Archaeological Museum has been located in the oldest Roman structure (Baths) since 1984. Exhibits shown inside are from excavations of the area.
Museum Tel: (0258) 241 0866.
Opening hours: 08:00 – 19:00 (Summer); 08:00 – 17:00 (Winter). Closed on Mondays.
In archaeological literature, Hierapolis was known as a Holy City due to the abundance of temples and other religious structures in the area. It was an important centre during the Roman and Byzantine periods, and a centre of Christianity since the 4th century.
The main street is 1 km in length and divides the city into two sections from end to end. Monumental doors are located at both ends. There are South and North Byzantine Doors date back to 5 BC.
The layout of the Complex is typical Roman Baths of the era. The remains of the structure date back to 2nd century BC. The area is covered with marble and a very large section of it is part of the Pamukkale Museum, now.
The temple is situated near the Museum. It was constructed on the Plutonium spring and dedicated to the god of the underworld, named as Pluto. It still gives off deadly poisonous gases. The upper parts of the Temple are accessible through a wide staircase, and the parts date back to the 3rd century.
This Roman theatre, dating back to the 2nd century, was restored. Its stage buildings and reliefs are remarkably in good condition. The theatre once had a capacity of around 12,000 people. The theatre is still the location for the annual International Pamukkale Song Festival organised in June.
The necropolis located in the northern end of the old centre, is the largest in Asia Minor and continues along both sides of the road for nearly 2km. During the construction of the graves Limestone and marble were used, although marble was more common for the tombs. The northern necropolis has the specificities of structures belonging to the early Christianity. The most valuable parts of the necropolis are the tombs that have architectural characteristics of houses.
The Thermal Source is in Karahayit Town about 5 km north of Pamukkale and also a part of the Pamukkale Thermal Sources System. The water composition resembles that of Pamukkale Thermal Sources, but it is warmer and has less CO2. There are three sources. The first one is 420C, the second is 50 0C and the third source is 56 0C. The water also has mildly radioactive elements. The thermal water is good for the heart, hardening of the arteries, high blood pressure, rheumatism, sciatica, skin and nerve diseases.