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DENIZLI, PAKKALE AND HIERAPOLIS |
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Devastated by earthquakes in 1710 and 1899, DENIZLI , 50km east of
Nazilli, is a gritty agricultural town of around 200,000 inhabitants. It
has little appeal itself, but you may well pass through, especially if
you're heading on to Pamukkale, to which there are regular buses and
dolmuses . Best accommodation is Denizli Pension , 1993 Sok 14 (tel
0258/261 8738; under £5/$8), which has friendly staff, a free pick-up
from the bus station and free lifts to Pamukkale.
The rock formations of PAMUKKALE (literally "Cotton Castle"), 10km or so
north, are perhaps the most-visited attraction in this part of Turkey, a
series of white terraces saturated with dissolved calcium bicarbonate,
bubbling up from the feet of the Çal Daga Mountains beyond. As the water
surges over the edge of the plateau and cools, carbon dioxide is given
off and calcium carbonate precipitated as hard chalk or travertine. The
spring emerges in what was once the exact middle of the ancient city of
Hierapolis , the ruins of which would merit a stop even if they weren't
coupled with the natural phenomenon. Uncontrolled hotel development in
the 1980s caused much of the travertine to turn from white to yellow and
even to brown. An official rescue campaign saw all but two hotels
demolished, returning the terraces to their pristine whiteness, now
enhanced by nighttime illumination. Most budget accommodation is now
down in the village of PAMUKKALE KÖYÜ , with larger resort places along
the main roads further out.
The travertine terraces (daily 24hr; $4) are deservedly the first item
on most visitors' agenda, but you should bear in mind the fragility of
this natural phenomenon. Nowadays most of the pools are very shallow and
closed off, with tourists confined to walking on specially marked routes,
though this is, thankfully, having a positive effect, as the travertines
slowly return to their former grandeur. Up on the plateau is what is
spuriously billed as the sacred pool of the ancients, which, with
mineral water bubbling up from its bottom at 35°C, is open for bathing (daily
8am-8pm; $4). In reality though it's little more than a few big lumps of
carved marble submerged in a concrete pool, these days popular mainly
with east European coach parties.
The archeological zone of Hierapolis lies west of Pamukkale Köyü, via a
narrow road winding up past the Turism Motel . Its main features include
a temple of Apollo and the adjacent Plutonium - the latter a cavern
emitting a toxic mixture of sulphur dioxide and carbon dioxide, capable
of killing man and beast alike. There's also a restored Roman theatre
just east of here, dating from the second century AD and in
exceptionally good shape, with most of the stage buildings and their
elaborate reliefs intact. Arguably the most interesting part of the city,
though, is the colonnaded street which once extended for almost 1km from
a gate 400m southeast of the sacred pool, terminating in monumental
portals a few paces outside the walls - only the most northerly of which,
a triple arch flanked by towers and dedicated to the Emperor Domitian in
84 AD, still stands. Just south of the arch is the elaborate tomb of
Flavius Zeuxis - the first of more than a thousand tombs constituting
the necropolis, the largest in Asia Minor, extending for nearly 2km
along the road. There's also a museum (Tues-Sun 8am-noon & 1-6.30pm;
$4), housed in the restored, second-century baths, whose disappointing
collection consists of statuary, sarcophagi, masonry fragments and
smaller knick-knacks recovered during excavations.
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