Vasada's 2,000-Year-Old Theater Unearthed

The ancient city of Vasada is located in the Bostandere neighborhood, southeast of Lake Beyşehir, about 80 kilometers from Konya. Known since ancient times, Vasada is described in various sources as a Hellenistic city along the road connecting Mistheia, Amblada, and Isauria.

This famous Roman-Byzantine city was linked to Amblada, located between the villages of Kavak and Kızılca in Seydişehir, and Mistheia in Beyşehir, via a main road.

To reach Bostandere, travel 80 kilometers along the Konya-Seydişehir highway. When you are 10 kilometers from Seydişehir, take the secondary road on the left. Continue for another 3 kilometers, and you will arrive at Bostandere, which lies within the boundaries of the ancient city of Vasada. Upon reaching Aktepe, a settlement in the valley at the foot of Kestel Mountain near Bostandere, you will find Vasada, an important city from the Roman and Byzantine periods.

Another main road from Vasada leads to the ancient city of Isauria near Bozkır, which thrived in the 2nd-3rd centuries BCE and was significant enough to send 451 representatives to the Council of Chalcedon. In the past, Roman and Byzantine materials adorned the walls of nearly every house in Bostandere, featuring human, animal, and plant motifs, along with inscriptions in Greek and Latin. These materials, often used in construction, are now mostly hidden under plaster, but remnants can still be seen around the fountains near the old town hall and the town square.

Excavations in Vasada began after an interesting discovery in 1969 when a waterway was being dug to bring water to Bostandere. Remains of a theater were found, leading to the start of official excavations in 1970 under the direction of Archaeologist Gürbüz Alp. During the 1970 excavation, parts of a Roman amphitheater, including the seating areas, orchestra, and stage, were uncovered, along with a terracotta oil lamp from the Roman period in the necropolis.

The theater, carved into a natural hill in a horseshoe shape, was partially excavated in the 1970s, but much of it was destroyed when seats were removed and used for house construction. Excavations resumed in 2010, 39 years later, led by Archaeologist Kazım Merter. By then, the orchestra, stage, and seating areas were fully uncovered. The theater features 15 rows of seats made from gray andesite stone, with the stone quarried about 2 km southeast of the site. The seats have a unique lion-claw design at the base of the steps, which leads to the stage. Despite some damage from a highland road opened nearby, numerous Roman and Late Roman artifacts were discovered during the excavation, including terracotta spouted pots, bowls, perfume bottles, stone artifacts with reliefs of male busts, and pottery with grape motifs.

The finds suggest that Vasada was a thriving settlement, boasting a 3,000-seat amphitheater, and it was an important cultural hub during its peak in the 2nd century BCE. Recognized for its archaeological significance, Vasada was declared a First-Degree Archaeological Site by the Konya Conservation Board in 1988 and 1996. Today, Bostandere is registered as a Grade III Archaeological Site.