Beyond Pamukkale: 7 Groundbreaking Facts About the Ancient City of Hierapolis

Beyond Pamukkale

1. Introduction: The Mysterious World Beneath the White Travertines

The pristine white travertine terraces that immediately come to mind when we think of Pamukkale are actually just a showcase for a much deeper and more mysterious world. Behind this cottony whiteness, the ancient city of Hierapolis silently rises, inviting visitors not just to a visual feast, but to a millennia-old adventure of faith and engineering. Known in the archaeological world as the "Holy City," this settlement owes its name not only to its thermal waters but also to the temples and religious structures that spring from every corner of the land. Let's go beyond the travertines and decipher these ancient stories that seep from among the dusty columns.

2. Rewriting History: A 300-Year-Old Surprise

Until recently, Hierapolis's emergence onto the historical stage was considered to begin with the Kingdom of Pergamon in the 2nd century BC. However, the excavations in 2013 created a real stratigraphic revolution in the chronology of the city. The finds at the Ploutonion Sanctuary pushed the known history of the city back a full 300 years, to the 6th century BC. The most striking evidence of this discovery is the Cybele relief, bearing the signature of Phrygian culture and depicting a figure playing a double flute. This finding shows us that Hierapolis, long before it was founded as a Hellenistic city, was an ancient pilgrimage center for the Phrygian people, sanctified by the healing properties of its thermal waters, even in the Archaic Period.

3. The Gate of Hell: Plutonium and Deadly Gases

Considered in the ancient world as the "gateway to the land of the dead," Plutonium is the most chilling and intriguing point of the city. The carbon dioxide gas seeping from the cave, which we know today as "carbon anhydride," was the end for any living thing that approached it in antiquity. In the 2013 excavations, it was discovered that the original thermal spring feeding Pamukkale's famous travertine pools was located right here.

"People of the ancient world believed this was the Entrance to Hell, ruled by Plouton and his wife Persephone, and they sacrificed bulls to these gods, suffocated by the carbon anhydride gas seeping from the cave."

In the rituals performed in this area, pilgrims would leave lamps at the threshold of the cave. The sudden extinguishing of the lamps due to the effect of the gas was seen as a sacred and undeniable sign that their offerings had been accepted by the underworld god.

4. A Marvel of Engineering Spanning 150 Years: The Ancient Theatre

The Hierapolis Theatre is not just a viewing area, but a monument of engineering and art meticulously crafted. This colossal structure, whose construction began in the 1st century AD and was only completed in the early 3rd century, is the product of approximately 150 years of labor. The restoration process was carried out with as much care as its ancient construction; Nearly 3,000 marble blocks were individually examined and placed in their positions. The use of 95% original materials and the fact that it is the only theater in Turkey with a restored stage building makes it unique among Roman-era structures in the Mediterranean basin. The mythological reliefs depicting Apollo, Artemis, and Hades on its stage still preserve the city's artistic genius today.

5. The Lost Apostle: Where is the Tomb of Saint Philip?

Hierapolis is an invaluable pilgrimage center for the Christian world. Saint Philip, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus, was martyred here in 80 AD. Until 2011, it was believed that the saint's tomb was located in the famous octagonal "Martyrion" structure. However, excavations that year brought a true "eureka" moment that thrilled the archaeological world: the saint's actual tomb was found in an area outside the Martyrion, inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built around a 1st-century Roman burial chamber. This discovery has definitively proven why the city was a massive "metropolis" during the Byzantine period and a destination for thousands of pilgrims seeking healing.

6. The "Intelligent" City of the Ancient World: Water and Hygiene Systems

Hierapolis possessed an infrastructure intelligence far ahead of its time. The city's water needs were met by aqueducts (water channels) that brought water from miles away, which was purified in a massive filter chamber before being distributed to homes through terracotta pipes. The latrine, the city's toilet structure, represented the pinnacle of hygiene; a channel of clean water flowed directly in front of the sewage system. Evidence of this technological genius is also hidden in the columns of the latrine: notes inscribed in red paint on the columns in the name of Emperor Justinian are today a hidden archive whispering to us the history of the city's maintenance and repair. This resilient infrastructure ensured the city's survival for centuries despite devastating earthquakes in the region.

7. From Mythology to the Present: Kerberos in the Form of a Kangal Dog

The 1.30-meter-tall marble statue of Kerberos, the three-headed dog guarding the Gates of Hell (Plutonium), is the most intimate example of the local touch in ancient art. The ancient sculptor who carved Kerberos, depicted as a terrifying monster in mythology, gave form to this being with a foreign touch.