Note: I have Google Translate – the feature is located at the bottom of the page on a phone and at the right side top on a desktop. Also, some of the photos are actually slideshows and there are more than one photo in a group, look for the arrows to click more.

So many blurbs said many areas of Türkiye are one day trips – Denizli? one week maybe. You want to book the Richmond Pamukkale Termal Hotel for a week and from there you can see and enjoy so many amazing sites and experiences.

We saved and worked for years for our once-in-a-lifetime trip. The airmiles credit card really worked, works, and the points on the other travel card paid for some of the stays. The saving was worth it. The treat to see the ancient city was having the golf cart. The cart was worth every penny but sorry we did not get it for another hour to ride and see more.

Hot Springs and history – but this location – for me – is herstory.

Google will first tell you this, and this is what is standing, and what you will see and hear

“…The Bible mentions Hierapolis, which is now known as Pamukkale in Turkey, in Paul’s letter to the Colossians (4:13). In the letter, Paul acknowledges the region through Epaphras, a Christian from Colossae, who connects the cities of Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis. In the 1st century, Hierapolis was part of this tri-city area…” Google

– except from me, of course, from me, you will hear from my memory of these 1,000s of years-old hot springs and the longing for the time and herstory before the Romans, before the Greeks. This is not to say it is not wonderful and magnificent just like it is – because it is – even more so. But, now when you visit or think of Hierapolis – Pamukkale you can also remember Cybele.

Hierapolis was built on a much earlier Phrygian city which was the home center of the ancient mother Goddess, Anatolian Cybele. Mother of all who came after for 1,000s of years

There is a record in writing of these hot springs being used 1,000s of years ago, when the record then notes the many people who went there for healing, to retire to live out old age, and there is a large necropolis of the rich and famous (at the time) who died there and have magnificent tombs surviving to today. links below to the stories in greater detail on wiki and google.

It is hard to peel away Rome and Greek history from mother Cybele. All of their stories altered her origins and the love and devotion so many had for her for so many 1,000s of years. We must see her in her origins of Anatolia long before the West came calling.

Cybele was often pictured with lions or cats – As any woman worth her salt knows, you keep the cats to keep the snakes in the yard and the mice out. Considering the pairing of mother Cybele with large cats comes when some were still worshiping the snake, which appears to be one of the earliest known deities. I wonder about the evolution of these ancestors and who they admired and adored and how those admirations came about and when.

2020 Ancient Cybele statue returns to Turkey

The 1,700-year-old statue, smuggled decades ago, returns to Anatolia, after Turkey proved its origins in country. https://www.trtworld.com/turkey/ancient-cybele-statue-returns-to-turkey-42327

On the Denezli leg of our trip we managed to tour Hierapolis, Pamukkale Travertines, Cleopatra Pools, Karahayit Springs, Ladocia, and all the while enjoying the amazing Richmond Termal Otel with their own indoor and outdoor termal mineral pools

Prehistory – – – ??? (where is the herstory???)

The oldest traces of human settlement in the Hierapolis area date back to prehistoric times. However, little information is available about the earliest period of existence of this city, and no traces of the Hittite civilization were found, but only of the later one, of the Phrygians. A temple built by the Phrygians in the first half of the 7th century BCE became a nucleus around which a town later developed.

In the 3rd century BCE, the Hellenistic Seleucid dynasty founded the city of Hierapolis as a Greek-style settlement, on a Hippodamean plan, i.e. with a precise arrangement of streets crossing at right angles. It is believed that the official founder of the city was Antiochos III the Great, who ruled over this area of Asia Minor in the years 223-187 BCE. Inscriptions discovered on the seats of the theatre enumerate the tribes that were then the parts of the Hierapolis population: Seleukis, Antiochis, Laodikis, Eumenis, Attalis, Stratonikis, and Apollonias.

After many years of wars between Rome and the Seleucids, in 188 BCE, a peace treaty was signed in Apamea. Under its decisions, Hierapolis came under the control of the Attalid dynasty ruling from Pergamon. The reminders of this period of the city’s history are, among others, the busts of two Pergamene kings – Eumenes II and Attalos II – currently displayed in the local Archaeological Museum. In the 2nd century BCE, due to its strategic location, Hierapolis played an essential role on the border of the historical land known as Phrygia.

https://turkisharchaeonews.net/site/hierapolis

I wanted to think the female statue at Hierapolis was Cybele, or what was left of her, beheaded as she appears.

