Travel with me #86 : A visit to the ancient Town of Hiera - Hierapolis!

in #travel7 years ago

Dear Steemit friends:

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In today's edition of Travel with me, we'll be visiting Hierapolis and admiring the ancient ruins of this once very prosperous ancient city.

People often overlook Hierapolis because much of the attention is focused on the Pamukkale white travertine terraces which spread along the side of the mountain face of Büyük Menderes valley. Of course, that is to be expected because the terraces are truly beautiful and are unique on this planet!

Despite the beauty of the Pamukkale travertine terraces, it is definitely still worth visiting Hierapolis and seeing the ancient ruins of the once great city of Anatolia.

It's amazing to think that this city once had a population of nearly 100,000 people. Established by King Eumenes II of Pergamon, the town was built around the travertine terraces which were regarded as a natural miracle within his kingdoms's borders.

The town was named after Hiera, the wife of Telephos, the legendary founder of Pergamon.

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The whole Hierapolis and Pamukkale site is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, meaning that considerable effort has been made to protect, preserve and even restore parts of the ancient city.

The entrance ticket to Pamukkale is inclusive of Hierapolis but you will likely want to make separate trips to visit each place. I spent almost an entire afternoon at the terraces and left very little time to explore Hierapolis and thus this trip was conducted on my second visit to the site.

The whole area stretches for several kilometers from one end to the other. On foot, it can take many hours to cover this distance whilst appreciating the ruins and artefacts which are spread around over a very large area.

For people who wish to save some time, there are little electric bikes you can rent and drive around yourself.
I would definitely recommend this option especially in the summer where temperatures can soar into the high 30's and even 40's.

Despite the temperature being 43 degrees Celsius, there are still people gliding up above in the sky, and many heat resistant people walking from site to site.

I decided to take a buggy with a roof and driver because the actual Hierapolis site starts at the Northern entrance which is the complete opposite side of the Southern Entrance where I came in. Even on the buggy, it takes around 10 minutes to drive there.

At the very end of the Northern entrance, we find the Necropolis which itself extends for nearly 2km.
This particular necropolis is one of the best preserved in all of Turkey and inside you will find the excavations of nearly 1200 tombs.

The most common type of tomb seen in the picture below are the sarcophagi. These date back to as early as the 1st century AD. Usually they are surrounded by walls or trees but each have their own inscriptions and design.

What's interesting is that much like the graves we find in the modern day, there are different kinds of graves for people with different socio-economic status.

The northern necropolis is where the tombs of the rich people are situated and usually feature meticulous craftsmanship as well as inscriptions of the names of the dead buried inside.

This particular sarcophagi stood out to me because it's elevated above a stone arch!

Usually, the larger the tomb, the more important the person buried inside was. As you can see, there are quite a number of large tombs which stick out amongst the smaller ones surrounding them.

Even though most of the tombs have now been excavated, most if not all have been vandalised over time.

In the past, words of warning were inscribed on the tombs themselves which would curse anyone who would try to vandalise them. There were even fines that were levied on people who were caught trying to do so.

Check out some more pictures of the Necropolis below!

The Basilica Baths

Coming back from the Northern Necropolis, we can see these two marvellous arches which have been really well preserved. These are in fact travertine rectangular blocks erected as part of the Basilica Baths. Originally used as a place to bathe, the structure was later transformed into a church during the first half of the 6th Century.

The Frontinus Gate

Serving as the entrance to the Frontinus Avenue, The Frontinus Gate was built by Julius Frontinus - the Proconsul of Asia Minor to the Emperor Domitian. It is therefore sometimes referred to as the Domitian gate.

I was really surprised to find the gate mostly intact with three distinctive arches which would have been embellished with columns and decorated with simple corniche. Either side of the gate are the cylindrical towers from the Hellenistic era.

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The Frontinus Avenue behind me stretches for roughly 1 km and is about 14m wide. Originally it was referred to as Plateia Avenue.

This is The Latrine, otherwise known as the town's public toilet. Situated just after the Byzantine churches, it was constructed in the 1st century AD but then later collapsed due to the semi-frequent earthquakes which would occur in the area.

Surprisingly, most of the pieces which fell were very well preserved and post excavation were renovated and then resurrected to their original standing position.

It seems like in those days there was less modesty required in public toilets as there are no modesty dividers evident anywhere.

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This is the inside of the Latrine. The structure was originally split into two columns and in the middle, there was a duct used as a sewage channel. On the other side of the columns, there was a terrace for people to sit on whilst using the toilet!

I honestly didn't even know I was walking through the sewage area of a public toilet when I had this picture taken. It's good to know though!

These are some of the ruins of the houses that were build around the Frontinus Avenue.

