Pamukkale & Aphrodisias

Inland from the central Aegean coast, amongst the beautiful scenery of the Taurus Mountains, are to be found one of Turkiye’s great natural wonders and several of her most important classical sites. Pamukkale’s white cotton bud-like travertine terraces and lovely opaque chalky blue pools are one of Turkiye’s great natural wonders. Created over the millennia by deposits left by mineral-rich hot springs, the colour of the terraces changes according to the time of day, ranging from a brilliant white at midday to soft pink towards sunset. Occupying a dramatic location atop Pamukkale’s terraces are the extensive ruins of the ancient city of Heirapolis, once a great cult centre and place of pilgrimage. The well-preserved theatre combined with an impressive collonaded street and the grand monumental tombs of the extensive necropolis makes this site exceedingly impressive. A dawn hot-air balloon flight is one of the best ways to see Pamukkale’s gleaming white travertine terraces. Nearby, on a low hill, are the remains of ancient Laodicea, a little-visited site that was once sumptuously endowed by the Seleucid kings and is listed in the Book of Revelations as one of the Seven Churches of Asia. 

Aphrodisias has a lovely rural location and is one of the most rewarding sites in Turkiye. The city was noted for its school of sculpture. It was once adorned with some of the most beautiful carved ornamentation in the classical world – a fact that is immediately apparent on entering the site’s stunning museum. Amongst Aphrodisias’s many fine monuments is an almost completely preserved stadium. Sardis was the capital of the kings of Lydia and was the seat of Croesus, a monarch of proverbial wealth. Overlooked by most visitors, Sardis is in every way a hidden gem. The stunningly located Temple of Artemis is hugely imposing, as is the restored double-storey entrance to the Gymnasium; however, it is the presence of a large and elaborate synagogue at Sardis (bearing testament to the one-time presence of a substantial Jewish community) that makes the site so unique.