The next 2 stops were a mixture of wonder and joy. Aphrodite is a name most of us would have heard of. Her temple is over 2500 years old. Below is an extract from Wikipedia:
The Temple of Aphrodite at Acrocorinth was a sanctuary in Ancient Corinth dedicated to the goddess Aphrodite. It was the main temple of Aphrodite in Corinth, and famous for its alleged temple prostitution.
The goddess Aphrodite was the protector deity of the city of Corinth. She had at least three sanctuaries in the city; the temple of Aphrodite at the Acrocorinth, the temple of Aphrodite II, and the Temple of Aphrodite Kraneion, as well as one temple at Leachaion and one at Cenchreae. It was however the Aphrodite temple of Acrocorinth that was the most famous one.
The temple was constructed in the 5th-century BC. It was situated at the top peak of the Acrocorinth. According to the myth, the Acrocorinth had been given to Aphrodite by Poseidon. It was a small building, 10 by 16 metres (33′ x 52′). It contained a famous statue of Armed Aphrodite, dressed in armour and holding a shield before herself as a mirror.
Temple of Aphrodite at Acrocorinth is above all famous for the claims of the temple prostitution of courtesans, which were said to be dedicated to the service of the temple, and contributed to the attraction of visitors to the city of Corinth.
We heard one person complain that “all these places are the same. Just fallen down ruins”. I thought that was the point. These ruins are civilisations that will never be seen again and they are all unique in some way. The Temple of Aphrodite is also unique. It displays some early town planning principals and the long swimming pool was one of the first community pools we know of.
All the sarcophagi almost tempted me to try one on for size but as soon as I started to climb in Shane started looking for a lid. And if you’ve ever wondered where the classic ‘roman bath’ comes from well we’ve seen one here. Also if you are wondering what to do with rubble from your restorations then just make a wall from them. Aphrodite’s Temple was another great view into the past.
The 2nd location in this post left us gobsmacked. Pamukkale is a town in western Turkey known for the mineral-rich thermal waters flowing down white travertine terraces on a nearby hillside. It neighbors Hierapolis, an ancient Roman spa city founded around 190 B.C. Ruins there include a well-preserved theater and a necropolis with sarcophagi that stretch for 2km. The Antique Pool is famous for its submerged Roman columns, the result of an earthquake. (Source – Google) We thought that Pamakkale was the main attraction but these famous terraces are just a part of the huge city of Hierapolis. Just the same there are more photos here of the terraces than the ruined city. The main reason for this is that it was a balmy 37 degrees and Hierapolis covers several square kilometres of open, hilly ground. For instance we didn’t make it to the gigantic amphitheatre as it is uphill and quite a walk. We did however make it to the museum. There is a hint here; If you visit this wonderful place you’ll be offered a golf buggy (with or without a guide). Take it! There’s too much to see on foot unless you are into jogging.
But it was the terraces that everyone comes to see and we were no different. We’d seen pictures of this one of a kind natural spring and we were prepared with swimmers etc to have a swim. It turns out ‘swimming’ is not exactly possible as the pools are no deeper than my knees and that isn’t deep. Nonetheless we did wade into the mineral waters and found it refreshing on a hot day. There are several entrances to the park and in several photos you can see the people in the background that chose the lower entrance and then walked up the terrace ledges to the top. The terraces are the result of thousands of years of a highly mineralised spring coming to the surface and spilling out over the clif edge. It truly is fascinating and beautiful.
Oh, I should have mentioned that the first 8 or 9 photos are of our room(s) in Konya. It is 5 star and not expensive but it was also not a good preparation for the cave we were to move into next. Keep watching as the blogs keep coming.
Bye for now
Garry & Shane