Turkey Tour - Part 2

Hierapolis

Hierapolis was an ancient Greco-Roman city perched on top of natural hot springs which have created the most stunning travertines (white terraces of carbonate minerals left by the flowing hot spring water).

Hierapolis (the name means "sacred city"), is said to have been founded by the god Apollo. It was famed for its sacred hot springs, whose vapors were associated with Pluto, god of the underworld. The city also had a significant Jewish community and was mentioned by Paul in his Letter to Colossians.

Ancient Greco-Roman city of Hierapolis (travertines in the background) 

Travertine Terraces (Hierapolis site can be see top right)

The city was built with streets running parallel or perpendicular to the main street. This main street runs from north to south close to the cliff with the travertine terraces and was about 1,500 metres long,

Hierapolis site

The site has been declared a  UNESCO World Heritage Site and the complex is now an archaeological museum with excavation and restoration currently being undertaken by teams of German archaeologists.

One of the most spectacular discoveries at Hierapolis was the Pergamon Altar. The majority of the pieces that make up this enormous series of freezes were relocated to Berlin and been reconstructed in a specially built museum.

Pergamon Altar (Pergamon Museum in Berlin)

We spent time admiring yet another spectacular theatre (also under restoration). The theatre at Hierapolis today was built after the earthquake of 60 CE (using the remains and the seats of the original theatre). The auditorium consists of stacked seating with a capacity of 15,000. The lower part originally had twenty rows, and the upper part twenty five rows but only thirty rows altogether have survived.

Theatre at Hierapolis

Roger also walked up the hill to the St. Philip Martyrium. The St. Philip Martyrium was named after the Christian apostle Philip and stands on top of the hill outside the northeastern section of the city walls. It dates from the 5th century CE. Philip is said to have been martyred in Hierapolis by being crucified upside-down and then buried in the centre of the building. His tomb has recently been unearthed.

St. Philip Martyrium

The Martyrium was burned down at the end of the 5th or early 6th century CE. You can still fire marks on the columns.

St. Philip Martyrium

The Martyrium has an unusual octagonal design. It has a central structure (with a diameter of 20 metres under a wooden dome which was covered with lead. This was surrounded with eight rectangular rooms, each accessible via three arches. Excavation and restoration is being carried out at this site and work was happening on the day we visited

St. Philip Martyrium Restoration

Lots of visitors to the Hierapolis site also pay to swam in Cleopatra's thermal pool where you can literally swim and sit on fallen ruins of ancient columns!

Cleopatra's Thermal Pool

The glistening white travertines (adjacent and immediately below Hierapolis) are visually stunning and quite beautiful both from a distance looking up towards the cliffs and from the top looking down onto the terraces of carbonate minerals left by the flowing water.

Pamukkale Travertines

As recently as the middle of last century, hotels were built over the ruins of Heropolis, causing considerable damage and threatened the imminent demise of this natural wonder. The area was finally declared a World Heritage Site, and the hotels and road were demolished and replaced with artificial pools.

Terraced travertine pools at Pamukkale

Antalya

We visited the impressive Antalya Archaeological Museum, one of the most important in Europe.

At the end of the First World War, (Antalya was under the Italian military occupation), Italian archeologists started to remove the archeological treasures to the Italian Embassy, which they claimed to do in the name of civilization. To prevent these initiatives, Süleyman Fikri Bey, the Sultan's teacher, applied and was appointed as voluntary officer of antiquities and established the Antalya Museum by collecting what remained. 

Antalya Museum

Perge

Perge is the best example of a complete Roman city in the Pamphylian plain. It developed from a Hellenistic hilltop village settled by the Hittites around 1500 B.C. to a proper Roman city. St. Paul preached some of his first sermons here.

The theatre in Perge the best preserved Roman theatre in the world. Originally a Hellenistic style theater with a horseshoe-shaped orchestra, but later, especially with the construction of the stage building in the 2C AD, the style was modified to Roman.

Perge Theatre

An incredibly well preserved stadium was also built in the 2nd century. The 30 diagonally placed barrel-vaulted rooms under the rows of seats were used partly for access and partly as shops. The stadium seated approximately 12,000 spectators.

Perge stadium - the shops

Inside Perge stadium

Part 3 of the Turkey Tour will follow very shortly. In the meantime please keep sending in your comments and questions.

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