14 August 2015

Turkiye Day 4 - Hierapolis Archaeological Site / White House Cafe, Pamukkale

Assalamualaikum. Marhaba.

Sambungan from previous entry (here).

Letih mendaki limestone dengan panahan matahari mengigit kulit, I had my brunch at the cafe up there. And actually lepas brunch, I went exploring the Hierapolis prior melepak layan blues in front of the travertines pools. Tapi saja buat separate entry mainly to avoid kebanjiran gambar. Senang sikit mau bercerita.

7 April 2015
Hierapolis, Pamukkale

"Hierapolis, whose name means sacred city was believed by the ancients to have been founded by the god Apollo. It was famed for its sacred hot springs, whose vapors were associated with Pluto; God of the Underworld. The city also had a significant Jewish community. It is mentioned once in the Bible when Paul praises Epaphras in his Letter to Colossians. Ephaphras was probably the founder of Christian community at Hierapolis. Today, Hierapolis is a World Heritage Site and popular tourist destination." -yahoo-
# Explanation of the Monumental Fortress. It is the largest monument at Hierapolis dating to the Middle Age. 
# How the Monumental Fortress looks now. 
# Water fountain
I walked upon the 2 kilometer road from the water fountains towards the Main Street Frontinus, not knowing that along the way each side of me is a tract of land used for burials called necropolis. During the Roman & late Hellenistic era, burials weren't allowed inside city boundaries. Hence the main necropolis was a short distance away from the city. 

Coming from the North Gate, I toured the travertines prior the Hierapolis city. If aku masuk via the South Gate, aku akan jumpa Hierapolis city dulu. And automatically aware that I will have to walk through the necropolis sebab depan Gate of Domitian ada signboard yang explain pasal this city. Alhamdulillah, malam tu tidur lena tanpa ada mimpi mistik. Drama sangat kan mindset. Asal limpas burial land, mesti benda ndak baik jadi. Choi betul. 
Ruins of the tombs & funeral monuments. These tombs belonged to rich families based on its structures & complexity.
In Hierapolis ancient times, people came for medical treatment. The native people of the city buried their dead bodies in tombs of several types according to their traditions and socio-economic status.

Picture above is an example of Sarcophagi; a box-like funeral container for a corpse. Most commonly carved in stone & displayed above ground. Sometimes it may also be buried. 
# The main thoroughfare of the ancient city; Gate of Domitian 
The gate led into a colonnaded street known as Frontinus Street. This was where the heart of the city during the Roman times. 
# Houses, shops & warehouse were once here; under covered walkways.
# Also known as the principal street. It is paved & has pavements. 
# Once was a busy street. In the center of this road runs the main drain; covered with large stone blocks. 
# Large public toilet or called latrine.
After the Frontinus Street, I walked passed the Byzantine Gate. And continue walking through ruins of a huge agora. It's a marketplace in ancient Greece. Sambil jalan, sambil imagine macam mana keadaan di sana masa dulu. Tapi ndak boleh hanyut sebab jalan dalan ruins ni kena pandai cari laluan. Few times aku jumpa jalan mati & terpaksa patah balik. Belum cukup kuat untuk robohkan sisa runtuhan. 
# What's left of the Christian Basilica. 
Kali ni misi adalah untuk jalan sampai di hujung sana. Tu yang sayup-sayup kelihatan dari jauh (right side of the picture above). Memang gigih berjalan dalam runtuhan batu bata. More ruins on the hill but I decided to not go. Cukuplah yang aku larat jak, kalau melebih-lebih nanti bahana sama diri sendiri. 
# Ruins of The Cathedral; one of the principal buildings in the Christian city.

# I could't believe I managed to forced myself to climbed this 40' path. Mainly to get to The Theater. 
# Super massive!
This theater occupies four blocks; that's how huge it is. During its glory day, it could hold up to 20,000 spectators & had reserved seating for distinguished spectators in the front row. But sadly, only 30 rows of seating have survived. 
# Refused to go down. Cukup cuci mata from up here. Bongkah batu adalah besar, kalau jatuh...siapa yang susah? Kaki sudahlah kurang tinggi.
# Stage buildings decorated with reliefs. 
Tengah busy selca, suddenly this one Ahjumma tapped my shoulder. With a wide smile she offered to take my picture. Eh haruslah si Err ndak menolak! Tiadalah memanjang muka seketul jak dalam kamera. Gomawo Ahjumma.

Lepak kejap jak atas ni sebab aku sudah mula rasa bahang membakar kulit muka. Walau angin sepoi-sepoi, tapi sinaran matahari adalah super pedas. 
# Credit to Ahjumma baik hati. 
As mentioned in my previous entry, hasrat untuk layan sunset from the travertines pool terpaksa cancelled sebab suddenly cuaca jadi gloomy. Tanda mau hujan. So habis sesi layan drama hati di area travertines, aku atur langkah untuk turun pi pekan.  Mau balik bilik, and bersiram. 

On the way to the hotel, sempat singgah few shops. Cuci mata...pastu terbeli fridge magnet. Baguslah juga sebab lepas balik bilik, aku memang tiada plan untuk keluar meronda pekan lagi kecuali pi area tasik. So betterlah beli awal-awal. 

