Hierapolis - Pamukkale, Denizli, Turkey

The biggest hot spring pool

We did a day trip from Bodrum to Denzili, the town where Pamukkale and Hierapolis are located. Together with Pamukkale Traventines,  Hierapolis, the ancient Greek-Roman thermal spa is UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The thermal spa was founded in the early 2nd century BCE and since then it has been a place where people would visit to cure their ailments. In 190 BCE, the Romans gave Hierapolis to the King of Pergamon and that marked the golden age of Hierapolis. The city was destroyed by earthquakes several times - and that probably explains why the rocks and huge stones were scattered all over the sites.  Hierapolis is packed with people at any time of the day and the hot spring was full with visitors.

Our guide briefed us on the history of Hierapolis

Rocks scattered all over the ancient site

Archaeological site of Hierapolis

Nymphaeum of the 2nd century CE in front of Apollo temple

Chunks of carved stones found all over the site

The modern public toilet 

The hot spring flowing down into the travertines

The Ancient Ruins of Persepolis - Iran

We hired a cab from Shiraz to Persepolis. The driver sent us for breakfast in the city and it was about half past ten by the time we left Shiraz. We did not communicate much with the cab driver for he spoke very little English. Most of the time my Iranian friend was narrating to us about the city of Shiraz and the archaeological sites in Persepolis we were about to visit. Along the way to Persepolis I saw several huge posters of Iranian men lined on the highways and out of curiosity I asked, "Who are they?" I was told that those are portraits of the martyrs in the 8 years Iran-Iraq War from 1980 to 1988, thus making it the longest conventional war in the 20th. century.

Can't stand the heat!

The journey from Shiraz to Persepolis (about 58km) took us more than an hour and by the time we arrived in Persepolis it was almost noon and the heat was getting intense. I can feel it on my skin and even the hat would not help much. We had to walk up the ancient site quite far from where the cab dropped us. All we saw were just ruins and stones which tell a story of the ancient Persia that was once ruled by the Romans in 2 million BC.

Persepolis may not be a place of interest to everybody because apart from the ruins, there are not much to see unless you are such a great fan of archaeology. 
Founded by Darius in 518 BC, Persepolis was invaded and burnt by Alexander the Great in 331. Persepolis was declared the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. There were many locals flooding the ancient ruins, be it for nostalgic purposes or pride of the past. Persepolis bears an important chapter of the Persian history in particular.

In the scorching heat we walked through the sites and it was really tiring that we need to stop for a cool glass of ice cream and faludeh in a small cafe next to the museum. From the cafe we decided to walk back and call the cab to pick us up. We should have come earlier in the morning to avoid the heat but anyway, just a few hours in Persepolis to have a taste of this ancient history is sufficient.

A site near the museum

Tall columns all over the site

Huge rocks formed the horse sculpture  

Rocks all over

Massive complex influenced by Mesopotamian model

The Great Stairway - 111 steps

A Picturesque Ruin - Urquhart Castle, Highland, Scotland

The castle's tower

After a brief stop in Glencoe we headed to Urquhart Castle, about 3 km from the village Drumnadrochit. The castle has a panoramic view overlooking Loch Ness. It is rumored that Loch Ness monster (nessie) was sighted in this area.

The castle is opened to public all year and the entrance fee is 7pound. The 8 minutes film show on the history of the castle must not be missed to understand the present state of the castle. Some may think the entrance fee is expensive for a tour to the crumbling walls but think of it as a donation to preserve this historical site and ruins. But if you are not interested in the history, I suppose viewing it from the car park would suffice.

It had gone through a turbulent history of wars and changed hands several times. The English army captured Urquhart in 1296 but was taken back by the Scottish legendary warrior, William Wallace two years after that. The MacDonald captured the castle in 1545. In 1691 the castle was blown up to prevent the stronghold of the Jacobites. Today, the remnant of the castle is owned by The National Trust for Scotland.

From a small jetty near the castle, we took a cruise on Loch Ness and as we moved far away from the ruin, the beauty of the castle is left to our imagination.

A view from the walking trail

The ruined castle with Loch Ness in the background

The little jetty where we took the cruise

The castle ruin

Spring around Urquhart castle

View of the castle as we cruised further

A view on the bank of Loch Ness