PAMUKKALE TOUR PRIVATE

Deriving from springs in a cliff almost 200 m high overlooking the plain of Çürüksu in south-west Turkey,calcite-laden waters have created an unreal landscape,made up of mineral forests,petrified waterfalls and a series of terraced basinsgiven the name of Pamukkale.Located in the province of Denizli,this extraordinary landscape was a focus of interest for visitors to the nearby Hellenistic spa town of Hierapolis,founded by the Attalid kings of Pergamon at the end of the 2nd century B.C.,at the site of the ancient cult.Its hot springs were also used for scouring and drying wool.Ceded to Rome in 133 B.C. ,hierapolis flourished,reaching its peak of importance in the 2nd and 3nd centuries A.D.,having been destroyed by an earthquake in 60 A.D.an rebuilt.Remains of the Greco-Roman period include baths,temple ruins,a monumental arch,a nymphaeum,a necropolis and a theatre.Following the acceptance of Christianity by the emperor Constantine and his establishment of Constantinople as the new Rome in 330 A.D.,the town was made bihopric.As the place of St.Philip’s martyrdom in 80 A.D, commerated by his martyrium building in the 5 th century,hierapolis with its several churches became an important religious center for the Eastern Roman Empire.