Category Archives: Middle East

Pamukkale and Hierapolis

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From Ephesus we rushed to Pamukkale, hoping to reach before sunset. The Pamukkale translates to cotton castle due to it snow white travertines formed by the flowing hot springs. Situated overlooking Pamukkale is the ancient city of Hierapolis, translating to Holy City, one of the cities feature is an extensive Necropolis following the main road.

We arrived at the north entrance to Hierapolis late in the afternoon, a little confused as we couldn’t see any sign of the white travertines.  As we entered the old city, we released we had come through the back and had to make a two kilometre journey through the necropolis. It was an amazing experience though and nothing I had seen before, hundreds of giant tombs and stone coffins on either side.

Approaching the city we reached the Northern Roman Baths with stone arches still intact. The entrance to Hierapolis is marked by Domitianus Gate consisting of three large arches with the remains of two watchtowers on either side. The main ancient city consisted of a Nymphaeum, the Temple of Apollo, a Plutonium and an Agora.

Moving to the southern outskirts of Hierapolis we reached Pamukkale, initially travertines were very small, but as we moved closer we were presented with a cliff of white.  We removed our shoes (to protect the formations) and walked down. An amazing experience. We took as many photos as we could before the sun set and then made our way back through the Necropolis.

Start of the NecropolisOne of the many tombs in the NecropolisSarcophagi and tombs in the Necropolis
One of the many Sarcophagus with Greek textMore tombs in the NecropolisTravis and Sukey at the Necropolis
Many Sarcophagi in the NecropolisSonya and Sukey in front of the Roman BathsDomitianus Gate
Roman lavatoryColonnaded StreetBasilica
Sukey and Sonya with the Byzantine Gate in the backgroundGreek theatreSmall travertines
Small travertinesSukey and Travis at the travertinesSonya and the travertines
Cotton castleCotton castleWhite travertines
Sonya and the travertinesTravis and the travertinesWhite travertines
Sukey and the travertinesTravis looking down the travertinesCotton castle
White travertinesSukey and the travertinesTexture of the travertines

That night we made a long drive to Kütahya, where we stayed at a old, dingy hotel for the night on the way to Istanbul.

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Ancient Greek city of Ephesus

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We awoke early in Selçuk the following morning after a pleasant stay at the Australian New Zealand guesthouse, run by a Turkish Australian man who had lived in Perth for eight years. Our first stop was the Aqueduct which then led us to the 6th century Basilica of St. John the Apostle which some believe, is built on the site of the Apostle’s tomb. It is believed that the Apostle John fled from Jerusalem to the city where he remained for the rest of his life, writing his gospels.  We spent some time wandering around the Basilica grounds – it was serene and peaceful with no other tourists around.  From the Basilica we could see the grand fortress of Selçuk on Ayasoluk Hill and the İsa Bey Mosque.

Byzantine AqueductRestored ruined pillars which supported the aqueductRestored ruined pillars which supported the aqueduct
Travis at the Gate of PersecutionRuins of Basilica of St. JohnRuins of Basilica of St. John
The Tomb of St. JohnIsa Bey MosqueSonya at the ruins of Basilica of St. John
The Tomb of St. JohnGrand fortress Ottoman castleLooking west across the interior of the Basilica of St. John

Ephesus was our next stop located about four kilometres from the city. When we arrived a few tour buses had already unloaded. We decided on opting for a guided tour and were approached by an English speaking guide, Volkan, who held the record for longest tour (51 days) in Turkey.  The history of the Ephesus site spans thousands of years, beginning in the Neolithic age (around 6000BC) across the Bronze, Dark ages, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine eras before being conquered during the Ottoman Period and abandoned.   Now, Ephesus contains the largest Roman ruins in the eastern Mediterranean and only 25% of the site had been excavated.

Highlights of Ephesus include the Library of Celsus, a façade of which has been carefully reconstructed from original pieces, the Theatre which has a 22,000 seating capacity, the outdoor/communal latrines which were also a key social area, The Temple of Hadrian, The Temple of Domitrian and the agora (market places).  After the tour we decided to also visit the recently excavated Roman apartments, the living compounds of where wealthy Romans lived. They were surprisingly spacious, bright and airy and beautifully decorated with mosaics covering walls and floors. The rooms were also huge and numerous.

