Pamukkale & Konya
Days Six & Seven - Turkey / Türkiye - 2023
A visit to a rainy Hierapolis and the Travertines, followed by a day en route to Cappadocia with stops in Konya and at the Sultanhani Caravanserai.
Editor’s Comment: Throughout this travelogue, I have made an effort to use the Turkish spelling of place names and locations when the terms are obvious cognates; however, whenever a term is more commonly well-known in the English language (Turkey vs. Türkiye, Basilica Cistern vs. Yerebatan Sarnıcı, etc.) I have provided the English term first, followed by the Turkish spelling afterwards.
1. Hierapolis Archaeologial Museum #1
While Greeks visited Hierapolis as early as the 7th century BC (they thought it was a portal to the underworld, true story!), it was settled during the Hellenistic period, around 200 BC.
Unfortunately, the weather for our visit to Hierapolis was not terribly good. Thick clouds were sending down sheets of rain, so we ducked first into the Archaeological Museum on site in the hopes that it would settle down. There are three rooms int this small museum: one with statuary, one with sarcophagi, and one with various artifacts collected from the site.
2. Hierapolis Archaeologial Museum #2
Thankfully, the weather let up just enough to allow for some quick exploration outside. The lack of cover on-site coupled with the rapidly moving clouds really limited exploration opportunities. This wasn’t the end of the world - Hierapolis is a very incomplete site compared to Ephesus or even Pergamon, and -beyond the theater- everything here appears to be in a very ruined state. Also, everything is very, very far apart here and given the limited amount of time I had from the weather, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to see much.
3. Hierapolis #1
The nymphaeum at Hierapolis was a ceremonial monument which also served a practical purpose as a water fountain.
I’m probably getting ahead of myself a little bit, so let’s do a quick historical recap. This one won’t be very long, I promise. The Greeks exploring this region discovered a series of hot springs here around the 7th century BC. Around the 2nd century BC, the Seleucid Empire said, “Hey, this is perfect, we love thermal spas,” and created a settlement here. Doctors, healers, and the ill flocked here over the coming centuries to give or seek treatment. Despite a series of earthquakes which repeatedly destroyed the city, the Romans invested heavily in Hierapolis in the first few centuries after Christ. Baths, gyms, and temples were built and rebuilt here during this period, and the city’s population ballooned to around 100,000. Persian invasion and more devastating earthquakes in the 7th century effectively ended Hierapolis’ standing as a major city. But the thermal springs remained and they continued to feed the growth of travertine limestone deposits on the edge of the site.
Partially from the “rediscovery” of Hierapolis in the 19th century, partially from the attraction of the limestone terraces to tourists in the 20th century, the location became increasingly popular with visitors and multiple hotels were constructed on the site. These hotels were incredibly damaging to the historical continuity of the site as well as the fragile terraces and were eventually removed. While the crowds of visitors have remained, the hot springs which feed this place have moved elsewhere; natural forces have pushed the spring’s water sources further away from where they were in Hellenistic and Roman times. As such, water has to be pumped to the limestone travertines nowadays.
4. Hierapolis #2
It is obvious walking around the site what a catastrophic effect earthquakes have had over the centuries as very few structures appear upright or intact.
5. Hierapolis #3
I am pleased that the hotels have been removed and a little bit of the historical and natural state of this place was restored.
6. Travertine #1
The famous travertines of Hierapolis no longer fill naturally and have to be pumped with water; which pools will be filled on the date of your visit is completely random, and know in advance that the vast, vast majority will be empty.
Thankfully it looked like I would get about a 30 minute break in the rain, so I set out for my sorry-not-sorry photograph of the cotton-and-blue-water travertines. Rounding the first corner, all I saw were dry, mostly brown pools.
7. Travertine #2
Continuing on, I found some more white in color, but still bone dry. I don’t want this to come across as a gripe, the terraces are still very picturesque without water in them, but I was on a mission to find the filled pools while I still could.
8. Travertine #3
Finally, as I rounded a corner I noticed a pocket of filled terraces way off in the distance. Not normally a location where I’d expect to use a telephoto lens, but I was glad I had it!
9. The Cotton Castle
Tracing the water back to its source, I noticed a string of maybe ten filled pools, each packed out with visitors splashing around in the maybe knee-deep water. This, to me, begs the question: why people are allowed to do this? This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, after all - can you imagine if folks were allowed to climb the Treasury of Petra or atop the Great Pyramid of Giza? Of course not. Before you try and rationalize it, ask yourself this question - what purpose does this serve?
I regret to say as a result, the Travertines -which I had very much longed to see- were fairly disappointing. I think this was equal parts my lofty expectations of what they’d look like and the large crowds trampling across this wonderful landscape. I knew in advance that only a small portion of the travertines were filled each day, and I knew there were a small number of the terraces in which visitors could dip their feet, but -boy- I had zero idea these two circumstances would overlap anywhere near as much as they did. Maybe I was just very unlucky and very few pools were filled that day? I’m not sure, but if an immaculate photo of the travertines is something you must take, I recommend staying here for two days, being sure to visit first thing in the morning to avoid as many crowds as you can.
Photographer’s Comment: You may be saying, “But I don’t see anyone in this picture, what are you complaining about?” Well, here’s what I did. I managed to find an electrical transformer box right here (be sure to turn the imagery layer on) upon which I was able to prop my camera. I happened to have a very dark ND filter in my bag which allowed me to take a series of two-minute photographs. Upon my return to the United States, I stacked these in an astrophotography stacking program of all things, and -poof- bye-bye throngs of visitors.
After concluding our visit to Hierapolis, we spent a night in the unfortunately very unsafe Adempira Hotel before continuing eastbound in the morning.
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10. Konya Lamps
The following day, we trekked deeper into Anatolia, reaching the city of Konya around midday. We had lunch at the lovely Mevlevi Sofrasi, whose okra soup I look forward to poorly recreating one day!
11. The Mevlâna Museum #1
The Mevlâna Museum has stood as a mausoleum since the 13th century, undergoing multiple additions and renovations before arriving to its present layout. It was made a state museum in 1927.
Next, we visited the Mevlâna Museum, a site tied to the Mevlevi Order (which you may know better as the Whirling Dervishes). The Sufi mystic Rumi came to Konya in 1228 and settled as the head of a madrassa. There, he promulgated religious teachings which would be compiled as the basis for the aforementioned Mevlevi sect. Rumi is buried here, and the site is now a pilgrimage destination. It is allegedly the most visited pilgrimage site open to members of all religions.
Six more photographs of the Mevlâna Museum follow.
12. The Mevlâna Museum #2
13. The Mevlâna Museum #3
14. The Mevlâna Museum #4
The tomb of Rumi.
15. The Mevlâna Museum #5
16. The Mevlâna Museum #6
17. The Mevlâna Museum #7
18. Sultanhanı Caravanserai #1
The Sultanhanı Caravanserai is the largest caravanserai (roadside inn where caravaners could stay a night) in Turkey.
Pressing on closer to Cappadocia, we stopped for a visit to the Sultanhanı Caravanserai, a neat architectural achievement considering it was built in the early 13th century. Caravaners had few choice of lodging on this stretch of the various trade routes which criss-crossed Anatolia, including the Silk Road. This place was essential for the Seljuk Empire to continue its lucrative trade with far-off lands, and as such they subsidized its existence.
Three more photos of the caravanserai follow.
19. Sultanhanı Caravanserai #2
20. Sultanhanı Caravanserai #3
21. Sultanhanı Caravanserai #4
We arrived very late in the evening at our overnight lodging in Cappadocia, the amazing Gamirasu Cave Hotel. But more on that in the follow day’s travelogue!