We carried the gear to hook the computer to the tvs and when we could watched previews of our trips off YouTube. But you must enjoy all the places you visit again and again from the countless selections on YouTube for everything from travel to how to fix its.

For us the prep enhanced our visits. I was just sorry we did not see the travertines at sunset or camp outside even one night – I did not take the 2-man/woman pup tent – so just have to go back.

Hierapolis became Pamukkale – The Pamukkale Travertines

I guess we might say that because of Christianity, there has been so much money in the region to dig places up and put their pieces together. But little from prehistory. Hot springs dot the region all throughout Turkiye. (No pictures from the Cleopatra pools here.)

Laodicea – Laodikeia

John of Patmos wrote political essays against the Romans and fought throughout his life in that cause. One might wonder if his book of Revelation might have been one of those writings in code. Many scholars have been through each of the passages, to match up the possibilities of which of the horsemen was the emperor, who was caesar and what was what.

None the less Laodicea is mentioned. When you visit there is a large acrylic-like flooring covering the excavations of the Christian church in the town. Read more with the links to know about this Denizli archaeological site.

Yasemin YiGiter our extraordinary guide and Ufuk Edik the driver who was great and helpful. Top recommendations for both

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laodicea_on_the_Lycus

So many say the area is a one day trip – wrong. And you cannot go without brunch at Çınaraltı Restaurant in Honaz. With the best guide and driver!

Karahayit Springs – The Red Springs

From:

Türkiye ~ Anatolian Masterpiece with Ancient Hot Springs

Richmond Pamukkale Termal Otel Denizli – 5 Amazing Nights

https://www.richmondhotels.com.tr/richmond-pamukkale-termal-otel-denizli

Address: Karahayıt, 20290 Pamukkale/Denizli, Türkiye

Phone: +90 258 271 42 94

Much thanks to Richmond Resorts for the added pictures of their Capitol Suite, from them, to show off the fabulous accommodation we had with them. Most amazing staff – I carried my flowers from them for my trip, I have my scarf and handmade house shoes from the most wonderful people anywhere on earth who took amazingly good care of us. Thank you ladies! I wish I had more photos!

The Capitol suite was wonderful with a view of the valley from the amazing balcony. It had a comfortable sitting and dining room to enjoy a quiet meal and a convenient half toilet by the front door. There was a large bed in the bedroom and a dressing area with master shower and toilet.

The Richmond has wonderful indoor and outdoor mineral springs and spa on lovely grounds and great added swimming pools. Wonderful restaurant and set ups for afternoon snacks at the poll and in other rooms. While we were there, the evenings by the pool included a keyboard player who shared great easy music and we even had a belly dancer to entertain.

Day trips to Pamukkale Terraces which had the travertines and Cleopatra’s Pool and ancient ruins. Ladocia was nearby to enjoy and the most wonderful restaurant alongside an old mill with a waterfall under the shade in nearby Honaz.

The location: From the hotel we visited ancient sites and wonderful restaurants and the healing and amazing red springs – Karahayit Springs. And also visited the Pamukkale Terraces, Hierapolis, Ladocia and more. Reyan Tuvi arranged our great guide and driver and we had the brunch that fulfilled the age old phrase – enough food to feed the Turkish army! Yasemin YiGiter our extraordinary guide and Ufuk Edik the driver who was great and both joined us for lunch. Top recommendations for both and thanks to Reyan for arranging them.

Every springs and rock river bed worldwide are seriously slippery. Because of the precious care taken we all must go barefoot to wade in the waters. I believe this is more stable anyway. But always remember to be careful. We have various water shoes for the places that allow shoes – but these are UNESCO heritage sites and we are blessed to be allowed to visit these springs that have been enjoyed for pleasure and healing for thousands of years.

Cybele

Nevit Dilmen, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cybele

Cybele in art

Metropolitan Museum of Art, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Hierapolis

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hierapolis

Just a little farther south of Hierapolis you will find – Seated Woman of Çatalhöyük

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seated_Woman_of_%C3%87atalh%C3%B6y%C3%BCk

and next trip:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum_of_Anatolian_Civilizations

https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/485/

Decide when to visit carefully – even mid-May was too hot for me and by the time we got to Denizli, the end of May, it was sweltering. I had bought a UV reflective umbrella, but left it behind for weight – it would have been worth the extra weight. In today’s climate change temperatures, get a great UV umbrella and take it everywhere. I hand carried the wide brim hat.