When we arrived in Pamukkale we only think of these white terraces. Which we also really enjoyed. We simply don't realise that behind them, or rather above them, is a huge ancient city. We probably have focus knowledge. We probably drove past too many Pamukkale advertising signs.
The evening before our "ascent" to the sinter terraces, we meet a Czech couple in the only open (and heated!) restaurant. They have just come back from their excursion and we chat a little. I ask how much longer it will take, she beams and says: "Half a day, or better still a whole day!" Excuse me? For the little hill?
"There's a beautiful ancient city up there that you have to see! And no, it's not just a small archway, it's really extensive and super interesting!"
Did we not tick off the old stones? Probably not.
After our feet have recovered from the "climb" the following day, we set off. And discover another wonderful UNESCO World Heritage Site.
For thousands of years, people have known about the healing properties of the springs in the area around Hierapolis. Hittites and Phrygians erected altars here, but the city of Hierapolis itself was only founded by King Eumenes II of Pergamon as a counterpoint to the nearby Macedonian city of Laodicea (which we will omit).
The two rival cities, whose prosperity was partly based on wool processing, hindered each other's development. After being incorporated into the Roman province of Asia, Hierapolis gained in importance.
The city was destroyed by an earthquake in 60 AD, but was soon rebuilt. We encounter earthquakes quite often in Turkey, just think of the devastating quake in February 2023 in the south-east.
Hierapolis had an important Christian community and even became a bishop's see in Byzantine times. After the Seljuk invasion, the city fell into ruin.
The first excavations were carried out in 1887 by Carl Humann, the discoverer of Pergamon. Systematic archaeological work has been carried out since 1957, mainly by Italian archaeologists.
The most important ruins of Hierapolis include a well-preserved theatre, various temples, a large necropolis (ancient burial site) and the plutonium, which according to ancient mythology was the entrance to the underworld. It also looks very mystical, it steams and smokes, the water bubbles and I can well imagine that this could be the entrance to hell, theatrically speaking, of course!
We walk for hours through the ancient city, drink a Türk Kahvesi (Turkish coffee) in the large theatre and observe the excavations that are still going on. Today, the Italians are sorting and numbering the stones and stacking them in different piles. An insane job - we realise once again.
The fact that we can walk so freely through the city here and hardly come across any fences (okay, there are a few) gives us the feeling of being very close to history. Similar to last winter in Tunisia, where history was also so close and incomprehensible to us.
Somehow much nicer than when I was a child, when we had to look at an altar behind barriers in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. Even then, I wondered why it was in a building in Berlin. Only now do I realise that I simply didn't understand anything back then. Or everything.
Sources: http://www.reiseland-tuerkei-info.de/staedteinfo/hierapolis.html & https://www.kulturportali.gov.tr/turkiye/denizli/gezilecekyer/pamukkale-hierapolis-antik-kenti & https://www.michael-mueller-verlag.de/de/reisefuehrer/tuerkei/tuerkei-lykische-kueste/
Merci for "travelling with us
We are thinking about taking another break from travelling in the summer and visiting our families in Germany and Switzerland. One of the ideas is to organise a Lecture about our long journey to the Persian Gulf to prepare. If you would like to, what would interest you the most? We will also tell stories here that don't find a place here on the blog. We're thinking of the Bern and Berlin area - simply because we have family there. But other places are also conceivable. Feel free to write to us.
Do you think our travel experiences might be of interest to others? Then you can share the Share post quietly. By e-mail or however you want to do it.
In addition, if you haven't already done so, you can use our Newsletter subscribe. Here you will receive all our experiences in your mailbox whenever we publish something new or once a week on Fridays: live-pur.ch/newsletter
We are also very happy to hear your views, your tips or your questions. Just comment on the post!
