Hierapolis

Italian archaeologist professor Francesco D'Andria, who has participated in excavations in the ancient city of Hierapolis in western Turkey for 40 years, calls Turkey his second home. Even though he had retired last year, he continued working in the ancient city, however, he has decided to stop working in September. 

A concrete wall around the Hierapolis Ancient Pool collapsed due to heavy rain in Pamukkale, famous for its white travertines in the western Turkish province of Denizli. Possible injury and loss of life was prevented since the pool was empty at the time of the collapse.

The Ancient Greeks may have built sacred or treasured sites deliberately on land previously affected by earthquake activity, according to a new study by the University of Plymouth.

One of them is Hierapolis, the most important health and textile center of the ancient times, situated in the southwestern province of Pamukkale.

Two small earthquakes that occurred last week in the southwestern Turkish province of Denizli's Pamukkale district have caused collapses in the pool of the ancient city of Hierapolis. 

The first 4.1-magnitude quake occurred in the district on Sept. 27, followed by another 4.2-magnitude quake the next day. A number of smaller aftershocks were also felt. 

Ongoing excavations in the ancient city of Tripoli in the western province of Denizli's Buldan district have unearthed a 2,000-year-old market place, indicating that the city was a significant center of trade in the past. 

During the construction of an information center in the ancient city of Hierapolis, situated in the province of western Denizli's Pamukkale district, 11 furnaces and pots from the 7th century B.C. have been discovered. 

Denizli Museum Director Hasan Hüseyin Baysal said the artifacts, which were found one meter deep, dated back to the Iron Age. 

Some 700,000 tourists visited Pamukkale, a "white haven" in the western province of Denizli, in the first six months of the year, a decrease of around 1 percent from the same period of the previous year, according to officials. The actual decrease may, however, be higher, according to private sector representatives. 

Historical artifacts have been damaged during illegal excavations in the ancient city of Kastabala, known as the Ephesus of the southern Çukurova region. 

In Kastabala Hierapolis, which is located 12 kilometers away from the Osmaniye city center, someone taking photographs in the area saw May 13 that many historical artifacts were damaged. 

The Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry's move to revamp some of its card systems for Turkey's most famous sites begins to pay dividends The Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry's move to revamp some of its card systems for Turkey's most famous sites begins to pay dividends.