Diocletian's Palace Audio Guide

Diocletian's Palace: what does the audio guide cover?

1. 01

   Welcome to Diocletian’s Palace

   Welcome to Diocletian’s Palace, right here in the heart of Split. This isn’t your typical historical museum where you look at dusty ruins from behind a velvet rope. Instead, you are standing inside one of the world's most impressive instances of a living museum. Originally built between the years 295 and 305 CE, this complex served as the retirement home for the Roman Emperor Diocletian. Today, it is a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage Site that functions as the very core of the city. As you look around, you will see modern shops, bustling cafes, and even private homes where roughly 3,000 people still live their daily lives directly within these ancient limestone walls. It is a massive three-hectare space that has survived more than 17 centuries, transitioning from an imperial fortress to a medieval refuge and now the salt-aired soul of modern Dalmatia. Take a deep breath and prepare to peel back the layers of a palace that never truly died.

2. 02

   The Retirement of an Emperor

   Imagine being the most powerful man on Earth and, instead of waiting for a political assassination or a slow decline in health, you simply choose to walk away. That was Diocletian. He was the first Roman emperor to voluntarily abdicate the throne, wanting nothing more than to return to his birthplace and grow cabbages in peace. He designed this palace to be a clever hybrid: half-luxury-villa and half-military-garrison. The southern half, facing the sea, was dedicated to his private imperial apartments, while the northern half was reserved for his soldiers and servants. Though he built it for his quiet final years, the palace walls are nearly 2 meters thick and rise up to 26 meters high. This incredible strength is the reason the complex still stands today. When the nearby Roman capital of Salona fell to invaders in the seventh century, local refugees rushed inside these sturdy walls for protection and simply never left, eventually creating the unique city-within-a-palace you are walking through right now.

3. 03

   The Heart and the Pharaoh's Sphinxes

   Make your way toward the central courtyard, known as the Peristyle. This was the ceremonial heart of the palace, the very place where Diocletian would appear to his subjects under the arched entrance to his private chambers. Feel the white limestone under your feet; much of it was harvested from the nearby island of Brac, the same stone famously used for the White House in Washington. But look closer at the columns and you will see something significantly older than Rome itself. Diocletian was fascinated by Egyptian culture and brought back over a dozen authentic granite sphinxes to decorate his home. Today, only three of these ancient guardians remain. One particularly famous black granite sphinx, sitting right here on the Peristyle, is over 3,500 years old, dating back to the reign of Pharaoh Thutmose the Third. It has seen more human history than almost any other object in Europe, and it still watches over travelers today with its enigmatic, human-headed gaze.

4. 04

   Historical Ironies and Dragon Pits

   Standing next to the Peristyle is the Cathedral of Saint Domnius, which represents one of history’s greatest ironies. This building was originally designed as Diocletian’s grand octagonal mausoleum—a resting place for an emperor notorious for his brutal persecution of Christians. Yet, by the seventh century, that very tomb was transformed into a Christian cathedral. Today, it is recognized as the oldest Catholic cathedral in the world still using its original structure. If you head below ground into the basements, or cellars, you might feel a sense of recognition. These vaulted stone halls served as the filming location for the dragon pits in the television series Game of Thrones. These substructures are perfectly preserved because, for hundreds of years, they were used as a literal trash dump by the residents living upstairs. Ironically, this debris shielded the Roman stonework from weather and from being dismantled for building materials, leaving us with one of the best-preserved Roman architectural complexes in the world. Accessibility is generally good near the main entrances, though the basement floors can be uneven.

5. 05

   A Museum with No Doors

   As you continue your exploration, take a moment to look up. You might see colorful laundry flapping in the breeze from an apartment window built directly into a sixteen-hundred-year-old Roman archway. This constant layering of history is what makes Split so special. If you want the ultimate viewpoint, consider climbing the twelfth-century bell tower for a panorama of the red-tiled roofs and the sparkling turquoise Adriatic Sea. For a sense of the palace’s original scale, seek out the Golden Gate on the north side, which was once reserved exclusively for the emperor and his family. Alternatively, wander toward the Brass Gate near the south waterfront; in Diocletian’s time, this gate opened directly onto the water so the emperor could step off his ship and walk straight into his living quarters. There are no dead ends here, only more architectural secrets to uncover. Keep wandering through the narrow alleys, and ask yourself what new stories these walls might tell in another thousand years.