1. Geographical location

Hierapolis was found in Phrygia. It is identified with the modern city of Pamukkale, on the northern edge of the river Lycus’ (Çürük Su) valley, in SW Phrygia. It was built on an important juncture of Asia Minor, on the spot where the road connecting the valley of the river Hermus, Sardis and Philadelphia with Laodikea of Phrygia Pacatiana crossed with the road leading, through the river Maeander and the valley of the river Lycus, from Ephesos to the eastern part of Asia Minor. Hierapolis lay at a distance of only 11km from the city Laodicea of Phrygia Pacatiana.

2.1. Foundation - Antiquity

Hierapolis was founded by the Seleucid dynasty in the 3rd c. BC. Its name (=sacred city) indicate that it was originally a large village with a purely religious character, which later, during the early Attalid period (3rd-2nd c. BC), evolved into a city of a Greek type. Originally it was overshadowed by the nearby city of Laodicea. Later, in the 2nd and 3rd c. AD the city flourished considerably. Its economy relied mainly on its wool working workshops. The guilds of the specialized craftsmen operating in the field of wool working are often mentioned in the area’s surviving inscriptions. During the Roman period the city belonged to the conventus of Kibyra and minted its own coins.¹

2.2. Byzantine Hierapolis

Not many information survives on Byzantine Hierapolis. During the Early Byzantine period Hierapolis belonged, according to the Synekdemos of Hierokles (6^th c.), to the province of Phrygia Pakatiane.² On the basis of archaeological evidence, mainly, it is widely held that the city began shrinking in size after the 6^th c. The Arab raids of the 7th and 8th centuries contributed decisively to this development. In the 10^th c., Hierapolis is mentioned as one of the cities belonging to the theme of Thrakesion.³ During this period it was less of a city and more of a village. Its glorious temples were supplanted by humble chapels.⁴ During the period of the Seljuk infiltration in the region (11^th and 12^th c.) Hierapolis was stricken further, with its importance in the area diminishing even more. In 1190, when the crusaders of the Third Crusade (1189-1192) under Frederick I Barbarossa (1155-1190) passed through its region, they found a city in ruins and all but deserted.⁵

3. Geological peculiarities

A fault (fossa) in the area of Hierapolis, called ‘Ploutonion’ or ‘Charonion’, was known since ancient times; it occasionally released harmful gases which threatened public health.⁶ Although this phenomenon apparently is not mentioned until the 4^th c., it resurfaces in Asclepiodotus, a student of Proclus in the 5^th c. The fault was situated under the temple dedicated to Apollo.⁷ The hot, calciferous water springs of Hierapolis were also famous;⁸ the region’s intense seismic activity is connected with them. During the Roman and Byzantine periods Hierapolis was often struck by earthquakes.⁹ The best known and destructive earthquake of the Byzantine era struck the region in 494.¹⁰ It is also likely that Hierapolis had quarries, for a type of stone called ‘Hierapolitan’ was known in the Byzantium.¹¹

4. Monuments

The city’s settlement spread on an area of flatland in the northern edge of the Lycus valley. The walls of the original, central section of the settlement were constructed in the late 4^th-early 5^th c. The main gate of that defensive wall, which opened to the central street of Hierapolis, is located on its south section. The medieval castle survives on the south edge of the settlement’s flatland. The changes that occurred in the city’s structure are graphically reflected in the collapse of the city’s ancient, geometrical street plan and the construction of ever simpler churches.

During the Byzantine period, Hierapolis’ most important monument was the martyrion (shrine) of St Phillip; according to the tradition the structure was built over the grave of the said saint. The temple, of an octagonal ground plan and lavishly decorated in its interior, was built on a slope over the city and was surrounded by a large colonnade. Its construction is dated to the 4^th or 5^th c., during the reign of emperors Arcadius (395-408) and Theodosius II (408-450). It was destroyed by a fire in the late 5^th or the early 6^th c. A single-aisle Christian basilica of the 5^th c. has been excavated north of the city walls. Four large Christian basilicas have been identified in total in Hierapolis, dated to the 5^th or 6^th c. The existence of several, and often large, Christian temples indicates the religious importance of the city for the wider region.

Among the other noteworthy monuments of Hierapolis the following are mentioned: a) the Nymphaeum, at the city’s centre, which survived until the 5^th c., and b) the ancient theatre, overlooking the settlement’s centre, which remained in use until the 5^th or 6^th c. Furthermore, private residences have been discovered in the area of the hot springs, at the centre of the settlement, which date to the 12^th c. Private residences have also been found in the area of the ancient theatre.

Another important monument are the facilities of the hot, calciferous water springs, north of the wall’s main gate, in the area of the ancient Temple of Apollo, at the city’s central section. During the Early Byzantine period, a channel was constructed for the drainage of the hot water; it carried the water outside the city walls, south of Hierapolis. The middle room of the hot springs was converted in ca 400 into a Christian temple.

The necropolis of the settlement is located northwest of the city walls; several sarcophagi, dated to between the 1st and the 4^th c. AD, have been unearthed there.