Pergamon Asklepion (Bergama)

Pergamon Asklepion was constructed in 4 BC to honor the God of Healing, Asclepius. It served as western Anatolia's most significant center for medical care for many years. The Asklepion was renovated and expanded in the second century by the Roman Emperor Hadrian, and these additional locations are still visible among the ruins today. The Asklepion consists of a library, Zeus' temple, colonnaded galleries, a 3,500-seat theater, the Temple of Telesphorus, a circular treatment facility, and a 1 km-long colonnaded street called Via Tecta (the Sacred Way). Galen of Pergamon invented the treatment modalities used in Pergamon Asklepion, and famous orator Aelius Aristides mentions these modalities in his historic book Hieroi Logoi. The Pergamon Asklepion Archaeological Site is situated in Izmir's Bergama neighborhood, a drive of approximately one hour and twenty minutes from the city center.