Hierapolis was surrounded by protective walls. This fine example is the North Byzantine Gate.

It was really huge, and really impressive considering it was erected in the late 4th century!

Just look at how small I am in the picture!



As you pass through the Byzantine Gate, we reach The Triton Nymphaeum.

This used to be a fountain which followed along the entire street. It's called the Triton Nymphaeum because it used to feature figures playing sea trumpets and other musical instruments.

The niches that you see here were made for placement of statues.

Check out a mini video of my visit!


And that wraps up my quick tour of the ancient city of Hierapolis and the very large Necropolis to the North.

I hope that you enjoyed the pictures of the ancient ruins of this great city. It's one thing to see them in pictures, but another to actually visit and walk inside. I sincerely hope that if you have the opportunity to visit Pamukkale that you spend ample time exploring this ancient city and hopefully uncovering even more history than I have covered here!

As always, I appreciate your upvote if you liked the post, a follow if you want to keep up to date with my activities, and please do leave a comment to let me know what you think!


今天我想带大家继续探索美丽的棉花堡,再高的温度也无法融解我对古城古迹文化的热情。如果说棉花堡是人间仙境般的天然美,那么地处棉花堡山顶的希拉波利斯古城就是震撼人心的历史美。头顶着43度高温,我往身上涂了些防晒霜,为了与列入世界遗产名录的希拉波利斯古城来个亲密接触,我勇敢的走进了烈日下。不知从何时起,只要是要去看历史古代遗迹,我就异常兴奋和激动。

希拉波利斯位于棉花堡之上,古城建于公元前190年,在被罗马帝国控制的时候,曾居住着10万人口。那时候是依靠当地丰富的温泉资源,使得古代罗马、希腊的贵族把这里当做疗养胜地,当然也不乏犹太人、异教徒、基督教徒从四面八方而来泡温泉,因此希拉波利斯古城逐渐转化为繁荣的城市。这么看起来,土耳其自古以来还真是一个包容的国家,大方的接受不同教派,尊重不同信仰,从而出现了各民族国家人民同享受温泉的场景。直到突厥人的入侵和地震的双重伤害,让曾经辉煌的城市化为废墟。为了更快的到达古城脚下,我在门口租了个小电动车,小车子自由的驰骋在古迹当中,恍惚之间感觉自己穿越回了古代。身边的景色一直变换,一会是山上光秃秃又奇形怪状的岩石,乱石和野草重生,在太阳照射下发着光,一会是地上长出了一片茂密的树林,天上还有自由自在享受滑翔伞的勇者们。我静静的欣赏周围的风景,从荒芜的土地来到了一片石头聚集的一大片古代墓地,这里有超过了1000座坟墓。听说在这延伸了好几公里的公墓里,也埋葬着那些希耶拉波利斯医生没有治愈好的温泉疗养病人。除了墓地,还能从残留的废墟,拼凑着看到古代集市,神庙遗址的影子,以及古希腊,古罗马的雕塑。这里和以弗所古城略有不同的是,随处可见修剪整齐的花草艺术和休息用的石椅。

眼前这个浴室,是由石头砌成的几座相连巨型拱门,这也是典型的罗马建筑。浴室边上这三座连续的拱门特别气派,从这开始向南就是一直通向北边的南北大道。我顶着烈日,走在古老的遗迹里,似乎感觉的到地老天荒。伸手抚摸一下古老石块的气息,沧桑之美令人难忘。走进拱门的右侧,是古代的公厕,但是我还是难以拒绝这样美丽的建筑,坐上去合影了。在公厕的后方,是古代的运动场,可惜现在已经看不太到运动场的痕迹了。但是罗马建筑艺术的神韵在这座古城里却依稀可见,如今这条大道上大多是断壁残垣散落在地,不少建筑已经被栏杆围起。希望大家喜欢今天我们探索的历史遗迹,之后还有更多有趣而难忘的故事要分享给大家。

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I like all your posts....and even this one:)
The graveyard is soo beautiful with the green green trees behind it....its amazing

It is not often that one stumbles on posts that are so educational and aesthetically pleasing. Yours on the other hand always seem to deliver in quality and substance, things I can only dream of, @sweetsssj.

That you were able to sum up such a long history in such a short time is one of the remarkable things of this piece, and if might say so myself I thoroughly enjoyed the history lesson and the sightseeing.

This approach brought balance to this piece. Presentations of historical sites can be quite overwhelming because of the sheer scale of what is presented. That, however, you infused yourself in this piece speaks served to mitigate against that; insofar that it brought youth and beauty to kilometers of artefacts.

