on a terrace cut into the rock, the Temple of Augustus with a semicircular colonnade behind it. An aqueduct runs across the fields to the site, its arches still standing in a long line. The city was on the road network that carried traffic across Anatolia, and it appears in the Acts of the Apostles: Paul preached in the synagogue here on his first journey, and the large basilica of St Paul, whose mosaic floor with donor inscriptions survives in part, was built over what is believed to be that synagogue's site - which makes the place a stop on Christian pilgrimage routes as well as an archaeological one. The Yalvaç museum in the town below holds the finds and is a short and worthwhile addition.

What's there

• The Augustus temple - the rock-cut terrace and colonnade.
• The St Paul basilica - mosaic floors and donor inscriptions.
• The aqueduct - arches running in from the hills.
• The colonial grid - forum, gate and streets on the plateau.

When to go

April to June and September to October. Mornings; the plateau sits high and is exposed, with cold winds in spring and strong sun in summer.

Good to know

The site is spread out with little shade and modest signage. It is two hours from Isparta and further from anywhere else. The museum in town keeps separate hours.

Nearby

Lake Eğirdir is south-west; the Sultan Marshes and Konya lie east.