Hierapolis Pamukkale 🇹🇷 Turkey Best Places

Situated in the southeast Turkey, the Hierapolis Pamukkale Park is exceptional by virtue of its superlative natural phenomena. Warm, heavily mineralized water flowing from springs creating pools and terraces which are visually stunning. The Pamukkale National Park is the focal point for the natural values of the site. The surrounding area is mildly cultivated land with a mix of crops, pasture and some forest. Villages in the immediate area are present. There are 80 formal protected areas in the Mediterranean Sclerophyll Biogeographic Province. None of these have comparable natural features to those found in Pamukkale which are the hot springs and travertine terraces surrounding them. The Pamukkale National Park is the focal point for the natural values of the site. Formed by its highest travertine terraces with 20 meters high cliffs and waterfalls and situated along on the foothills of the Cocles Mountains. The terrace is about 200 meters above the Kuruksu plain and extends some six kilometers between the villages of Pamukkale and Karahayat. Semi-circular pools occur in a step-like arrangement down the upper third of the slope. Fresh deposits of calcium carbonate give the pools a dazzling white coating. The springs form part of a complex hydraulic system extending 70 kilometers to the northwest to Alasea and west along the valley of the Menderes River. These canals take thermal water to nearby villages and agricultural areas. Some over the years having accumulated travertine deposits up to 10 meters in height. Pamukkale which literally means cotton castle is the name the Turks gave to the extraordinary site of Europolis. The name was inspired by the preternatural landscape of bizarre forms created by calcite deposits from the hot springs that surface through a fault. Mineral forests, petrified cascades and terraced pools of an immense natural nymphium. The ancients attributing healing powers to the hot springs, 35 degrees celsius, equal to their power to metamorphose the landscape. They founded a thermal station on the site in the late second century. As visitors approach the site of Pamukkale, a long white smudge along the hills to the north suggests a landslide or opencast mine. Getting closer this resolves into the edge of a plateau more than a hundred meter higher than the level of the river valley and absolutely smothered in white travertine terraces. The scientific explanation is that the hot thermal springs pouring down the hillside deposit calcium carbonate which solidifies as travertine. In fact, the vast source of water heated by volcanic lava, the water dissolves pure white calcium, becomes saturated with it and carries it to the earth surface where it bursts forth and runs down a steep hillside. Cooling in the open air, the calcium precipitates from the water, adheres to the soil and forms white calcium cascades frozen stone called travertines. The water has been bursting forth at Hierapolis Pamukkale for more than two millennia. There are two ways to reach the plateau of Hierapolis, both on foot. There is the northern entrance on Tamek which is around three kilometers long and the southern entrance which you must walk 250 meters barefoot along a calcium path through the travertines of Pamukkale themselves. The latter is a magnificent experience for there is no stranger yet beautiful landscape in all of Turkey but it is not without its setbacks. During the day the sun reflecting off the white limestone is blinding. The thermal water maintains a relatively constant temperature of about 35 degrees so that a dip in the middle of November is not out of the question. Near to the natural site are the ruins of the Roman town of Hierapolis. The history of Hierapolis followed the same course as many Hellenistic cities in Asia Minor. The Romans acquired full control of it in 129 BC and it prospered under its new rulers. Usually said to be founded by Eumenes II, king of Pergamon, Hierapolis may actually have been established closer to the fourth century BC by the Cilicid kings. The name of the city may derive from Hera, the wife of Telephus, son of Hercules and grandson of Zeus, the mythical founder of Pergamon. Or it may have been called the sacred city because of the temples located at the site. With Colosseum and Laodicea, Hierapolis became part of the tri-city area of the Lysos river valley. Hierapolis was located across the river from the other two cities and was noted for its textiles, especially wool. The hot springs at Hierapolis were believed to have healing properties and people came to the city to bathe in the rich mineral waters in order to cure various ailments. Hierapolis was ceded to Rome in 133 BC along with the rest of the Pergamon kingdom and became part of the Roman province of Asia. The city was destroyed by an earthquake in 60 AD but rebuilt and it reached its peak in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. Famous natives of Hierapolis include the Stoic philosopher Epictetus 55-135 AD and the philosopher and the rhetorician Antipater. Emperor Septimus hired Antipater to tutor his sons Caracalla and Geta, who became emperors themselves. Hierapolis had a significant Jewish population in ancient times, as evidenced by numerous inscriptions on tombs and elsewhere in the city. Some of the Jews are named as members of the various craft guilds of the city. Next to the Nymphaeum is the temple of Apollo, the patron god and divine founder of the city. All that remains are the foundations, platform and entry steps. The foundations are Hellenistic and the rest is Roman, 3rd century AD. The temple of Apollo, which includes several Cortonican divinities, was erected on a foot from which noxious