One was hoping for more though, which in my case doesn’t happen often. I guess I am so impressed and was salivating for more. I'm glad you zoned in on the main structures, such as the wonderful arches and entrances that seemed so well preserved. By the way, the public latrine part gave me some laughs; just saying. I was just trying to imagine what it must have been like hundreds of years ago.

The short video close to the end also complemented the post. To see the moving images gave me this vicarious thrill and hence, I have placed this historical site on my bucket list; which is a wonderful segue into your description of the tombs and sarcophagi. For me it was not only about the magnificence of the architecture, but I got a brief view of the social strata of the society. So often we see a place with its great ruins and we gloat about its former glory without realizing that it was once peopled and that these people had their stories. You reminded me of that in this post.

You also reminded me of how ephemeral this thing called life is, one day you are here the next you are not, and I wonder if the people who inhabited this great city when it was at its apex thought that in 2017 it would be lying in ruin. Food for thought.

Thanks for sharing this post about this magnificent and ancient place. A stitch and a wrinkle in time. A place whose monuments and corpses continue to speak to us so many years after its glory days. Another wonderful post, @sweetsssj

nicholas, I have to say I must say the same about your comment.

You are right in your assessment of this post being on the shorter side and it's true that there is much much more to look out for should anyone visit. I have tried to condense it to the main things which I felt more attached to, but at the same time, I do feel a little sad that I couldn't make the post as complete as it could be, especially as I frequently peruse back through my posts to remind myself of the places and their finer details.

I hope that I can in my other travels I can gradually start adding more detail and leave you more satisfied and not hoping for more, although the scope I think you're looking for might be a little too much for the casual reader. I will have to explore different ways of balancing the details as you say.

I'm also glad that you found some value in the video. Sometimes the extra effort of making video along side taking many photos becomes overwhelming whilst trying to really appreciate the area, but I do make a conscious effort to try capture as much of the atmosphere as possible so if some video clips are able to supplement the pictures, then I think it will be always worth it to me!

Thanks for such a lovely comment, i've followed you and look forward to some of your own writings :)

Very good Pictures!What a Nice places..Very interesting post and beautiful pictures
Upvoted. Do Follow me and Upvote my Posts if you like Dear @rajrea007

@sweetsssj : i got a poem for you kindly check it out..i know you will love it..and i resteem your post..@dontryme2 https://steemit.com/philippines/@dontryme2/i-had-crush-on-you-poem-hope-you-guys-like-it

tooo long <3 thats your love you typed that whole comment <3 great <3

One travels for recreation and education and both aspects are displayed in today's post, @sweetsssj.

Such a long history to cover, marked by various occupations by Romans, Greeks and others.

You did a very balanced presentation of the cultural and historical elements that are so plentiful as to be overwhelming.

Of course, you couldn't cover all the features of the site but I'm glad you highlighted the magnificent arches and gates that were so important considering they were the main entrances into a fortified city surrounded by massive walls.

You wisely took a few long shots that emphasized the huge stone structures compared to your tiny figure. I was able to appreciate the scale of the construction.

I enjoyed your description of the Necropolis with its tombs and sarcophagi. It goes without saying that when visiting ancient sites one can still sense the spirit of the place, and all the more so in an area where all levels of society were interred and where their remains still speak to us in curses and warnings to leave their bones undisturbed.

There's a sadness too that is undeniable when viewing the ruins of a once great city--it's a cautionary reminder, a memento mori that subtly advises us of our mortality.

The Latrine area may be a curiosity to tourists but believe it or not that is the very area that's of particular interest to archeologists in search of the midden of past civilizations. You can learn a lot about a culture from their waste and garbage dumps.

But such elegant, though immodest, public toilets and such beautiful statuary lining the Triton Nymphaeum where nymphs besotted themselves with music and sunny water-filled play.

This was a beautiful and practical tour of a haunting ancient city, lushly illustrated with colourful photos and a compressed video that highlighted the major attractions.

An excellent post, @sweetsssj

john, once again you have made my day with such a lovely comment that really describes everything I wrote in a much more poetic way, thank you!

Sometimes it's very hard to see what the original structures were like when a lot of the buildings are now just large pieces of stone on the ground, and yet, aside from the buildings which still stand erect, I get a haunting feeling of the city as it once stood from the rubble of stones that remain.

Certainly, I am amazed by the engineering capabilities of people in those times, especially as after two millennia, some buildings are left standing to hold the test of time.

It takes a bit of imagination to see how some buildings would have looked given their current state, and I imagine some architects probably have an easier time visualising it in their heads, but it is an exercise worth trying and I certainly enjoyed my attempt to recreate the city in my head as I wandered through it.

In the future, I will try to be more thorough and give everyone a much more complete "picture" of the place!

