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Pamukkale (
Hierapolis) |
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Pamukkale has always been a very popular settlement
where the hot springs were believed to have healing
powers, so the city became the center of a pagan
cult in antiquity and a spa resort today.
The city was on the borders of Caria, Lycia and Phrygia and had a mixed
population. Citizens were usually involved in the
wool industry and little has changed as it is still
a textile center.
The Natural Aspect
The terraces were formed by running warm
spring water, at a temperature of 35 °C / 102 °F
containing calcium bicarbonate. When the water loses
its carbon dioxide it leaves limestone deposits.
These are of different colors and shapes in the form
of terraces with pools, overhanging surfaces and
fascinating stalactite formations. Pamukkale which
means "cotton castle" in Turkish takes its name from
these formations. According to scientists, if the
water had always flowed at this rate, the terraces
must have begun forming 14,000 years ago.A little
further away from Pamukkale, near Karahayit village
is another thermal spring, Kirmizi Su (the
Red Water) with warmer water but less carbon dioxide
gas where the running water creates a reddish effect
different then the white cotton terraces of
Pamukkale.
History of Hierapolis
The ancient city of Hierapolis was founded by
Pergamum, probably Eumenes II, in the 2C BC.
Hierapolis is believed to derive its name from Hiera,
the wife of Telephus, both being legendary ancestors
of kings of Pergamum. Hierapolis was also
interpreted by some as the "holy city". All the
surviving ruins of the city except the foundations
of the Apollo Temple date back to the Imperial Roman
period. In 133 BC the city was bequeathed to
the Romans along with the Kingdom of Pergamum by the
will of Attalus III. It is also thought That a large
population of Jewish people lived there who
contributed to the expansion of the Christian belief.
Hierapolis suffered from frequent large earthquakes
and was restored many times, one of them being a
complete rebuilding by Nero in the 1C AD. |
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