Oct 31 - There are three ways to get up the travertine hill of Pamukkale to see the pools and the archaeological sites. One is to take a taxi to the South Gate, which is a short walk from the main restaurant area and hot springs swimming pool (the Ancient Pool). Second is to walk up a path through the pools, which requires all footwear to be removed to avoid damaging the rock formations. Third is a minibus for 10 minutes to the North Gate, which takes you to the north end of the ruined city of Hierapolis and a long walk to the Ancient Pool. We leave for the North Gate early, and start our walk through the ruins almost alone.
Hierapolis was founded in 190 BCE by Eumenes II, King of Pergamon. Not surprisingly, it was considered a sacred site and the areas around the hot springs themselves were made into spas for the curing of various ailments. The city was ceded to Rome in 133 BCE (just four years after Ephesus), and the settlement grew to a large size. The footprint of this city is still possible to distinguish on Google Maps, as the current town of Pamukkale is completely separate, down the hill, and the are almost no modern buildings on the old city site. Hierapolis was inhabited through the early Christian era of the eastern Roman Empire, and made into a bishopric.
We start walking south from the North Gate, through an extensive funerary complex.
A few of the smaller tombs. Most date from the 1st to 3rd century CE.
Many tombs have nice, legible Greek inscriptions.
Some tomb buildings have sarcophagi piled on top.
A Halloween creature is emerging from this tomb, to scare children.
Another undead terror, crawling forth from its unholy crypt.
A round tumulus tomb, probably built in the late Hellenistic age (1st century BCE), but used several times more during Roman times.
The Basilica Bath building, located just outside the old city gates and built in the 3rd century CE. The purpose of this structure was for people to wash and otherwise cleanse themselves before entering the city proper. This was important to minimize the possibility of travelers bringing in diseases.
The latrine, just inside the city gate. The long grove on the right used to have slabs with holes to function as toilets, with the channel underneath acting to drain away the waste. The latrine is nicely closed off from the street by a wall, but once entered, all toilet activity took place in this common area.
The Frontinus Street, the main street of the city from about the 1st century CE. Under the center runs a deep channel for water (still visible through the cracks in the flagstones).
This nicely preserved amphitheatre was built during Hadrian’s time and has a great view over Pamukkale and the valley behind.
Some tops of Corinthian columns, just littering the side of the street.
This enclosure was built around the source of the springs. Here, the hot water bubbles from the ground and releases many gases. During Greek and later Roman times, this was considered a connection to the Underworld, the domain of Hades/Pluto. Coincidentally, some of the gases are toxic, enhancing the mythology connecting this outlet to the land of the dead. Bulls were brought here, put into enclosed spaces, and allowed to suffocate as sacrifices to the gods.
Go next to the Ancient Pool, the principal bathing area from ancient times. I remember visiting this pool before, but my super limited budget precluded paying to bathe there. This time we do go in.
This portion of the pool is off limits for swimming. It is the hottest portion, and is still releasing some gases.
Maybe one of the only pools where you can sit amongst Roman columns. They, and blocks from old walls, litter the bottom of the pool.
More Halloween monsters, coming for the little children.
This portion of the pool is up to 5 meters deep and off-limits to kids. The water here is notably warmer and effervescent, meaning that it is highly carbonated and still releasing carbon dioxide.
From here, we move on to the travertine terraces themselves. Years ago, it was possible to walk all over the place. Now, probably due to the huge number of tourists visiting, they have restricted foot traffic to one specific path, and forced everyone to walk barefooted.
Fortunately, the surfaces are fairly abrasive so reduces the chances of slipping.
A closeup of the above active pools. This group is outside the area permissible for walking.
A view of inactive pools. This is what 90% of what the terraces look like now. I think they re-route the spring water every so often to keep them white. But the truth is that of all the water than used to flow through these pools, very little is currently allowed to do so. The remainder is routed to the growing town of Pamukkale below. It can look very deceiving in promotional photos (some of these photos were taken many years ago when the water flow was much higher).
In front of a cliff of travertine. The path through the terraces down the hill includes some wide shallow pools. These are lined with white mud, the form in which the calcium carbonate first precipitates as a solid. Later it dries and forms hard surfaces.
A closeup of the hard surface, with preserved ripple marks from the flow of water.
The edge of an active pool, one that can be waded in.
A late afternoon view of the pools.
A large bulbous travertine form, at the exit of the park, and just before sunset.
Odette visits the local upside-down museum of Pamukkale. She took a bunch of selfies inside, but it was difficult for her to show the illusionary nature of the place.
For Halloween, Odette did a chocolate egg hunt, and we carved a local fruit to make a Jack-o-lantern.
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