Well-done.

@sweetsssj you have been a great inspiration and you are a great writer.
thank you so much for explaining your travel in such detail.

@sweetsssj all i can say is you are very smart and you the most beautiful lady i've ever seen. I always visit your blog because you inspires me. i always idolize you since my very 1st day on steemit. I want to be like you. Do what you do but it is very hard for me for now because im taking care of my very young 5month old baby girl. Thank you very much for sharing inspiring content. Im your number 1 fan! 🤗

haleyaerith, what an honour to have you as such a dedicated follower, thank you so much for paying so much attention to my posts. I really hope that you get as much enjoyment (and maybe ideas) out of them as I did creating them.

Congratulations on welcoming a new member to your family, I really look forward to seeing her ! Followed you :)

@sweetsssj - Amazing views of Hierapolis. I love ancient ruins and had visited some near Ankara like Roman baths but have missed Hierapolis. Well - will visit next time. As usual, you look stunning in a yellow dress and viewing your photos in the ruins is like seeing a glorious sunflower!
The necropolis is a bit creepy because of all the graves but your observation of the size of the tomb marking the importance of a person is spot on. In modern day too, this is observed in many places but was much more prominent in that era.
Arches are always interesting in any ruins. The double arches make very good impressions in your pictures. I also loved the domed structure of the basilica baths. The baths seem to be roman legacy in Turkey in general.

LOL- if you had not mentioned, we would not have known that you wandered through sewage of a public toilet of Hierapolis!

This blog from you came after 7-8 days so I was impatiently waiting for more glimpses of Turkey. Thanks for this because I got to see something I had missed.

You must be quite busy with visiting another interesting spot now. I request you to visit my latest 3 blogs when you have time - they may interest you since they have some interesting aspects (funny as well as serious) aspects of wildlife awareness. Your comments and feedback will help enrich my Steemit experience. Thanks

Regards,
vm2904

As always, great post and thank you for sharing your travel experiences with us.

Follow me @Yehey
Thank you.

vm2904, i've missed you and your comments very much! Thank you for going through my post with so much detail. I haven't actually been travelling elsewhere, just a lot of life commitments have made it difficult to do any posting! I'll definitely drop by your blog and leave some comments :)

@sweetsssj - Thank you dear friend. Since I am busy with my fathers health issues, it is difficult to post and also to see your posts and comment in time. The time difference also makes it difficult. I am glad I could see your blog when I got online today and you could see my comment. I appreciate your visits to my blogs. Thanks friend. Your appreciation makes Steemit a better place for me.

vm2904, my condolences to your father and I wish him a swift recovery, do make sure you spend more than ample time with your father, it is important to care for your family as they have cared for you. As always, I always appreciate your support. Of course, I always browse through your blogs when I find the chance! :)

hows your father health buddy ?

Yes, It is Amazing views of Hierapolis. :)

Wow.... Amazing sites ma dear. Am trully intrigued by the ancient but beautiful structures. My dear with this expository you did i mean i have literally travelled to ancient Town of Hiera - Hierapolis!.
I hope to travel more with you .
I love the experience of you wandering through sewage of a public toilet of Hierapolis!.... I guess it was fun.

thank you janemana, looking forward to joining me on more travels to come! See you soon :)

The best way to feed one's hunger for knowledge is to travel. In your post, you were able to capture the historical essence of the place and share it with us.

You were able to capture my interest in travelling to ancient landmarks. You had me at the first picture. The details, the history, everything is marvelous.

I am hoping that through your post, more people would get to understand the historical value of each ruin, each stone, each story that holds everything together.

thank you the-missus, there are of course some places I didn't manage to cover, but I hope that the post incites some curiosity for the readers to go out there and explore for themselves, filling in the blanks and building their own perspective of this marvellous place!

Thank you for such a nice comment! :)

the sky is so blue :)

definitely, it's very clear too, probably why it was sooooo hot that day!!

hot day and hot u <3 what a combo lol :D

This post received a 3% upvote from @randowhale thanks to @cxc! For more information, click here!

lol :P

Wow thats so cool

It is a really good place.
The background and costumes look so good.
you looks like a Greek goddess.

Breathtaking shots!
How amazing it is that we still have the opportunity to experience ancient culture this close. It's sometimes hard to believe that people really used to sit on these stones thousands of years ago!
History is so fascinating and posts like these capture it perfectly, thank you!

And also, please check your steemit. chat, left you a message!

you are right buddy <3 history is so fascinating and posts like these capture it perfectly <3

sirwinchester! Thank you for dropping by, what an honour :) Sorry i have been a bit awol, I will get back to you on Steemit chat! :)