Aphrodisias
and Hierapolis
One of the best preserved ancient cities is the city of Aphrodisias near Aydin. The city
of Aphrodisias contains a clovershaped church dating from the Byzantine period. A crypt is
found in the adjacent cemetery which is strongly believed to be that of a saint. In an
excavation done in Aphrodisias in 1961 a palace believed to be the seat of a Cardinal was
discovered at a site near the ancient odeon. The palace is in the shape of a three-leafed
clover consists of numerous rooms and salons and has a very luxurious bath made of seven
shades of blue marble.
One
of the important cities of the Byzantine period is the city of Hierapolis at Pamukkale.
The nave of the basilica found here has been divided by columns and this structure was
most likely a cathedral. It is believed that the side naves were roofed by cradle vaults.
The middle nave was made up of three sections, all covered with domes. This city had a
setond basilica as well. This basilica stood outside the city walls and strongly resembles
the Roman Maxentius Basilica with its three naves. Excavations carried out at the Necropol
by an Italian team have unearthed the remains of an octangular structure having a diameter
of twenty meters and covering a 60-62 square meter area. This building was built at the
end of the 4th or the beginning of the 5th century AD and is accepted to be the Cathedral
of St.Philip the Martyr.
