Turkey 🇹🇷 ~Pamukkale “The Travertene Thermal Pools and Hierapolis Roman Ruins”
I can remember the first time I ever saw a photo of these thermal pools. That was enough for me, and I had it on my list of “must see places!”
Seeing the Roman ruins, was enjoyable, too, as I appreciate ancient history so much! Roman ruins? We have seen many of theses sites all over the world, but these pools are very unique, and we have seen nothing like it in all our travels.
Hierapolis is an ancient city located on the top of Pamukkale and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There is a mixture of Pagan, Roman, Jewish and early Christian influences.
Since the hot springs of Pamukkale were used as a spa, since the 2nd century, people came to Hierapolis to soothe their ailments and often retire and to die. The ruins sprawl over a large area and there is a large necropolis filled with sarcophagi. (box-like funeral receptacle for corpses, carved in stone and displayed above ground).
The baths were made from large stone blocks and there are various open and closed areas linked together. The complex was constructed in the 2nd century and there are few historical facts known about the origin of the city. Many of the statues, discovered at this site, have been transported to museums across the world.
Turkey has a tremendous amount of sites to see, which appeal to Daryl and I, so it has been a time of great discovery for us; to be in Turkey for this extended period of time. Even for the many stops we have made, there were many more stops we did not make, too. Traveling full-time, we are always picking and choosing what we really want to see, in a priority fashion. In this case, currently, we are past summer, and hitting on fall. We are up against the good weather holding, so have pushed ourselves to make sure we still have decent weather for a few months in Western Europe, before winter and/or the rains come.
As we began making our way to Pamakkule, I was pleased to notice the landscape was void of greenhouses, too We enjoyed this drive, very much.
The time has come, when we have only one more stop to explore, before we make our final drive, back to Istanbul to return the rental car and figure out our departure.
We are filled-up on all things overland Turkey, and it is a wonderful feeling, but Turkey is on the short list for us of countries we would like to return to, one day. It’s really that good! Food is excellent and inexpensive, gas is cheap, roads are good, people are kind and helpful, and google maps works pretty well, here.
It was a good call, because, we found the parking lot for the entrance to the complex. (Still no signs which we noted-it did have an “entrance” look to it). Once we parked and found the ticket window, it was a guesswork from there. too. NOBODY spoke any English, except for a security guard. He was the one who assured us we were at the right place. so we hoped the ticket we purchased, with photos on them was correct. After that, we followed “pointing fingers,” the directions to the shuttle, which we thought we had purchased a ticket for, too. The shuttle would drive us a mile to the entrance of the HUGE complex. Once we arrived at what we thought was the shuttle stop, we waited. Another human, who did not speak any English was there, and trying to sell us something. Only because of pictures, we finally figured out the golf-cart tour was actually the way to go for us, because for an hour by golf car, we could view the entire complex; including the amazing theatre high on the hill. We were able to get off the cart to wander, and take photos, versus, spend an entire half day walking around. The price was reasonable at $25, because by choosing this option, we got to see the whole complex; something we would not have taken the time to see; not because it isn’t wonderful, but we have seen similar complexes in other parts of the world, because the Roman Empire made their presence known, far and wide.
Our guide was friendly and through hand gestures we could all communicate enough. He took some photos of us, but the light was not good in most of them. Oh well, he still got a tip. It was very hot, with sunshine bearing down, gain. If you go, bring water and wear a hat. Maybe with more visits, there would be vendors selling refreshments, but we saw none, at this time.
If interested in swimming or hanging out in the pools, we notice hotels nearby that appeared to offer towns and maybe even transportation back and forth to the thermal pools. We saw plenty of couples taking that perfect Instagram-worthy photo shots in “barely there” bikinis, so it was entertaining, and clearly a thing for some to spend the night in this are and really enjoy. So, if this is you, bring a suit and stay awhile
Pamukkale means; Cotton Palace
Deriving from springs in a cliff almost 657 feet high, overlooking the plain of Cürüksu in south-west Turkey, calcite-laden waters have created an unreal landscape, made up of mineral forests, petrified waterfalls and a series of terraced basins given the name of Pamukkale (Cotton Palace).
Located in the province of Denizli, this extraordinary landscape was a focus of interest for visitors to the nearby Hellenistic spa town of Hierapolis, founded by the Attalid kings of Pergamom at the end of the 2nd century BC, at the site of an ancient cult. Its hot springs were also used for scouring and drying wool. Ceded to Rome in 133 BC, Hierapolis flourished, reaching its peak of importance in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, having been destroyed by an earthquake in 60 AD. and rebuilt.
Remains of the Greco-Roman period include baths, temple ruins, a monumental arch, a nymphaeum, a necropolis and a theatre. Following the acceptance of Christianity by the emperor Constantine and his establishment of Constantinople as the “new Rome” in 330 AD, the town was made a bishopric.
As the place of St. Philip’s martyrdom in 80 AD, commemorated by his Martyrium building in the 5th century, Hierapolis with its several churches, became an important religious center for the Eastern Roman Empire.
The combination of striking natural formations and the development of a complex system of canals, bringing the thermal water to nearby villages and fields, is exceptional. The springs are the source of a hydraulic system extending 44 miles northwest to Alasehir and westwards along the valley of the Menderes River. Pamukkale forms an important backdrop to the original Greco-Roman town of Hierapolis and the cultural landscape which dominates the area.
ROMAN THEATER
The Roman Theatre was built over two stages; the first theatre was destroyed by an earthquake, so the second was hollowed out of a slope in the mountain. Most of the stage is still visible, as well as some decorative panels and VIP seating areas. At full capacity, the theatre could hold 12,000 – 15,000 people. The theater is divided by eight vertical passageways and nine aisles. The theatre is constantly undergoing excavation projects and new relics and statues depicting mythological figures are continually being discovered.
The Necropolis extends over two a mile, and is one of the best-preserved in Turkey. There is around 1200 tombs, constructed from limestone, which date back to the Hellenic period. There are also a number of Roman and Christian tombs. In the ancient time, Hierapolis was a place of healing, however, the large number of Necropolis suggest there were mixed results.
The graves are designed to represent the importance in the community, there are four types:
1. Simple graves for common people
2. Sarcophagi for the wealthy, with most being decorated in marble, with inscriptions indication the name, profession and praising the good deeds of the deceased.
3. Circular Tumuli again for wealthy, with vaulted chambers.
4. Family graves, with the vaulted chamber, monuments and small temples.
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Hello and Welcome to our Travel Blog Website, We enjoy writing about our experiences and taking photos of our adventuring along the way. Our names are: Daryl and Pen, but Daryl calls me “Bunny.” We met, quite randomly, whilst both… Read More
Wow, a great read and that honey dew melon , yum
So good! We loved this stop! Thx Judy!