Turkey, officially the Republic of
Turkey, is a transcontinental country located mainly on Anatolia in Western
Asia, with a portion on the Balkans in Southeast Europe. It shares borders with
Greece and Bulgaria to the northwest; the Black Sea to the north; Georgia to
the northeast; Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran to the east; Iraq to the
southeast; Syria and the Mediterranean Sea to the south; and the Aegean Sea to
the west. Cyprus is located off the south coast. Turks form the vast majority
of the nation's population and Kurds are the largest minority. Ankara is
Turkey's capital, while Istanbul is its largest city and financial centre.
Pamukkale, meaning "cotton
castle" in Turkish, is a natural site in Denizli Province in southwestern
Turkey. The area is famous for a carbonate mineral left by the flowing of
thermal spring water. It is located in Turkey's Inner Aegean region, in the
River Menderes valley, which has a temperate climate for most of the year.
People have visited the area for
thousands of years, due to the attraction of the thermal pools. As recently as
the mid-20th century, hotels were built over the ruins of Hierapolis, causing
considerable damage. An approach road was built from the valley over the
terraces, and motor bikes were allowed to go up and down the slopes. When the
area was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the hotels were demolished and
the road removed and replaced with artificial pools. There are well-preserved
Roman ruins and a museum on site. A small footpath runs up the mountain face
for visitors to use, however the travertine terraces are all off-limits, having
suffered damage, erosion and water pollution due to tourism. It was added as a
UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988 with Hierapolis.
Pamukkale's terraces are made of
travertine, a sedimentary rock deposited by mineral water from the hot springs.
In this area, there are 17 hot springs with temperatures ranging from 35 °C (95
°F) to 100 °C (212 °F). The water that emerges from the spring is transported
320 metres (1,050 ft) to the head of the travertine terraces and deposits
calcium carbonate on a section 60 to 70 metres (200 to 230 ft) long covering an
expanse of 24 metres (79 ft) to 30 metres (98 ft). When the water,
supersaturated with calcium carbonate, reaches the surface, carbon dioxide
de-gasses from it, and calcium carbonate is deposited. Calcium carbonate is
deposited by the water as a soft gel which eventually crystallizes into
travertine.
There are only a few historical facts
known about the origin of the city. No traces of the presence of Hittites or
Persians have been found. The Phrygians built a temple, probably in the first
half of the 7th century BC. This temple, originally used by the citizens of the
nearby town of Laodicea, would later form the centre of Hierapolis.
Hierapolis was founded as a thermal
spa early in the 2nd century BC within the sphere of the Seleucid Empire.
Antiochus the Great sent 2,000 Jewish families to Lydia and Phrygia from
Babylon and Mesopotamia, later joined by more from Judea. The Jewish congregation
grew in Hierapolis and has been estimated as high as 50,000 in 62 BC.
Hierapolis became a healing centre where doctors used the thermal springs as a
treatment for their patients. The city began minting bronze coins in the 2nd
century BC. These coins give the name Hieropolis. It remains unclear whether
this name referred to the original temple or honoured Hiera, the wife of
Telephus, son of Heracles and the Mysian princess Auge, the supposed founder of
Pergamon's Attalid dynasty. This name eventually changed into Hierapolis
("holy city"),. In 133 BC, when Attalus III died, he bequeathed his
kingdom to Rome. Hierapolis thus became part of the Roman province of Asia. In
AD 17, during the rule of the emperor Tiberius, a major earthquake destroyed
the city.
Through the influence of the Christian apostle Paul, a church was founded here while he was at Ephesus. The Christian apostle Philip spent the last years of his life here. The town's Martyrium was alleged to have been built upon the spot where Philip was crucified in AD 80. His daughters were also said to have acted as prophetesses in the region. During the 4th century, the Christians filled Pluto's Gate (a ploutonion) with stones, suggesting that Christianity had become the dominant religion and begun displacing other faiths in the area. Originally a see of Phrygia Pacatiana, the Byzantine emperor Justinian raised the bishop of Hierapolis to the rank of metropolitan in 531. The Roman baths were transformed to a Christian basilica. During the Byzantine period, the city continued to flourish and also remained an important centre for Christianity.
The museum contains historical
artifacts from Hierapolis, as well as those from Laodiceia, Colossae, Tripolis,
Attuda and other towns of the Lycos valley. The museum also has a section
devoted to artifacts found at Beycesultan Hüyük that includes examples of
Bronze Age craft. Artifacts from the Caria, Pisidia and Lydia regions are also
on display. The museum's exhibition space consists of three closed areas of the
Hierapolis Bath and the open areas in the eastern side which are known to have
been used as the library and gymnasium. The artifacts in open exhibition space
are mostly marble and stone. Hierapolis is broken down into ruins.
Pamukkale is recognized as a World
Heritage Site together with Hierapolis. Hierapolis-Pamukkale was made a World
Heritage Site in 1988. It is a tourist attraction due to this status and its
natural beauty. The underground volcanic activity which causes the hot springs
also forced carbon dioxide into a cave, which was called the Plutonium, which
here means "place of the god Pluto". This cave was used for religious
purposes by priests of Cybele, who found ways to appear immune to the
suffocating gas
In order to minimize damage at the
pools, visitors must walk barefoot, so be sure to bring shoes you can remove
easily. I admit, this rule almost made me reconsider entering the pools. I’m
clumsy and the pools are incredibly slippery and have plenty of areas with
sharp limestone.
Sources :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pamukkale
https://www.intrepidtravel.com/adventures/pamukkale-turkey-guide/
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