There’s no shortage of ruins in Turkey. Ancient Roman capitals and Greek towns are perched precariously on steep hills. Pagan temples, synagogues, churches, amphitheatres and more dot the country that has witnessed conquests by the Hittites, Lydians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines and Ottomans. The easiest ancient Greco-Roman circuit for travellers is from Pergamon and Ephesus in the Izmir region to Hierapolis in Denizili, all within a six-hour radius of the country’s cultural capital, Istanbul.
The Great Library
Pergamon lies 80 km from Izmir. To reach the UNESCO World Heritage site, one has to travel
a short distance of about 10 minutes by a cable car. Wooden slats are laid to make it easy to climb up so that one can avoid the ‘historical rubble’. On entering the site, one of the first stops to greet visitors is an expanse of neatly laid-out pillar stumps. These are all that remain of the great Library of Pergamon, which once rivalled the Library of Alexandria with its collection of over two lakh books. The legend goes that it was Pergamon that started the production of parchment—the word itself originated from the Latin pergamenum, a clear reference to the city.
Greek ruler Eumenes II commissioned the famous Altar of Zeus (Pergamon Altar), which depicts the battle between the Titans and the Olympian gods. Today it is part of the collection of the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, Germany. In fact, all that remained after an earthquake in 262 CE and subsequent conquests by the Byzantine and Ottoman empires, has been carted off to Berlin. One of the few structures that still stand tall—and form an imposing sight against the blue sky—are four carved stone pillars in the centre of a courtyard with remnants of what was once an ornate ceiling. Adventure-seekers, however, can also trek down to the hillside amphitheatre, which could seat 10,000 spectators. Built on a steep incline, it seems unbelievable that people at one point sat here without tumbling down.
Virgin Mary’s Last Stop
The next on the circuit is Ephesus—perhaps the most-visited archaeological ruins in Turkey. The UNESCO World Heritage site is 3.5 km from the city of Selçuk. With over two million tourist footfalls annually, it is impossible to view the beauty here without being swamped by people. Anywhere you point your camera lens to, you will find at least a dozen people in the frame. Not to mention, cats. Don’t be surprised to find chubby, sleepy, lazy felines basking in the sun or enjoying the shade perched atop the many columns. The cobbled walkways at the site are slippery and the sun merciless, but Ephesus is worth this and more. The central attraction is, of course, the Library of Celsus, the third-largest of its time in 130 CE, after Alexandria and Pergamon. Though only the façade stands today, the stark beauty makes you gasp.
In 17 AD, an earthquake destroyed Ephesus, but it rose from the dust, built by the second Roman emperor, Tiberius. The entry to the site can be underwhelming with ruins of pillars lining the path to the library, which is hidden from view for quite a while. As you wander along the ruins, you will find some spectacularly well-preserved mosaics and tile work in row houses of the era. One things that stands out is the ‘world’s oldest advertisement’: a footprint carved in stone (of the left foot to denote the way, as in, on the left side) with the outline of a woman’s face in a crown, advertising a brothel down the road.
Ephesus—the fourth largest city of its time in 27 BC after Rome, Alexandria and Antioch—is also home to the first church dedicated to Virgin Mary who, it is claimed, spent her last years here after the crucifixion of Christ. One of the Seven Wonders of the World—the Temple of Artemis—constructed over 120 years in the 6th century BC is also found here. This site is perhaps the most disappointing of all. Only the foundations and one column remain today.
Still it gets a fair share of sightseers. One place that is not often on tourist itineraries, but is not to be missed, is the Basilica of St. John, which stands on the supposed burial site of John the Apostle. Nothing much remains of this once great church, but nevertheless, it deserves a visit. While travellers are few, you might find a family of storks nesting on the tall pillars.
Cleopatra’s Bath
From Izmir province, travel to Denizili—roughly a three-hour journey by car—to see the UNESCO World Heritage site of Hierapolis. Perched amid the ‘cotton castles’ of calcium travertines in Pamukkale, it was commissioned by Eumenes II as a thermal spa city. Many visit this place to swim in the famed Cleopatra’s pool, where the Egyptian queen is believed to have bathed, and today has a series of columns immersed in it, which collapsed in an earthquake in 692 AD. Folklore says the water remains crystal clear and at a toasty 36o C round the year, despite thousands entering the pool every day.
In 80 AD, St. Philip, one of the 12 apostles of Jesus, was crucified in this ancient city.
The ruins of the octagonal Martyrium of St. Philip—lying forlorn atop a small hill—in the premises, is a difficult and tiresome trek, with hardly anyone visiting it. The amphitheatre at the foot of the hill is perhaps the only relic of the past that people sometimes visit—maybe to make a beeline for the fresh juice shop here.
Hierapolis is famous for its necropolis—the oldest and largest in Turkey. But again, it hardly gets any visitors. Most travel to the site to explore the travertine terraces (mountains of sorts made with calcium deposits). In fact, the whitescape is so full of people at all times, that it is a good idea to head here early in the morning and climb down the terraces till you find a mineral water-filled puddle all to yourself.