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PAMUKKALE
( HIERAPOLIS)
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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