Street and Byzantine
Gate
Hierapolis, the
“Sacred City,” is
located at
present-day
Pamukkale in south
central Turkey. In
the first century it
was part of the
tri-city area of
Laodicea, Colossae,
and Hierapolis.
This connection
between the cities
lies behind Paul’s
reference to
Hierapolis and
Laodicea in his
epistle to the
Colossians (Col
4:13). Before 70
A.D. Phillip (either
the apostle or the
evangelist) moved to
Hierapolis, where he
was believed to have
been martyred.
The Apollo Temple
In the foreground of
this picture are the
remains of the
Apollo Temple. Its
foundations date to
the Hellenistic
period, but the
structure itself was
built in the 3rd
century A.D. Apollo
was thought to be
the city’s divine
founder. The temple
was built beside the
plutonium, an
underground cavern
from which poisonous
gases emerged. The
city’s theater
stands in the
background.
The Theater
After an earthquake
in 60 A.D., a
theater was built
against a hillside.
This theater
contains one of the
best examples of
original Roman
theater decoration.
The stage was
ornate, decorated
with various
reliefs. A seat for
distinguished
spectators was
located in the
center of the
seating area
(cavea).
Approximately thirty
rows of seats are
preserved.
The Necropolis
Another prominent
archaeological
aspect of Hierapolis is the necropolis,
located just outside
the northern city
walls. Here lies
one of the largest
and best-preserved
cemeteries in all of
Turkey. It contains
sarcophagi, many
different types of
tombs, and funeral
monuments dating
from the Hellenistic
until the early
Christian times.
There are also
numerous
inscriptions here,
more than 300 of
which have been
translated and
published.
