Ancient Cities of Western Turkey: April 2023

Hierapolis-Pamukkale

The thermal springs of Pamukkale have been attracting visitors for over 2,000 years, and Hierapolis is the ancient city that grew up adjacent to the springs. The theater has undergone a lot of restoration in recent years, and is very impressive these days. (There is a world of difference between the beautifully restored theater I saw last month, and a photo from 2009 that someone showed me yesterday.) The baths and the Domitian Gate are also impressive.

The travertine pools at Pamukkale were a mixed bag for me. Sadly, almost all of the pools are dry. There is a line of 8 pools along the trail on the eastern side that still have water, and there’s one small pool at the village at the the bottom of the pool. The thousands of other pools were bone dry. I have heard that as recently as 10 years ago, the pools still had water. I have heard various stories. Drought? Water diverted to resort spas upstream? Whatever the reason, there’s very little water now. None of that keeps the Instagram influencers away, though, and the top three small pools at the top of the hill are absolutely overrun with crowds. Still, I am glad that I visited the travertines, even though it was 42° and I had to walk barefoot up the trail from the village of Pamukkale. (They don’t allow shoes on the travertines.) The other-worldly quality of the travertines is truly a unique experience.

I spent two nights and one full day at Pamukkale. An early morning balloon ride (not as good as the balloon rides in Cappadocia), the hike up the travertines, and the time exploring Hierapolis made for a very full day. I kind of regret that I left my swimsuit back at the hotel because the antique thermal pool at the top of the hill looked inviting and was not nearly as crowded as I anticipated.

A small but pleasant, off-the-beaten path surprise was Kaklik Cave. Located in a semi-industrial area about 45 minutes from Pamukkale, the roof of the cave collapsed a few years back, revealing a bunch of travertine pools -- much like Pamukkale but underground and brimming with water.

Laodicea

Laodicea, an easy 15 minute drive from Pamukkale, is yet another typical Greco-Roman city. As one of the seven churches (the “lukewarm” church) mentioned in the Book of Revelation, the site attracts a lot of Christian tour groups. Honestly, I was getting a little burned out on ancient cities by the time I visited Laodicea, and so I might not have given it a fair shake. It’s quite beautiful, especially the temple and the Agora, and there are some lovely mosaics. There is a lot of active restoration work going on. Somehow I managed to completely miss the recently restored theater, and I am pretty sure I missed some other parts, too. Don’t be like me. Do your homework before you go. (I am not sure whether an audio guide is available on site. If one is available, I would definitely suggest getting it.) The site is reasonably flat and very walkable.

Myra and Demre

Myra (pronounced Meera) is another Lycean-Greek-Roman city at the edge of the modern city of Demre. The Lycians, believing that giant bird would swoop down from the sky to carry away the spirits of the dead, built rock cut tombs into the hillsides. Basically, there are two things to see at Myra: the rock cut tombs and the Roman theater. The rock cut tombs are great, but not as impressive as the tombs farther up the coast at the mouth of the Dalyan River. The theater was nice but not that different from Roman theaters I had seen elsewhere. What the site did have, however, was huge numbers of Russian tourists. This plethora of Russians was a mystery to me until I got back to the town of Demre.

The main attraction in Demre is the Church of St. Nicholas — yes, the same St. Nicholas that we associate with Santa Claus — who was the Bishop of Myra in the 3rd century. Very little is known about the actual St. Nicholas, but the story goes that he rescued the daughters of an impoverished family from a life of prostitution by dropping gold coins down the chimney (or through the window), thus allowing the father to pay the dowry for his daughter. Several hundred years later in 520 CE, Theodosius II built a church to house the tomb and honor the memory of St. Nicholas. Although the remains of St. Nicholas were moved to Bari, Italy, in the 11th century, the tomb remains an especially sacred site for the Russian Orthodox Church. In fact, there was a store outside the church that sold nothing but icons of St. Nicholas. The church itself is quite beautiful and well-restored.

Demre is about three hours by minibus from the Otogar in Antalya. I left the apartment at around 7 a.m. and arrived back about 7 p.m. Demre is about as far as I would want to go on a day trip from Antalya.

