Pamukkale-Hierapolis | The City of Antiquity

The ancient city of Hierapolis grew over the thermal springs and today provides visitors with a glimpse of the natural gifts of the region and cultural treasure that man gave to nature. The ancient city, situated 20 kilometers north of Denizli, is justly famous for buildings and artefacts unearthed during extensive excavations. Hierapolis was best described by Prof. Francesco D'Andria who supervised the archaeological excavations:
Pamukkale derives its name, which means "Cotton Castle", from the white travertine deposits formed by thermal springs. However the travellers of the 18th centurey, looking at the graves scattered along the plain on top of the ridge called it "Pambouk Kalesi" which means the "Castle of Graves". The outstanding natural scenery also cradles the ruins of Hierapolis of Phrygia, one of the sacred cities of the East. The excavations and restitution work carried out in the recent years have unearthed the traces of one of the famous centers of Asia Minor. Every year more than one million visitors explore the splendour as described by author A. Aristides in his Oration on Rome in second century AD.
The expression used in the Oration is as it follows: '...,the whole empire is full of gymnasia, fountains, temples, workshops, and schools ...cities glisten with radiance and charm,...'

Hierapolis is known as the "Sacred City" on account of its many temples and religious buildings. The geographers of antiquity, Strabo and Ptolemy, claimed that Hierapolis was a Phrygian city, because of its proximity to Laodicea on the Lycus and Tripoli, cities situated on the border with the Caria region. Experts noted that there were human settlements associated with the cult of Cybele, the goddess of motherhood, on the site of the city before it was established as Hierapolis.
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