Viran Kapı

The Viran Kapi (Ruined Gate) is the surviving arched entrance to the Asklepion of Pergamon in western Turkey, dating to the Roman imperial period. The gate bore the famous inscription "Death Is Forbidden In Asclepion For The Blessing Of All Gods," serving as a psychological healing tool to instill confidence in patients. Pregnant women and those with fatal diseases were barred from entry to protect the sanctuary's reputation. Patients who passed through the gate walked the Via Tecta, a colonnaded sacred road of about one kilometre, to reach the healing complex with its temples, theatre, library, and treatment centres.