Perge

Perge is a large and well laid out Roman city on the outskirts of Antalya. I have actually visited Perge three times, once on a tour in 2015 and twice last month. The first time I visited this year, the light wasn’t the best, and so I went back a second time. A second visit, however, wasn’t a problem because Perge is about a 15-20 minute walk, or a $2 taxi ride, from the streetcar line in Antalya. It’s very close to the Antalya airport. Just catch the streetcar to the Aksu stop, and you’re almost there.

Perge is a bit like Aphrodisias in some ways. It’s big, flat, and has all the hallmarks of a Roman city — city gates, an agora, baths, a gymnasium, an impressive theater, and a nymphaeum. It’s a good place to get an understanding of how a Roman city functioned. They have done a lot of restoration work since I was there in 2015, and a lot of work is still ongoing. I expect that Perge will just get better over time.

Because Perge is so accessible from Antalya, the tour buses descend on the place late in the morning. I recommend getting there early.

I also highly recommend pairing a visit to Perge with a visit to the Antalya Archeological Museum, where many fabulous sculptures uncovered at Perge are stored.

Phaeselis

Nestled between two small bays on the Mediterranean coast, Phaeselis is a delightful spot. It’s really just one ruined street that runs between the two bays, a theater, and an aqueduct. The ruins themselves aren’t much to write home about, but the combination of the ruins, the windswept trees, and the turquoise blue water make this site a great choice for a day trip and maybe a picnic or small beach outing. It was very cold the day I was there, and so there weren’t many people around. I understand, though, that it’s quite popular in warmer seasons.

Handy travel tip: the porta-potties on site are all squat toilets. You might want to visit restroom facilities before you get there.

I took a minibus from the Antalya bus station to Kemer and hired a taxi for the final leg. You can get closer than Kemer by bus, if you plan it correctly. (Taxi drivers, by the way, will wait for you while you explore.)

Sagalassos

Sagalassos, wonderful Sagalassos! The most amazing site that no one has ever heard of. A Turkish gentleman from Antalya recommended it to me last year, and I am glad I made a point to visit it this year.

The layers of history at Sagalassos mirror much of what one sees elsewhere in the area. They think that it likely goes back to Neanderthal times. The Hittites definitely mentioned it during the Bronze Age. It was a Pisidian city before Alexander the Great conquered it, and it eventually became a Roman city, then a Byzantine city before being abandoned after an earthquake in the 6th century. Serious excavations began around 1990.

Sagalassos is a remote place about 4500 feet about sea level and 65 miles from Antalya, which is a double edged sword. Its remoteness kept it from being looted, as happened to so many other sites, but it also means that it’s a pain to get there. You pretty much have to rent a car, and expect a lot of hairpin curves on rural, mountain roads. You will have to stop occasionally to let goat herders and sheep herders cross the road, and you might also stop occasionally to grab a quick photo of the majestic mountains.

If you make the effort to get there, though, you will be rewarded with one of the most extraordinary sites. Most of what you will see is from Roman times. The centerpiece is the Antonine Nymphaeum, complete with a fully functioning fountain. Imagine the library at Ephesus combined with a working fountain. The Doric Fountain House also has a fountain around the courtyard. There’s a Heroon, a bath house, a library with mosaic floors (if the guy at the ticket booth likes you, he’ll give you the key to the library), two agoras, a theater, and much more. The Temple of Apollo and the stadium are pretty much rubble, and the theater hasn’t had any restoration work done yet. The views of the surrounding mountains are wonderful.

Some folks say that Sagalassos is on a par with Ephesus. Personally, I don’t think it has the historical importance of Ephesus, nor has it been excavated and restored as fully as Ephesus, but it’s certainly approaching the same league. If the excavations and restoration continue, Sagalassos could be one of the major sites in Turkey.

Crowds are pretty much non-existent at Sagalassos. I arrived around 9 a.m., just as a busload of Russian tourists was leaving. After that, I saw fewer than a dozen visitors during my 5+ hour visit.

You can visit Sagalassos as a day trip from Antalya — it’s about a 2 hour drive each way, but I opted to spend the two nights at the delightful Sagalassos Lodge about a mile from the ancient site, which gave me a full day to explore. What a surprise to find a solid 4-star hotel in the middle of nowhere. It was also nice to treat myself to a hamam after exploring Sagalassos.

I recommend pairing Sagalassos with a trip to the Burdur Archaeological Museum about 30 miles away, where the sculptures from Sagalassos are on display.

Termessos

Lace up your hiking boots, put on your Indiana Jones hat, and explore. Termessos is a totally unexcavated Pisidian city high up in the Taurus mountains about 30 miles from Antalya. Alexander the Great tried but failed to conquer it. Later, it was allied with Rome, although never actually ruled by Rome. The city was abandoned when an earthquake destroyed the aqueduct at an unknown date.

I visited Termessos in 2022, and it was high on my priority list to visit again this year. There is something magical about it. You definitely feel like you are exploring, not just touring, at Termessos. A winding mountain road takes you to a parking lot from where you hike up another steep half a mile or so to the lower city walls. From there you wander, sometimes walking over decent footpaths and sometimes scrambling on all fours over massive boulders. The panoramic mountain views balance the muscular, maybe even brutal, architecture. The signage is minimal, and so you never know quite what will be around the next bend in the path. Make sure to do your homework before you go, and take a picture of the wooden map in the parking area before you start your hike.

The star of the show is a 4-5,000 seat theater hanging off the side of a mountain. The view of the mountains from the theater is absolutely breathtaking — it’s almost a spiritual experience.

There are two paths to the ruins. The main path is what most people take, but there is a second, rockier path that goes by a bunch of rock cut tombs. I would recommend taking the straight path up and the rock cut path on the way back, or vice versa.

Although you can reach Termessos by bus and a 4(?) mile hike up the road from the entrance to the national park, I would recommend hiring a taxi or renting a car. I hired a taxi for about $60, and the taxi driver waited at the parking area while I hiked. Crowds are minimal. I counted 15 other people during my visit.

Photos

Finally, if you have managed to read this far and are interested, photos are here: https://mariematthews.smugmug.com/Ancient-Turkey

Great report and enjoyed the stunnung photos too. Looks like you made a friend in Perge!

Thanks, and, yes, I had a canine companion for several hours at Perge. She was a real sweetheart.

Your photos are stunning! What kind of camera do you use?

Thanks, Tammy. I alternated between a Sony A6400 and my iPhone on this trip. A polarizing filter, which deepens the sky and cuts down on reflections, and longer lens of the Sony came in handy in some situations. For many situations, the iPhone worked just as well, if not better. (I also post process everything, including the iPhone shots, in Lightroom.)

I took the Sony because I have been using it a lot at the local dog shelter, where its first rate autofocus is a godsend with hyperactive pups, but I wasn't 100% happy with it on this trip. My Olympus gear has a wider focal range and is more rugged in nasty environmental conditions like dust and rain. I think I might still prefer Olympus for travel. Sigh. No camera is perfect.

It's really more about the light than the camera.

Marie, Thank you for that great trip report and those photos- they are amazing. As a kid, I wanted to be an archaeologist and a trip last year with a couple friends in a rental car made that fantasy come true. We visited the rock tombs of Kaunos near Dalyan, and the antique cities of Xanthos, Patara. Olympos, Andriake and Phaselis— to name a few . It all made my dream come true. It’s a fantastic region to visit and your descriptions brought it all back!

Thanks so much, Kenko. Isn't that whole part of Turkey just wonderful? You have explored a lot of areas north and west of my explorations, with a bit of overlap. I did see the Lycean tombs on the Dalyan river from a boat, but it sounds like you explored the whole area.

How did you have time to sit in a dental chair? Lol. I am book marking your report for future reference. And you photos are stunning. Thanks for sharing.

Marie, thank you for writing such a wonderful trip report. I'm looking forward to visiting some of these places on our upcoming trip.

Marie, many huge thanks for your superb detailed trip report and for your magnificent photos! I greatly appreciate all of the information you detailed so carefully.