Hierapolis
Hierapolis (Greek for "Holy City") is an ancient Anatolian city beside Pamukkale, in western Turkey. In the Phrygian era, a cave that exhaled lethal fumes was believed to be the entrance to the underworld and served as a cult center for Cybele, the great mother goddess. The city is traditionally said to have been founded in the early 2nd century BC by Eumenes II of Pergamon; a devastating earthquake under Nero in AD 60 prompted a complete rebuilding, after which the city shed its Greek character and became thoroughly Roman. The thermal springs at Pamukkale drew visitors and pilgrims for centuries, and in 1988 the site was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Walk the streets today and you will find a theater, a sacred colonnaded road, the Gate of Hades, and a necropolis of more than two thousand tombs — all still in place.
Turkey · 59 The overlooked corners inside
The overlooked corners inside
Hierapolis Theatre
Built against the hillside, the full width of the facade — including the 91-meter stage wall — has survived intact, making this the most complete Roman building at Hierapolis. Count fifty rows of seats divided into seven sections by eight stairways, with a central horizontal gangway accessed through arched tunnel-like vomitoria on each side. The detail most worth noticing is a roughly one-meter drop between the orchestra floor and the first row of seats: in theaters that hosted no animal fights, the seating began at stage level with no such gap.
Ploutonion (Gate of Hades)
A fence encloses an opening barely wide enough to squeeze through sideways; beyond it, stone steps descend into the dark. This is the Ploutonion — a sanctuary dedicated to Pluto, god of the underworld. Behind a vaulted antechamber of about three square meters, a deep fissure in the rock carries superheated water that drives out clouds of sharp-smelling carbon dioxide. Archaeologists have documented birds drawn in by the warmth, only to collapse and die after inhaling the gas. The ancients were convinced the fumes were Pluto's own breath, so the crack became a gateway to the world below — a site for sacrifices and oracular consultations.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Nymphaeum of Triton
This fountain was built between AD 222 and 235, during the reign of Alexander Severus; the date is confirmed by an inscription on the architrave stones of the facade, making it one of the best-dated public buildings at Hierapolis. The facade stretches roughly 70 meters, with a row of statue niches on each wing. Its marble elements and decorative relief panels were excavated in a systematic dig in 1993 from the floor of a large basin, where they had lain buried under more than a thousand years of travertine deposits. The fountain takes its name from figures of Triton, the Greek sea deity, found among the carvings; other surviving reliefs show Greeks fighting Amazons, personifications of rivers and springs, and dolphins. This was one of the city's two main water sources, the other being the monumental fountain beside the Temple of Apollo.
Sources: wikidata.org · classicalmonuments.tumblr.com · commons.wikimedia.org
South Byzantine Gate
At the southern end of Frontinus Street stands this 5th-century city gate, part of Hierapolis's Byzantine defenses. Built in the early fifth century from neatly dressed travertine blocks and liberal reuse of material stripped from earlier structures, it has a square defensive tower on each side, with the main opening formed by a large arch resting on a monolithic carved lintel. Its actual doorway clearance is slightly lower than that of the North Byzantine Gate. Modern archaeological conservation has cleared the fallen masonry and rebuilt a substantial stretch of the adjoining city wall.
Sources: wikidata.org · onenationtravel.com
Roman Public Latrines
The Latrinae — Hierapolis's public toilets — sit near the agora, along Frontinus Street, and date to the late 1st or 2nd century AD. The entire structure is marble: a rectangular plan divided longitudinally by a central row of columns that supported a travertine-slab roof. Toilet seats ran in a U-shape along the walls; a channel of running water below the seats carried waste away, while a separate channel of clean water in front of the seats was provided for washing. The design is typical of Roman urban sanitation, combining public-health engineering with a social function. The marble seats have survived, their surfaces worn smooth by centuries of use.
Sources: onenationtravel.com · en.wikipedia.org
Ancient Roman Bath Pool
This thermal swimming pool is popularly known as Cleopatra's Pool, but the romantic name h… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Denizli Rooster Sculpture
Denizli is the modern provincial city where Hierapolis stands, and the rooster has been th… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · alamy.com
Pluto's Gate
The spot marked "Pluto's Gate" on the site map is the core of the Ploutonion — the fissure… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
St. Philip Gate
St. Philip Gate stands on the north side of the city, built in the 4th century as the urba… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · journals.uio.no
Bath–Basilica (Hamam-Kilise)
"Hamam-Kilise" is Turkish for "bath–church," an accurate description of this building's tw… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Old Plutonium
The "Old Plutonium" is an earlier religious site immediately adjoining the Temple of Apoll… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · madainproject.com
Suburban Theatre
On the hillside east of the Bath–Basilica (Hamam-Kilise), on the city's north side, stood… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: vici.org · en.wikipedia.org
Stoa Basilica (East Portico of the Agora)
Along the eastern side of the agora, a grand stoa basilica ran the full length of the squa… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · followinghadrianphotography.com
Hades and Cerberus Statue
On the north side of the Ploutonion, beside the viewing platform, a marble replica stands… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
East Gate
The East Gate stands in the eastern section of Hierapolis's city wall, opening toward the… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · journals.uio.no
Tomb of Aurelius Ammianus Menandrianus
Tomb 162, deep in the Northern Necropolis, is a multi-chamber burial of the 2nd–3rd centur… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: madainproject.com
Tomb A18
Tomb A18 in the Northern Necropolis, dating to around the 1st century AD, is a small templ… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: madainproject.com
Northern Necropolis
The Northern Necropolis is one of the best-preserved ancient burial grounds in Turkey. It… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · madainproject.com
Hierapolis Archaeological Museum
Since 1984 the museum has been housed in the South Baths complex — exhibits displayed insi… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · memphistours.com
Basilica (Cathedral)
This three-aisled basilica was built in the Byzantine period and served as the cathedral o… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: onenationtravel.com · en.wikipedia.org
Agora
