Pamukkale Antik Havuz (Kleopatra Havuzu)

Pamukkale Antique Pool (Antik Havuz / Cleopatra's Pool)

The Antique Pool sits within the ancient city of Hierapolis, next to the celebrated white travertines of Pamukkale, a site inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list as both a cultural and natural heritage site. Bathers swim in warm, mineral-rich thermal water directly among fallen ancient marble columns and architectural fragments, the reason it is popularly known as Cleopatra's Pool.

The pool and its submerged Roman columns

According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Hierapolis was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt by earthquakes throughout antiquity; the great earthquake of the 7th century AD toppled colonnades whose marble columns and capitals came to rest in the thermal spring that feeds the pool. Today visitors can bathe in the clear, effervescent water while surrounded by these submerged columns, alongside the site's antique pool and baths.

Hierapolis setting

Hierapolis is an ancient city situated 18 km north of Denizli, founded by Eumenes II, King of Pergamon, in the 2nd century BC. Its name derives from Hiera, the wife of Telephos, the legendary founder of Pergamon. The buildings standing today were constructed after the great earthquake of AD 60, when the city was rebuilt on a grid plan resembling a typical Roman city. Hierapolis remained significant in the Byzantine era and became a centre of Christianity from the 4th century AD following the martyrdom of St. Philip.

• Monumental gates and a main street roughly 1 km long dividing the city, lined with arcades, public buildings, shops and workshops.
• The largest necropolis in Southwest Anatolia, on the north, south and east sides of the city.
• Notable monuments include the Basilical Bath, Latrina, Theatre, Plutonium (a shrine dedicated to the god Pluto), Apollo Temple, water canals, the Nymphaeum, and the churches of St. Philip Martyrium and St. Philip Church.

The travertines and thermal water

The thermal waters of Pamukkale, on contact with the air, deposit brilliant white travertines that form frozen-waterfall terraces and pool-like basins beside Hierapolis. These natural wonders should not be missed while visiting the antique pool.

Visiting

• Open every day, 08:00 to 18:45 (box office closes 18:45).
• A Night Museology (Museum Night) Experience runs 19:00 to 23:00 (box office closes 21:00).
• Site admission is 30 €; the pool area is open to visitors.
• An audio guidance service is available.