History, Life of adventure, Road Trips, Travel, Turkey

The Roadtrip to Hierapolis

Suzanne

20170614_085516_editedWe thought this area was such a unique combination of natural and man-made wonders, it’s little wonder that Pamukkale-Hierapolis has been made a Unesco World Heritage site.

The part that grabbed our attention the most was Hierapolis which created more conversations between us.  Not being history buffs it was still possible for us to gather enough information to have an appreciation of the workmanship and the people who built this Greek-Roman spa city.

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The Squire ready to go exploring the Hierapolis ruins.  On a hot morning, it was tempting to find some shade underneath a palm tree, we had more walking to do to see treasures spread out on top of the hill.

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The stones were so level, how on earth did they achieve that?  We were in awe of their workmanship.

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It was worth the walk up the hill on a hot sunny day to see this magnificent Roman Theatre and a 180-degree view of the surrounding countryside.  I must admit I was not game to walk down the steps when we arrived as they seemed very steep and smooth.  It was extraordinary that visitors could walk all over these ancient ruins.  I did wonder if the ruins held more significance to the Turkish people would we have such freedom to wander all over this ancient site?

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Glancing back at this vast countryside of a distant past which had us in awe of how on earth the Romans were able to construct these monumental buildings.  Sadly, all that remains is a small part of the city – in the form of ruins.  You could say we are lucky to have something left behind to study and appreciate.

If you do have the opportunity to explore this area.

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Take your time to wander around then find some shade, have a picnic and marvel at how Hierapolis was dedicated to Apollo Lairbenos, who was said to have founded the city. The Temple of Apollo that survives in ruins today dates from the 3rd century AD, but its foundation’s date from the Hellenistic period.

For more historical information check out the below websites:

http://www.pamukkale.net

http://www.turkishculture.org

 

Published by Suzanne

Travel and Life Musings from New Zealand and Beyond. . . . . . .

23 thoughts on “The Roadtrip to Hierapolis”

    1. Thanks Jan. Isn’t that theatre just amazing and definitely breathtaking. Very skilled craftsmen!

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  5. Beautiful. “Stumbling” upon less touristy sites like these is so rewarding. And so is being able to see the theater up close. It’s a double-edged sword, but I remember walking on the benches of amphitheaters likes these as well, in Turkey and Greece. It is pretty cool and maybe they are built to last, even when tourists wander in and over them…

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    1. Thanks, Liesbet. I think you are correct they are no doubt built to last. Been up for a few years 🙂 That is one thing we love doing just heading out to see what we come across. The actual scale of these ruins is just amazing!!

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  9. Great photos, looks like you’re having a wonderful road trip before the housesitting starts. Managing to see a lot of the country too which is perfect. Hope the rest of the trip is just as good.

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    1. Thanks Jonno. Funny thing about blogging, can’t possibly write it when doing it, well I can’t as it takes me ages to get it just right 🙂 We started our housesit last Tuesday, and spent the previous week with the owners before they left. So have been in Turkey for about 3 weeks. How’s the housesitting jobs going? Have you got some away from the UK?

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      1. Sounds like its going great. We haven’t got any overseas ones yet as we’d planned on a whole year in the UK seeing more of our own country. Probably look for ones abroad next year although we havent decided yet. Where have you got planned?

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        1. Definitely, agree with seeing your own country before heading away. We spent years touring NZ. Spain is where we will be 🙂 Well for a few months.

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    1. Turkey is definitely different from what we have experienced so far. A mixing pot of East meets West. We at no stage have felt unsafe or unwelcome since being here, and, we are housesitting until the end of August! The Roman Theatre is an amazing place, it felt an honour to visit it.

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