vapors escaped. The Roman mythology is the combination of the beliefs, the rituals and the observances of supernatural occurrences by the ancient Romans, from early periods until Christianity finally completely replaced the native religions of the Roman Empire. The religion of the early Romans was so changed by the addition of numerous and conflicting beliefs in later times and by the assimilation of a vast amount of Greek mythology that it cannot be ever reconstructed precisely. This was because of the extensive changes in religion before the literary tradition began. Behind the sacred pool is the Nymphaeum, a monumental fountain that distributed water to the city. Dated from the 4th century AD, it has been partially restored. Three walls surround a basin of water which was approached by steps on the open side. Statues filled the niches in the wall. The main thoroughfare of Hierapolis was a wide, colonnaded street called the Platea. It divides Hierapolis into two parts stretching in north and south directions. The main street is one mile in length and both in the north and south there are monumental gates. Hierapolis was built on Greek plan so colonnade street intersects other roads at right angles. Romans were famous for their advancement in architecture and engineering. Before the Romans, the most commonly used building style was supposed in lintel. This way of building was of course limited in the weight it could carry and therefore the span between the supports. The Roman architecture changed all this and advanced this by introducing the new methods of architecture, the columns and the arches. With these methods, the Romans were able to Arches were used not just for their immense support capabilities but as well for their power to amaze and glorify. Nearby is the monumental Gate of Domitian, constructed around 83 AD to serve as the northern entrance to the city. It has three arches and two towers and originally had two stories. The gate led into the colonnaded street known as Frontinus Street. To the right of the gate is a tomb of Flavius Susi. Northwest of the theater are the north Roman baths, built around the late 2nd century AD and used as a Christian basilica beginning in the 5th century. The Christian monuments of Hierapolis constitute an outstanding example of an early Christian architectural complex. Hierapolis is mentioned only once in the Bible, when Saint Paul praises Epaphras, a Christian from Colossae, in his letter to the Colosseans. Paul writes that Epaphras has worked hard for you and for those in the Laodicea and Hierapolis. Epaphras was probably the founder of the Christian community at Hierapolis. Ancient tradition also associates Hierapolis with a biblical figure, reporting that Philip died in Hierapolis around 80 AD. However, it is not clear which Philip is meant. It could be Philip the Apostle. The site is surrounded by Byzantine walls, outside of which is an extensive necropolis. It extends over 2 km and affords a vast panorama of the funerary practices of the Greco-Roman epoch. To the west and south of the Materium are the West Necropolis and East Necropolis, respectively. Another large necropolis is further to the north. To the north of the main ruins and along the modern road is the North Necropolis, the largest of Anatolia. It contains more than 1,200 tombs of various types, including tumuli, sarcophagi and house-shaped tombs from the Hellenistic, Roman and early Christian periods. Some have Jewish inscriptions. The dead were buried in different types of tombs, reflecting their social status. The road beyond Domitian's Gate was flanked by an enormous number of funerary tombs of different shapes and sizes. Archaeologists have come to the conclusion that some of these monuments were built as part of a propitiatory rite. Sick and wealthy people who came to Hierapolis to recover their health, paid to have a tomb in the hope that they would not eventually need it. That may also explain why some monuments were decorated with phalli, a symbol of life rather than death. As a general rule, the term necropolis is used specifically to refer to a large burial site which was utilized in antiquity, excluding large, modern cemeteries. However, it is technically appropriate to refer to any large cemetery and burial complex as a necropolis, especially in the cemeteries which include chapels, fatalities for handling the dead and complex winding pathways and roads which reach an assortment of gravesites, ranging from simple burials to elaborate mausoleums. Classical necropolises included temple complexes and elaborate tombs for housing the dead. Many were dedicated to the use of high-ranking members of society and royalty, with commoners being buried elsewhere. Many ancient cultures also had a tradition of burying their dead with objects they might need in the afterlife, so an ancient necropolis can house a wide variety of fascinating items. The Roman sense of family life applied also to a person's death. Idly members of the family were to be present when a Roman died. On the point of death, he was picked up and laid down on the bare earth and one of his closest relations would catch his last breath with a kiss before closing his eyes. When he had died, those present would perform the so-called conclamation, calling the dead man loudly by name. This tradition survives until this day at the death of a pope, when the death pontiff is called three times by his Christian name. Next began the preparation of the body. The dead man was then dressed in his best clothes and was displayed in the atrium of the house. The corpse was alas either buried or cremated after the funeral ceremony. Meanwhile, the funerals of noble and public figures were performed during the day with great pomp and ceremony. This was the golden age of Hierapolis. Thousands of people came to benefit from the medicinal properties of the hot springs. New building projects were started, two Roman baths, a gymnasium, several temples, a main street with a colonnade and a fountain at the hot spring. Hierapolis became one of the most prominent cities in the Roman Empire in the fields of the arts, philosophy and trade. The town grew to 100,000 inhabitants and became wealthy. According to the geographer Stephanus of Byzantium, the city was given its name because of the large number of temples it contained, again a sign of wealth. The archaeological site of Hierapolis was first investigated by a German team in the 19th century. It was extensively investigated and partially restored from 1957 onwards by teams founded by the Italian Ministries of Foreign and Culture and Environment. This mission included archaeologists, engineers and architects who elucidated the plans of the town and main town buildings and restored several of them. It also studied the exceptional number of funerary and other epigraphs. many and various industrial establishments to be found there. The inscriptions refer not only to the institutions such as the Wool Industry Cooperative, but also to guilds formed by the dyers, fullers, carpet weavers, nail manufacturers and cubbersmiths. These were all associated with fully organized institutions that were also responsible for the care of their members' graves. Export goods included a type of marble unique to Hierapolis. The quality of this marble and the color it displayed is said to have been due to the effect of the hot spring water on the marble deposits. With only one exception, this marble was never used in any of the buildings in the city itself. The best known of the city's many distinguished citizens was the sophist Antipater who was chosen by Septimius Severus as a tutor to the future emperors Caracalla and Geta. Behind the Pamukkalo Thermal are the stunning remains of the best preserved ancient theatre in Turkey and the third most impressive theatre after Ephesus and Aspendos. The well-preserved theatre of Hierapolis commands magnificent view of the plain below. The original theatre was located above the northern gate, but when the city was rebuilt during the reign of the Flavian emperors in the 60 AD, the theatre was relocated here and the seats from the old structure were used in the work. During the reign of Septimius Severus, the theatre's skinnier was modified and richly decorated with relief. In 532 it was discovered that the skinnier had been weakened by age and the almost daily seismic activity that takes place here had to be reinforced. Theatre was very popular amongst the ancient Romans. The first Roman stage plays were mounted as part of a religious celebration and followed on from earlier Greek culture. Plays were performed in huge open-air theatres. The theatre performances were often paid for by wealthy citizens hoping to become popular with the people. To make sure their plays were applauded and not booed, the wealthy citizens would also pay for some of the playgoers to clap and applaud. Showing appreciation at the Roman theatre had definite rules. Mild applause at the Roman theatre was shown by snapping finger and thumb together. More vigorous applause by clapping. And finally, if the crowd really enjoyed the play, they would wave the edge of their togas or a piece of cloth wildly in the air to show their most appreciation for the acting and the play. As these theatrical events were free, even the poorest Roman citizen could attend them. Roman actors wore masks and only men were allowed to take part in the plays. Roman women were allowed to take part in mime, a type of comedy play which was held on wooden platforms in the streets. Masks were not worn in mime and women were allowed to play the female roles. There were three major influences on ancient Roman's perspective of theatre. The Greeks, Etruscans and the Oscans. The two major influences were the Greeks and the Etruscans. The Greeks were already an established culture in southern Italy when Rome was created. Because Rome and Greece's city-states in Italy were so close together, Greece strongly influenced Rome in many different ways. Rome's ideas and many things were borrowed from the Greeks. Things ranging from gods to theatre constructions. The layout of the Roman theatre is very much like that of the Greek theatre. The Etruscans too had a great influence on the Romans. They were also as well established culture in Italy when Rome was just starting out. The Etruscans were a more powerful people and so they had many battles with Rome. Because of these battles many Etruscan ideals took hold in Roman culture. The Etruscans brought the Romans horse racing and many other popular civic activities. A far lesser known influence on the ancient Romans were the Oscans. With them they brought their own way of doing things which greatly affected the Romans. The Oscans brought with them their ideas about place. Deriving from springs and a cliff almost 200 meters high overlooking the plain, calcite laden waters have created a Pamukkale, cotton palace, an unreal landscape made up of mineral forests, petrified waterfalls and a series of terraced basins. The ruins of the baths, temples and other Greek monuments can be seen at the site. The natural features of the site provide the setting that attracted the original Roman town of Hierapolis. In the UNESCO world cultural heritage list there are nine heritage sites from Turkey. Pamukkale, Hierapolis is now covered by a comprehensive protection and construction plan and needed restoration work has already begun.