Pamukkale and Hierapolis

It feels like I've been in Turkey for over a week, yet this is only my fourth day! I left Selcuk for the village of Pamukkale via tour bus. On the bus I was happy to find some familiar faces. Hardy and Tejal, the couple from Chicago that I had met while exploring Ephesus. It was great having them on the bus as we had a two hour bus ride to Pamukkale.

Like with the bus to Ephesus, we started off the morning with a sales pitch. This time it was marble. We were shown how they make things out of marble, different types of marble found in the local quarries and the local marble shop. It was pretty interesting, but again the prices of the items were quite high. The marble shop was followed up by a stop for food, all you can eat Turkish buffet, then we were off to sight see.

Pamukkale literally means "white castle" and is named such because of the giant calcium deposits overlooking the village. It's a popular place to bathe in, as the people now and in the ancient times believed the water had healing properties. I mention the ancient times because above the springs are ruins of Hierapolis, an old Roman city. The Romans used these springs in much the same way the locals do today.

Approaching Hierapolis, we passed through its necropolis. It is littered with tombs and sarcophagi, many which are very much intact. The Hierapolis baths are still in use, though they are covered and extra admission fees are required to go in. Above the baths are remnants of the Temple of Apollo and a theatre that is said to have sat 15,000 people in its day.

Unfortunately I couldn't explore the site longer, I had to hurry to catch a bus from the village to Antalya, where I just arrived a little over two hours ago.

The white castle, Pamukkale:

Calcium formations, pools:

Locals and tourists dip their feet in the pools:

Tejal with the Pamukkale village in the background:

A tractor passes through the Hierapolis necropolis:

Tomb at the necropolis:

Decorated ruins at Hierapolis theatre:

Hierapolis gate: