Hieropolis - Castabala and Aslantas - Karatepe

This is a self timed photo at Hieropolis - Castabala. We are standing under some Greek columns which line the "road" up to the theatre (the last picture in this set). There were many ruins with beautiful inscriptions. It is thought that Darius of Persia passed through here with his army in 333BC. Three hundred years later this area was the capital of an independent kingdom under Tarcondimotus. He sided with Pompeii against Caesar.
Inscriptions on the Greek columns.
We were driving down the road and in the middle of the road goats were coming. This was the second group of goats we "ran into". Mommy couldn't get the camera ready for the first one because she was so amazed at the sight.
This is at the Aslantas Museum - Karatepe. This is a summer residence of a Hittite King. The ruins date from the 8th century before Christ. The ruins show liveliness and gaiety, suggesting a place for relaxation and fun. We bought a wooden dish and spoon here that was handmade out of sandalwood trees, which are located here in Karatepe.
This is still in Hieropolis - Castabala. This is a Roman theater. It was incredible being "inside" the theater. The kids did some "acting" and we saw some really big lizards. We sat in some of the chairs. The ones at the top seemed to be curved for comfort. (Comfort on a stone seat?)