Pamukkale is 7 Wonders of the World

Save  Paradise!!..Ancient Cities

 

PAMUKKALE (Hierapolis)
 It's about 20 km north of Denizli. It is called a Holy City in Archeological literature, because there were many temples and religious buildings in Hierapolis. The ancient city is situated between several historical areas. According to the ancient geographers, Strabon and Ptolemaios, Hierapolis was very close to Laodicea and Tripolis which was in Kario's Border. That's why it was a Phrygian City. There is no information about Hierapolis' history before the Hellenistic Era, but we know there was a city there before then. It's called Hierapolis because of its Mother goddess Cult.

Information about Hierapolis is limited. It is known that the king of Pergamum, Eumenes II, founded the city in 190 BC. It was named Hierapolis after the Amazon's Queen Hiera, the wife of Telephos, the founder of Pergamum. (Pergamum is also called Pergamon or Pergamos). Hierapolis was completely destroyed by the earthquake in 60 A.D. during the time of Roman Emperor Nero. During the reconstruction after the earthquake, the city lost its Hellenistic Style and became a typical Roman City. Right after the Roman period started, Hierapolis became an important center because of its commercial and religious position. In 80 A.D. St. Philip came to Hierapolis and was murdered by the Jewish inhabitants. Hierapolis was conquered by the Turks at the end of the 12th century A.D.
 Apollon Temple:The temple is situated in a religious cave, which is called Plutonium. The oldest religious center of the local people is the place where Apollon met the mother goddess, Kybele. The poisonous gas of that cave did not affect the priest of Kybele. The temple's foundation is dated in the late Hellenistic Period, but the rest of the temple is dated in the 3rd century A.D. There are large steps at the Temple's entrance.
 Theater: It's a great, well-preserved Greek style building, which is situated on a hillside. It is 91 meters high. The theater's construction was started in 62 A.D. after the earthquake of 60 AD in the Flavius era. However, it was not completed in the Hadrian era. It was finally completed in the Severus Era in 206 A.D. The cavea is separated into 7 parts by 8 steps, and there are 50 seats. The Diozoma (a kind of passage) is in the middle of the cavea with a vomitorium with 2 vaults.There are 10 columns in front of the kingdom box and orchestra, which are 3.66 meters high. The front door of the scene has 5 gates and 6 niches. The niches are behind the columns which are decorated with oyster shells and among the columns adorned with statues. Many statues were found during the excavations. There are marble embossments on the wall which is behind the scene.
St. Philip's Martyrium: It's an octagonal building which is 20 m x 20 m. The Martyrium was built at the end of the 4th century and early 5th century in honor of St. Philip who was murdered here. 

Churches: There is a cathedral dated in the 6th or 7th century A.D., a columnar church, and two more churches. Moreover, the main hall of the Great Bath was transformed into a church. There are also small prayer rooms on the north part of the city.

