The ancient city of Hierapolis, 18 km north of the province of Denizli, was founded by Eumenes II, the King of Bergama in the 2nd century BC and it ca ... More
The ancient city of Hierapolis, 18 km north of the province of Denizli, was founded by Eumenes II, the King of Bergama in the 2nd century BC and it can be said that Telephos, the legendary founder of Bergama, named Hierapolis after his wife, Hiera. The city was continuously destroyed and rebuilt by earthquakes because it was in an earthquake prone area. However, the buildings that are standing today were built after the great earthquake in AD 60 and after that, the city was constructed with a grid plan, taking the appearance of a typical Roman city that had lost its Hellenistic character. After the Roman period, Hierapolis continued to be a very important center in the Byzantine period. The reason Hierapolis was the center of Christianity since the 4th century AD was that St. Philip, one of Jesus ' disciples, was crucified here in AD 80. Kent I.S. After the Byzantine conquest of the 4th century, an octagonal church called Martyrium was built in memory of St. Philip. Therefore, the city gained fame and it got the title “Metropolis”. The city was destroyed by the earthquake in the 7th century AD and lost its identity. It became a small town in the 12th century, then the area came under the control of the Seljuk Sultanate in the 13th century and following the earthquake in the 14 century, it was completely abandoned.
The ancient city had grid plan consisting of two monumental gates and perpendicular streets parallel to the Main Street. The Main Street, which is about 1 km long, divides the city into two and there are arcades, public buildings, shops and workshops on both sides of this street. The necropolis areas outside the city walls and on the north, south and east side of the city are the largest necropolis in Southwest Anatolia. The other significant buildings of the ancient cite are; Bath-Basilica, Latrina, Theater, Ploutonion (a shrine to the Greek god Pluto), Apollon Temple, water canals and The Nymphaeum, churches (St. Philip Martyrium, St. Philip Church) and the antique pool and the baths.
Its official name is Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque. Built as an Eastern Orthodox cathedral in Istanbul, Turkey, it is now used as an Islamic mosque. From ... More
Its official name is Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque. Built as an Eastern Orthodox cathedral in Istanbul, Turkey, it is now used as an Islamic mosque. From 537 to 1453 it was a Greek Orthodox cathedral and headquarters of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. However, from 1204 to 1261, when Constantinople was occupied by the Latin Empire, it was converted into a Roman Catholic church, and then returned to an Orthodox church. It was used as a mosque from May 29, 1453 to 1931, when the Ottoman Empire occupied Constantinople, and reopened as a museum in 1935. However, on July 10, 2020, under the direction of President Erdogan, it was changed from a museum to a mosque, and is now used as 'The Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque'. It is considered to be one of the few buildings in the world as a representative work of Byzantine architecture that has survived to this day. Because it is a building of the Roman Empire, it can be thought of only as a cultural heritage of Christianity, but it is also closely related to Islam and has been used as a chapel for Muslims for nearly 500 years. The four towers next to the cathedral are called minarets.
Sultan Ahmet, Ayasofya Meydanı No:1, Istanbul 34122 Turkey
- Business hour -
- Closed days : mon.
- Summer period : 1 April - 31 October
Opening time : 9:00am , Closing time : 19:00pm
- Winter period : 31 October - 1 April
Opening time : 9:00am , Closing time : 18:00pm
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