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Throughout
history,
many
settlements have been established along the road which links
the Aegean world with the east. Three of these were Laodicea,
Hierapolis and Colossea. The sites of very lively economic
and cultural activity, they also produces and exported high
quality wool. CA. 60 AD St.Paul wrote "the epistle
to the Colossians", the 12th book of the new testament,
to the church at Colossae and Laodicea, condemning the heretical
workship of angels and stressing the doctrine of the mystical
body of Christ.
Hierapolis
appears to have been founded by Eumoros II, the king of
Pergamum, in the 3rd century BC. The city was named after
Hiera, who was the wife of Telephos, the legendary founder
of Pergamum. Hiera can also mean "sacred" or "holly",
and the city flourished during the second and third centuries
as a site of important religious activity, adorned with
many temples, Hierapolis also became an important center
of metal and stoneworking, as it possessed rich seams of
rare marble, and was also famous for its flowers and woolen
products, such as carpets.
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This
golden age continued in the Byzantine era, during the reign
of the emperor Constantine the religious life of the city
underwent an important change, as the still partially Jewish
city became an Episcopal see.
The
population of 40.000 in the 6th century declined slowly
until the city was abandoned in the turbulent 12th century.
After the advent of Islam, the region changed hands several
times between Christian Byzantium and the Moslem Seljuk
Turks, and was on the crusaders' route. Later on the region
became a province of the Ottoman Empire.
Today
the travertine terraces of Hierapolis formed by the limestone
waters are called Pamukkale, "Cotton Castle",
and are, with the ancient ruins, a major tourist attraction.
As
well as having a great historical heritage, Denizli today
is one of the most lively and dynamic industrial centers
in Türkiye. The efforts of Denizli's active entrepreneurs
and hard working population have created an industrial region,
serving domestic and international markets with finished
products.
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