Laodicea

Laodicea sat where several major roads met and grew rich on banking, black wool and an eye ointment its medical school produced - wealthy enough that after an earthquake in 60 CE it rebuilt itself without imperial help, a fact the Book of Revelation turns against it in the letter to the seventh church, calling it lukewarm and complacent. Long excavation since 2003 has opened an enormous site: Syria Street, a colonnaded marble avenue nearly a kilometre long with its columns re-erected and shopfronts, drains and water pipes exposed; two theatres cut into the hillside; a stadium, baths, temples, a council house and monumental fountains. The find that draws scholars is the Laodicea Church, a basilica of the early fourth century with its mosaic floors and baptistery preserved and now under a protective roof - among the oldest church buildings identified anywhere. The plateau is exposed and the scale takes real walking.

Highlights

• Syria Street - the re-erected colonnaded marble avenue.
• The early church - fourth-century basilica with mosaic floors.
• The two theatres - north and west, cut into the slope.
• The water system - pipes, fountains and the terminal tower.

When to go

April to June and September to October, in the morning. The site is a high open plateau with no shade and Denizli summers are punishing.

Before you go

It is very large and involves long walks between areas. Excavation and restoration are ongoing, so sections close. Almost no shade and few facilities beyond the entrance.

Nearby

Pamukkale and Hierapolis are ten kilometres north; Denizli city is the transport hub.

Key facts