Aspendos was a major port city in the Roman period with the navigable river of Koprucay. Visitors usually only see the theater on the hillside, however the aqueduct is also recommended.

According to ancient tradition the city was founded by Mopsus in the 13C BC. In the 6C BC the Lydian King Croesus took  Aspendos. After Cyrus’s victory over Croesus in the same century the city became Persian. In the 5C BC Aspendus minted its own silver coins. Alexander the Great took over from the Persians in the 4C BC. In the Roman period Aspendos entered into good relations with Rome.