Wading Through Ruins

Who knew Turkey had mountains?

We arrived in Pamukkale, an area famous for its Roman ruins, on Tuesday night. Since it was dark when we drove in I didn’t have an opportunity to see our surroundings, so when we left our hotel Wednesday morning I was floored when I took a step outside and saw a series of white-capped behemoths guarding the horizon. I spent the next half an hour trying to get a picture that did them justice (I wasn’t successful). Seeing these mountains was slightly disconcerting because it seemed like I fell asleep in Turkey and woke up in Switzerland. Fortunately, the morning call to prayer reminded me where I was.

Hierapolis, now a pastoral Anatolian hillside checkered with freestanding Roman columns and dilapidated stone tombs, was once the home of 100,000 inhabitants. Our guide explained that most of these ancient remains would still be intact if it weren’t for Turkey’s propensity to attract devastating earthquakes (mom, I hope you’re not reading this). Fortunately, the city’s theater managed to survive the earthquakes so we were able to see it in its (almost) full glory. I found it fascinating how well sound carried inside this aging auditorium; despite the theater’s size, it was easy to hold a conversation with someone seated on the opposite end.

As if it wasn’t enough to walk among these ruins, you could pay 30 Turkish Lira (about $20) to swim among the ruins. But its February you say, surely it must be too cold to go swimming. That’s what I thought until I saw the steam coming out of the water, casting the submerged Hellenistic pillars in a hazy glow. Boy, do I love hot springs; best twenty bucks I’ve spent all trip.

We then experienced Pamukkale’s other claim to fame. The same hot springs we swam in also flow over a cliff and the water’s various minerals form a white, almost chalky sediment that coats the precipice in a snow-like film. The water pools along the cliffside in large puddles, which are excellent to wade through while trying to decide whether to focus your eyes on the stark, textured cliffside or the stunning mountains in the background.

After a lunch of chicken kebab and yogurt mixed with honey, we went to Aphrodisias, which houses the largest remaining Roman arena. It’s hard to tell in the pictures, but it’s close to the length of three football fields. The same site also has dozens of Roman marble statues, the likes of which populate high school history textbooks. 

Other various pictures from the day