Bergama is the modern town below ancient Pergamon, one of the great archaeological landscapes of the Turkish Aegean. It sits inland from the coast north of Izmir, with ordinary market streets at the base and a Hellenistic acropolis high above the valley.
The Acropolis is the reason to come: a UNESCO-listed hilltop city with a theatre dropping down the slope, temple remains, views, and the memory of a library that once rivalled Alexandria. Bergama is not a one-ruin town, though. The Asclepion was one of the ancient world's famous healing sanctuaries, and the Red Basilica is a huge Roman brick temple later folded into Christian and Islamic use.
Many travellers rush Bergama as a day trip from Izmir. It deserves more time if you like ancient cities, because the sites are spread out and the town itself still feels lived-in. Start early for the Acropolis, keep water with you, and save the museum or Red Basilica for the heat of the afternoon.