Pergamon’s Red Basilica to reopen after restoration

İZMİR

The Red Basilica (Kızıl Avlu), a monumental Roman temple in the ancient city of Pergamon, will reopen to visitors following extensive restoration, landscaping and conservation works.

Located in İzmir’s Bergama district and inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the “Multi-Layered Cultural Landscape of Pergamon,” the site has been undergoing year-round restoration under the Culture and Tourism Ministry’s “Heritage for the Future” project.

Originally built in the second century A.D. during the reign of Roman Emperor Hadrian, the temple was dedicated to Egyptian gods before being converted into a church in the 5th century with the spread of Christianity in Anatolia. In the early years of the Turkish Republic, one of its round towers was repurposed as the Kurtuluş Mosque, a function it still serves today.

Constructed over the Selinus River, the Red Basilica is considered unique in the ancient world for its architectural plan and design. Closed to visitors for years, the site is now being prepared with a new welcome center, walking paths, environmental landscaping and infrastructure for nighttime museum experiences.

Professor Yusuf Sezgin, head of the excavation and coordinator of the project from Manisa Celal Bayar University’s Archaeology Department, said work began in March 2025 with the aim of opening the site to the public in 2026.

“When visitors come here, they will encounter a completely renewed and well-organized space,” Sezgin told the state-run Anadolu Agency.

Although today the structure is known for its red brick core, Sezgin noted that in antiquity the temple was fully clad in marble, including its roof. “From afar, it would have appeared as an enormous marble mass,” he said.

Highlighting its layered history, Sezgin explained that the sanctuary retained religious importance for centuries. “It was used for pagan worship during the Roman period, then converted into a basilica in the 5th century. The Book of Revelation mentions seven churches of Asia and one of them was in Pergamon. This massive building was most likely the one referred to,” he said.

The complex also hosted a synagogue, underscoring its significance for pagans, Christians and Jews alike.

Measuring 270 meters in length and 100 meters in width, the sacred precinct includes a temple 60 meters long and 25 meters high. Sezgin said the scale and construction technique suggest that architects and craftsmen were brought from Rome, since such brick-building traditions were not common in Anatolia.

“The Red Basilica is perhaps the most important cultural heritage of Bergama. With the conservation, restoration and landscaping efforts, we aim to safeguard it for future generations,” he added.