Pamukkale

Named Pamukkale (Cotton Fortress) in Turkish, but also known by its Roman name Hierapolis, the incredible landscape is the result of naturally heated water heavily-laden with calcium, which cools and hardens after it seeps out of the ground and works its way downstream.  The area has been a spa since Roman times, and indoor and outdoor baths still littered with marble Roman columns are available to tourists at a relatively steep cost.

Around 100 BC the kings of Pergamum established the thermal spa and many ruins of the ancient Greco-Roman city can be seen scattered over a wide area. The origins of the city, however, may go back even further. It is thought a settlement was nearby dating to around 1900 BC, and around 500 BC the nearby city of Cydrara built a temple at Pamukkale. Hierapolis means ‘Holy City’ and many deities were worshipped there, including Apollo, Artemis, Dionysus, Leto, Poseidon, Pluto and Heracles. It is not surprising to find such worship at a place as magical as Hierapolis. Another explanation for the name ‘Hierapolis’ is that Hiera was supposedly the name of the wife of Telephus – the founder of the city of Pergamum – and Hierapolis was named in her honour. It was common in those days for cities to be named after women.

The ancient city of Hierapolis was relatively small – just one square kilometre. One may feel this cannot be true due to the spread out nature of the necropolis, and even today tourists have the option of reaching the soothing pools by minibus, such is the long walk through the immense cemetery. The reason for that is a lot of people died there! Arriving for the healing properties of the pools, many old, ill, and dying people spent their last days there and were then buried in the necropolis, which soon expanded to a huge size.

Hierapolis has suffered many earthquakes and each time the city was razed to the ground and then rebuilt. The first was in 17 AD, the second in 60 AD, and the third and last in 1354. Due to these earthquakes, most of the ruins date to the Roman period.

Unfortunately there is not much to see in this set of photos. My morning in Pamukkale, on Saturday 14 March, 2015, was a disappointing, freezing cold and miserable one. After sleeping in a badly-insulated hotel that is only useful in summer, and being the only guests, the night was sleepless, uncomfortable and cold. Waking up and not feeling too great the mood was not a productive one when Pamukkale was finally reached by the long winding road to the main entrance. It was ridiculously cold and a biting wind and tiredness meant I did not explore the ruins at all, and took the minibus through the necropolis to reach the pools. I did, however, take my shoes and socks off and dip my feet in the fast flowing water at one point, which was a rather pleasant experience. Unfortunately this was the only negative experience in Turkey. It wasn’t the fault of Pamukkale or anything similar – just a sleepless night, tiredness and the cold put pay to what otherwise would have been an amazing experience. One day I shall return in warmer months…

References:

http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/go/Aegean/Pamukkale/

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/485

http://www.pamukkale.net/listingview.php?listingID=9