Where is the ancient city of Hierapolis ? Why is Hierapolis ancient city important for human history ?
Ancient City of Hierapolis, located 17 kilometers north of Denizli, is named as “Holy City” in the Archeology literature, because of the presence of many temples and other religious structures known in the city. It is debatable which old geographical region the city is located in.
Hierapolis is among the various historical regions surrounding it with its geographical location. Ancient geographer Strabon and Ptolemy suggest that Hierapolis is a Phrygian city with its proximity to the cities of Laodikeia and Tripolis, which are borders of the Caria region. In ancient sources, there is no information about the name of the city before the Hellenistic Period. It is known for the cult of Mother Goddess that there was a life in the city before it was called Hierapolis. Although the information about the establishment of the city is limited; II of Bergama Kings. Eumenes II BC. YY. It is known that it was founded at the beginning and named after Hierapolis, the queen of Amazons, wife of Telephos, the legendary founder of Bergama.
Hierapolis continued its original texture, adhering to the principles of Hellenistic urbanization until the great earthquake of the Roman Emperor Neron period (60 AD). The city, located on the earthquake belt, was damaged by the Neron period earthquake and was completely renovated. After these earthquakes, the city lost its Hellenistic character and took on the appearance of a typical Roman city.
Hierapolis became a very important center in the Byzantine period after the Roman period. This importance, MS IV. Being a center of Christianity since the 19th century (metropolis), in 80 AD, Hz. It is due to the killing of Saint Philip, one of Jesus’ disciples. Hierapolis, XII. Towards the end of the century, it was conquered by the Turks.