The agora of Hierapolis ranks among the largest in all of Asia Minor, roughly 170 meters n… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: onenationtravel.com · en.wikipedia.org
Gymnasium
This structure is the attached east portico of the Great Baths complex, once part of the g… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
House of the Ionic Capitals
This aristocratic residence, built in the 2nd century AD, was identified during archaeolog… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Temple of Apollo
The Temple of Apollo was built directly over an older sacred site — the Plutonion cave tha… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: tr.wikipedia.org
Martyrion of St. Philip
This octagonal martyrion stands on the hilltop just outside the city wall's northeast corn… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · johnsanidopoulos.com
Byzantine Walls
The surviving Byzantine walls of Hierapolis were built in the second half of the 4th centu… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · journals.uio.no
Temple Nymphaeum (Fountain of the Temple of Apollo)
This two-storey monumental nymphaeum, U-shaped in plan, was built around the 3rd century A… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: wikidata.org · en.wikipedia.org
Frontinus Gate (Domitian Gate)
This triumphal triple arch was the formal entrance to Roman Hierapolis, commissioned by Se… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · tumblr.com
Frontinus Colonnaded Street
Frontinus Street was the spine of Roman Hierapolis — running from the Frontinus Gate (Domi… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · tumblr.com
Eastern Necropolis
The Eastern Necropolis runs along the outside of the eastern city wall. Smaller and less e… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · onenationtravel.com
Necropolis
Outside the city walls, extending more than two kilometers along the ancient road toward P… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Tumulus 51 (1st century BC)
Tumulus 51 in the Northern Necropolis, built in the 1st century BC, is a representative ex… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: madainproject.com · alamy.com
Byzantine Chapel and Cemetery
This site is one of several small Christian church remains at Hierapolis, comprising a mod… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Tomb Church of Philip)
In 2011, Italian archaeologist Francesco D'Andria excavated a 4th–5th century church rough… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: johnsanidopoulos.com
Hagiasma (Sacred Spring)
Hagiasma (ἁγίασμα) is the Byzantine Greek term for a sacred water source or pool used in r… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: orthochristian.com
Octagonal Bath
This octagonal bath was built on the left side of the pilgrim road leading up to the marty… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: academia.edu
Roman Baths
This large bath complex stands beside Frontinus Street and dates to the 1st century AD. Th… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ancient-history-sites.com
Baptistery
The Baptistery stands directly alongside the cathedral basilica and forms part of Hierapol… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: onenationtravel.com · whc.unesco.org
Byzantine Walls (East Section)
This section of wall is the eastern portion of Hierapolis's late Roman to early Byzantine… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: journals.uio.no · en.wikipedia.org
Central Baths
The Central Baths are the largest public building in the southern part of Hierapolis and h… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Gymnasium (Great Baths East Wing)
The gymnasium at Hierapolis was built in the 1st century AD as an annex to the bath comple… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ancient-history-sites.com
South Basilica
The South Basilica is a Byzantine-era church on the southern side of Hierapolis. The city… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Colonnaded Street (South Section)
This stretch of colonnaded street is at the southern end of Hierapolis and forms part of t… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Byzantine Chapel
This small church ruin is one of the many Byzantine religious buildings scattered across H… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Tomb 162 (2nd–3rd century AD)
Tomb 162 in the Northern Necropolis dates to the 2nd–3rd century AD and is a multi-chamber… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: madainproject.com
Tomb 170 (2nd–3rd century AD)
Tomb 170, dating to the 2nd–3rd century AD, is an enclosed family tomb in the Northern Nec… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: madainproject.com
Tomb of Flavius Zeuxis (1st century AD)
This 1st-century tomb stands right beside the Frontinus Gate (Domitian Gate), and the marb… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: leonmauldin.blog · ferrelljenkins.blog
Tomb 176 (2nd–3rd century AD)
Tomb 176 is one of the most architecturally distinctive large family tombs in the Northern… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: madainproject.com
Temple of Apollo Lairbenos
This site within the city is the remains of a temple dedicated to Apollo Lairbenos, locate… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Main Street and City Gates
The main road of Hierapolis runs the full length of the city from north to south, hugging… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Frontinus Gate
The Frontinus Gate is the ceremonial entrance into Roman Hierapolis, opening directly onto… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
North Byzantine Gate
The North Byzantine Gate was built as part of the Theodosian fortification system (late 4t… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Theatre
The Hierapolis theatre was probably built after the earthquake of AD 60, during the reign… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Ploutonion
At least two structures on the site have been identified as a Ploutonion (sanctuary of Plu… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Nymphaeum (Apollo Sanctuary Fountain)
This nymphaeum stands within the Temple of Apollo's sacred precinct, directly in front of… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Northern Necropolis
The Northern Necropolis is the largest part of the Hierapolis burial complex, spread acros… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Saw-Mill Relief (Sarcophagus of Ammianus)
In the Hierapolis Archaeological Museum (in storage as of June 2014, not on public display… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Southern Necropolis
The Southern Necropolis still shows conspicuous traces of earthquake damage: large section… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Martyrion of St. Philip
The Martyrion of St. Philip stands on the hilltop just outside the city wall's northeast c… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
FAQ
What overlooked corners are worth seeing inside Hierapolis?
Hierapolis Theatre, Ploutonion (Gate of Hades), Nymphaeum of Triton and more — 59 spots in all, each with sources and a guide in your language to read or listen to on the spot.
Is the Hierapolis guide free?
The first 5 spots are free to read; the other 54 unlock with a one-time purchase (not a subscription).