Varius BathsOriginal Roman ceramic drainage pipesStoa of the State Agora
Gaius Memmius MemorialWinged Angel of VictoryLooking down Curetes Street towards the Library of Celsus
Curetes Street with the Library of Celsus in the backgroundSonya with Curetes Street in the backgroundSonya and the Gate of Hercules
Greek writing along Curetes StreetTrajan FountainStoa of Alytarches mosaics
Temple of HadrianRoman public latrineLibrary of Celsus
CrossSonya and the tour guide with a SarcophagusHadrian Gate
Ephesus Brothel AdvertInside the Great TheatreTravis and Sukey looking down the Arcadian Avenue
Sonya and Sukey looking down the Arcadian AvenueLooking down the Arcadian AvenueLooking up at the Great Theatre
Greek writing on stone blocksCat on ancient stone blocksLooking over Commercial Agora
Library of CelsusSophia Greek wisdomSukey and the Library of Celsus
Travis and the Library of CelsusLibrary of CelsusSonya and the Library of Celsus
Sonya inside Gate of Mazaeus and MithridatesPutting together the mosaics of the apartmentsClose-up of restored marble
Sukey and Sonya inside the Palaces on the SlopesRestoration worksTravis and Sonya inside the Palaces on the Slopes
Lion floor mosaics in the Palaces on the SlopesRestoration worksDionysus God of the Wine mosaic
Bird paintingNereid and Triton MosaicFloor mosaics in the Palaces on the Slopes
Travis and the Library of CelsusTravis and Sonya the Library of CelsusSonya and the Library of Celsus
Statue of Alexandros on Curetes StreetSukey and Sonya at Kahvalti RestaurantGozleme

After our morning in Ephesus we decided to taken on Voltron’s recommendation and visit one of the local restaurants nearby to the Seven Sleepers, for some Gözleme (pancakes / crepes) before heading off to our next stop, Pamukkale.

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  1. Acropolis, Pergamon
  2. Pamukkale and Hierapolis
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Acropolis, Pergamon

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Located within the ancient Greek city Pergamon is the Acropolis literally meaning city on the extremity due to its location on a hill, this provided an amazing backdrop to the ruins.

Arriving at the base of the hill was another feature I hadn’t seen at any other ruins, a chair lift. As we were about to park the car, we were informed we could drive all the way up, so we did.

Walking to towards the ruins we pass through the site of the original castle gate. Original sites of palaces were on the left with the ruined Temple of Athena on the right. Using the nature concave of the hill is a Hellenistic (Greek) Theatre, said to have the steepest seating of all ancient theatres.

Past the theatre perched on the top of the hill is the Sanctuary of Trajan (Trajaneum), with magnificently reconstructed Corinthian fluted columns. On the sides of the Trajaneum were Stoas (covered walkways).

Heading back to the car we saw the overall ruins of the upper Acropolis.

From Pergamon we drove to Selçuk, with plans to visiting the ancient city of Ephesus the next day.

Kestel damChairliftAncient Roman arch
Travis on archOverlooking ruined Stoas and LibraryTree on the ruined Temple of Athena
Looking over the Hellenistic TheatreHellenistic Theatre with Sanctuary of Trajan Trajaneum in backgroundTemple of Dionysus
Hellenistic Theatre from TrajaneumTunnel of Sanctuary of Trajan TrajaneumSanctuary of Trajan Trajaneum
Sanctuary of Trajan TrajaneumSanctuary of Trajan TrajaneumSanctuary of Trajan Trajaneum
Sanctuary of Trajan TrajaneumTravis and Sukey at the Sanctuary of Trajan Trajaneum StoaLooking up at the Acropolis

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Troy, City of Troia, Turkey

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The famous city of Troy (or Troia in Turkish) lies an hour or so south of Çanakkale. We had visited the Trojan horse built for the Brad Pit featuring Troy movie that morning in Çanakkale before heading to the ruins.

Clock tower at nightSeaportTravis with the Trojan Horse form Troy movie
Trojan Horse form Troy movieTrojan Horse from Troy movieSonya and Sukey having breakfast

City of Troy (Troia)

As we had heard, the ruins had not been very well preserved. The site was discovered in the late 1800s by an excavation led by a German merchant, Schliemann. Until then, there was very little known about whether Troia, described in Homer’s Illiad, had existed or not. When Schliemann’s first excavation uncovered the ruins which he claimed to be Troia, it was immediately thought that the relics and ruins related to the famous stories and poetry of Troy, however as more archaeologists discovered more about the ruins, they realised the site contained layers of ancient ruins across several generations (over something like 2000 years) of Troia cities which they named Troy I to Troy IX. Schliemann’s discovery was related to the Troy II period. It is now widely accepted that the epic Greek story of the Trojan War would have likely been during Troy VIIa.

Anyway despite it being low season we saw at least three Japanese tour buses. Some of the Turkish guides even spoke fluent Japanese. As we were leaving a young couple approached Travis and asked if they could hitch a ride with us to the main road. They were both in their early twenties and very friendly. We found out the girl was Spanish and the guy was Slovakian (can’t remember their names), and their next destination was Pergamon, same as us. They were travelling Western Turkey via public transport and hitchhiking, and using CouchSurfing as accommodation. Ah, to be students! So we gave them a lift to Pergamon, another three and a half hour drive away.

Walls of Troy VIIView of the Trojan HorseWalls of Troy VII
Travis and the walls of Troy VIIOriginal red brick walls of Troy II and IIISukey in a 2000 year old well
Sonya and Travis with the Troy walls behindLooking over Troy IVWater system form Hittite settlement
Pillar HouseSukey sitting at the OdeonCollection of pillars
Sukey and Sonya inside the Trojan HorseSukey and Sonya inside the Trojan HorseSonya and Sukey exiting the Trojan Horse

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