The theatre is some 100 m wide and could hold 20000 people. Although dating from the second half of the 2nd century AD (Roman era), it has an ‘auditorium’ (seating section) in Greek-hellenistic style, that exceeds the semicircular form which was the usual Roman lay-out. The theatre stage was richly decorated with marble. The remains are still in place (and in a jumble because of the many earthquakes that hit it).
Next to the theatre there is the stadium, whose major (length) axis is an extension of the theatre’s axis of symmetry. The stage building of the theatre was also the northern wall of the stadium, making both buildings strongly connected to each other. This specific combination is unique in the antique world.
Note that in antique times, the stadium was not visible from within the theatre (as it is now), since the stage building (19 m in height) blocked the view.
Sources: ‘Anadolu Uygarlıkları’ (Anatolian Civilisations) – Prof. Dr. Ekrem Akurgal.
& ‘Antik Stadyumlar’ – Secda Saltuk (Istanbul 1995).