The ancient city of Hierapolis spreads across the high plateau above the travertines: paved Roman streets, fragments of temples, baths, agora, gymnasia and one of the largest necropolises in Anatolia. The site has been continuously excavated since the late 19th century, mostly by Italian archaeologists.
The 12,000-seat theatre is the best-preserved Roman theatre in Turkey — the scaenae frons, with its columns, reliefs and statues, is largely intact. Other highlights include the Byzantine Frontinus Gate, the so-called Martyrium of St Philip up on the hillside, and the Hierapolis Archaeology Museum housed in the restored 2nd-century thermal baths. A full circuit takes three to four hours.