Places of Interest - Turkey

Pamukkale:

The strongly calcareous water runs through a large number of terraces on a slope. Calcium carbonate precipitates from the hot water (35 °) and thick packages of lime are deposited along the terraces. In this way the slope gets a special view: it looks like a cotton castle or a frozen waterfall. At the entrance to this path, the shoes have to be removed, and you have to stay on the path given the past in which the site was almost destroyed by people that were walking everywhere. Because the path is continuously under water, there is no longer wear of the white layer. The hotels and swimming pools built in the past have been removed and the site is once again pure nature; the natural phenomenon of "Pamukkale" (like Hierapolis) is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

"Hierapolis":

The old Roman "tourist" city or recreational city (now ruiins) consists of a main street with small branches in the center. A piece of the hill before you enter the "real" is the "necropolis" (cemetery) which is the main attraction as it is the best preserved from Roman times and extends over several kilometers. This city of the dead counts 1200 graves of the most diverse grave types. Unfortunately, these have been severely damaged by the many earthquakes. The main street, the "Frontinus street, is flanked by various columns and statues and starts with the gate of" Domitian ". Between this gate and the "Byzantine" gate spreads the "agora" - one of the largest ever -discovered. The center consists of the beautiful pool where you can also bathe in - the hot spring is filled with ancient Roman columns and is truly a unique experience. A little further on is the old Roman theater which received about 12,000 visitors in its heyday. For the rest you can still view parts of temples, (city) walls and churches.

The city was founded by Eumenes II in the year 190 BC. Eumenes was the king of Pergamon and named her after Hiera, the wife of Telephus, founder of Pergamon. There lived a mix of farmers, Romans, Jews and the first Christians. In ancient times the city was mainly under Roman influence. The buildings in Hierapolis are mainly built in Roman style. It was a Roman tourist place where people came from far to the thermal springs of the city. Hierapolis became a city focused on relaxation with a theater, a temple dedicated to Apollon, an arcade boulevard and a typical Roman market place (forum). But Hierapolis has never been able to fully develop due to the many earthquakes in the area. Under Byzantine influence the city has had a flowering period. With the arrival of Christianity Hierapolis had a bishop's seat and a basilica was built and the famous "Octagon", an octagonal church where Philip the Evangelist is buried. The area around Hierapolis was rich in good quality marble. This was an important source of income for the city. The marble was even used in the "Hagia Sophia" in Istanbul. After the severe earthquake of 1354 the city was completely destroyed and that was the end of its history.