Necropolis: Except for the travertine area on the west, the other sides of the city are necropolis areas. They may especially be seen on the roads which go to Laodicea - Colossae on the south and to Tripolis - Sardis on the north. Limestone and marble were used to build the cemeteries. The north Necropolis spans the time from the Late Hellenistic era to the early Christian era with sarcophagi, house-type cemeteries, tumulus-type cemeteries, and monuments
 LAODICEIA: Laodicea is situated in a good geographical location on the south side of the Lycus River, 6 km north of Denizli. The city was called ''Laodikeia on the side of the Lycus'' in ancient sources. According to other ancient sources, the city was founded by Antiochos II in 263-261 BC and named after Antiochos' wife
TRIPOLIS: It is situated about 40 km north of Denizli, east of Buldan and Yenicekent Towns, at the foot of a hill which is between Buyuk Menderes River and Yenicekent Town. Tripolis was one of the frontier centers of commerce and agriculture in the Lydia Region which supplied transportation between Karia, Phrygia and Tripolis. It was one of the richest cities of the region because of its strategic location. It is believed to have been founded by citizens of Pergamum. The best extant monuments date from the 1st - 3rd centuries A.D. According to Plinius, another name of the city was Apollonia. There are names of the goddess Leto, Letoia Phthia Games and the Menderes River on their coins. The city suffered many earthquakes and wars during the course of history. Tripolis is mentioned in the list of participants at the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. This shows Tripolis was an important religious city during that time period.
 COLOSSAE: It's situated 25 km east of Denizli and 2 km north of Honaz Town. The road passing through Colossae connects the Organized Industry Zone to Honaz Town, which is situated at the 16th km of the Denizli-Ankara Highway. The ancient city is situated on the west foothills of Mount Honaz (Mt. Cadmos) next to the Aksu River. It's on the southeast road, which was used in ancient times as well. It was one of the most important centers in greater Phrygia. According to Xenephon, Colossae was one of the six largest cities
 EUMENIA: The ancient city is located in Isikli Town, which is on the Çivril-Dinar Highway. It was built in honor of the King of Pergamum, Eumenes II. Ancient signs can be seen southwest of the town next to the water source, especially on the hill, which is called Saribaba Tekkesi today. The castle dates from the Byzantine Period. The Necropolis of Eumenia is located in the foothills.
 HERAKLEIA SALBACE: The ancient city is within Medet Village's border, which is 10 km northwest of Tavas Town. The city center was situated mostly on the north where the city walls were. Herakleia Salbace was located on the Phrygia-Caria Border on Mt. Babadag's southern foothills which overlook the Tavas Plain. It's known as Karia City. Aphrodisias and Caria Cities are next to each other and the natural border is the Tmelos (Kirpinar) Creek. The river god was Tmelos in both cities. Herakleia is the modern city of its period and its neighbors were Aphrodisias on the west, Apollonia and Tabae on the south, Sebastopolis and Kidramos on the southe
 Dionysopolis: It was founded next to Ortaköy Town, which is 8 km from Denizli-Çal Town, by the Syrian Kingdom in the Seleucid Era. Later, it was annexed into Pergamon's Sovereignty.
 Apollon Lermenos Temple: It's 4 km from Bahadinlar Village-Çal Town. The Temple was built in a rectangular plan on a hill which overlooks the Menderes River. The ground floor is in Hellenistic style; the rest of it is in Roman Style. There are columns standing on the south side of the temple and parts of the portico are still standing on the west side.

Sebastopolis: According to an inscription, the temple's portico was built by the slaves of the Apollon Lermenos Temple and dedicated to Apollon. According to pedestals of the statues, the temple was a famous and important religious center. The symbol of the center is the double axe of Apollon Lermenos. Sebastopolis is situated 2 km east of Kizilca Town that is 19 km west of Tavas District of Denizli. The city is in the middle of a bowl-shaped valley, on a land that is used by both of Kizilca and Aydogdu Towns.
 ANAVA: The name of the city is mentioned in the book, Seven Churches. According to the book, the city is near Aci Lake in Çardak Town. There is nothing left from the city.
 TRAPEZOPOLIS: It's in the neighborhood of Boludüzü in Bekirler Village near Denizli's Babadag Town. It extends from north to south on a plain. Some ruins can be seen on the ground. They are also from the Roman and Byzantine Periods
 APOLLONIA SALBACE : Apollonia is located about 7 km north of Denizli's Tavas Town on a flat plain in Medet Village. The city is situated on a fruitful section of the Tavas Plain that has connections to Caria on the west via Tabea Road, to Likia on the south via Sebastopolis Road, and to Phrygia on the east via Tavas Road.There is no definite documentation regarding the founding of the city. But according to the ruins and antiques which were found in excavations in Apollonia, it is believed that the city was continuously inhabited from the Bronze Age onward. The city's name comes from the Hellenistic Era. Its golden years were during the Roman Period. Apollon Temple, which was founded in the Hadrianus Era, and its inscriptions have survived to modern times. The city minted coins between the 1st century B.C. and the 1st century A.D. with motifs of deities on them.