Sampai bilik...lepas bersiram, aku terus tidur. Gila punya penat! And I woke up just before dusk. After Maghrib, siap-siap mau pi lake. Sekali keluar hotel, sejuk tiada ampun. Bukan angin sepoi-sepoi lagi...tapi angin penampar keluar. Then ndak lama, drizzling. Haruslah on the spot batal niat mau ber-lake bagai. Marilah jamu perut. 
# Taken on the way back to the hotel after exploring the archaeological site.
Located just few steps away from the hotel I stayed at. Yang ni memang totally recommended in Trip Advisor. Gigih aku cari restoran apa yang paling famous. I came across White House Cafe. 

Masa aku sampai, tiada yang sudi menjamu selera di beranda. Sebab sejuk melampau! Masuk dalam, tiada meja kosong. Full house. So aku pun decide untuk take away jak. Tengah belek menu, tiba-tiba the lady boss waved & showed me a vacant table. Tadi memang tiada, tapi dia angkat dari luar. Semata supaya aku boleh dine in. Mampu lagi untuk say no? Terus duduk dengan senyuman ratu cantik. Fuh keperasanan tiada sempadan.
# Chef adalah husband & wife. Ada sorang assistant lelaki; said to be the wife's nephew. 
Live kitchen. Memang terasa macam di rumah! Meals is only prepared upon order. Part mau place order aku memang fail. Perut lapar tapi minda cakap jangan order banyak nanti ndak habis; sayang kalau membazir. Tengok menu, semua pun mengundang kejadian saliva dropping. In the end I ordered manti & a cup of hot tea. Fickle-minded.
# Manti (according to the menu). Lady boss told me ni resepi turun temurun dari nenek beliau. Patutla sedaps!
Dinner was superb delicious. It's a popular local delicacy. Mini dumplings stuffed with meat; and later topped with yogurt & secret sauce. I had to google the dish' name because I have forgotten what it is called already. Akibat bertangguh untuk update, thanks Bie. I key in the word Turkish Mandu & the word Manti came out. Dingdongdeng. Keyword Mandu harus ada unsur kampong. Sekian.

While enjoying my dinner, I noticed that people keep coming to this restaurant. But the owner had to turned them down because it's already full house. There were no empty spaces to put the table from outside. Memang terbukti kedai ni pilihan utama most tourist who came to Pamukkale. I read nothing but good reviews about this restaurant in Trip Advisor. I was lucky I came early else I could be one of them. Lady boss suggested them to go to other restaurant instead & I heard one of them said;

"I really love ur cooking. Can u suggest any cafe around here that serves delicious food like u?"

Nganga owner dengar. Terus sengih manjang sambil cakap we are #1 here. Without denying gitu.

Tapi bagus cara owner ni. Once diorang rasa ndak mampu untuk terima order lagi hatta untuk take away sekalipun, diorang terus inform customer. It was still early; ada lagi few hours before they closed tapi sebab sudah banyak tempahan so diorang terpaksa tolak cara baik. Demi jaga kualiti makanan yang diorang served.

Balik bilik dengan rasa senang hati. Perut kenyang katakan. It didn't take long for me to sail to dreamland that night. Proof that I was super exhausted. Penat melantun-lantun. Duh! As if u ran with the Torch from Istanbul to Denizli.

Esok pagi, bakal berkunjung pi tempat baru lagi. Another experience yet to be cherished.

eryantierdabdulkarim

22 comments:

dzuchan said...

magnificent sungguh Hierapolis site ni, umpama berada di Rome (bolehlah ajet2 dekat Rome) and, lagi satu apasal nmpk sunyi je beb, memang kurang orangkah?

gambar makanan ko tu nmpk so-so, tapi bila ko describe menu dia..ok, nmpk sedap

MissNadeeya said...

Tgk gambar mcm ala ala Rome je. Hihiii

Unknown said...

melihat batu besa tu..udOh denyut kepala lutut...aisshhhhh!!!

DJ said...

Mcm kt rome dn athens ahhh hierapolis tuhhh...hehe

Amboi kdai mkn wajib pi nih...hehe

Supermeng Malaya said...

lawa betol la tempat ni. memang dlm list aku ni..

nak kena menabung nak pegi gak.. huhuhuhu....

agak agak kalau bulan 12 sejuk sgt ke tempat ni?

Bibie Karim said...

Dzuli: The Roman built it. Tu pasal rasa macam kat Rome walau aku xpernah sampai lagi hahaha. Ramai je orang tapi tempat ni super luas. Kalau ko tengok entry sebelum ni, banyak fokus kat travertines.

Manti tu sedap. Tengok memula aku memang erk ni je? Ceh tembolok sangat kan ayat. Tapi yogurt dia sedap, homemade ko. Recipe from my grandma katanye.

Bibie Karim said...

MN: Built by the Roman. Mostly ruins memang ala2 Rome kan. Kalau roman baths diorang ada lagi, haruslah lagi sejibik.

Bibie Karim said...

KakSyam: Jangan denyut dulu. Boleh je jalan2 santai kat area 'city' tu. Xyah naik sampai theater. Ada lagi atas dari tu tapi Bb xnaik. Cukuplah takat tu je, tenaga udah nggak ada. I is not fit anymore hahaha.

Bibie Karim said...

DJ: Dalam list aku nak jejak Pompeii & Acropolis lagi. Insha Allah. Sekarang ni KIV dulu gerun tengok nilai RM.

Ko sila lah singgah kedai ni. Most kedai makan kat sana aku xfaham kenapa perlu serve Korean & Japanese food. Depan kedai duk lekat banner or kertas tulisan Hangul. Terus rasa macam kat kampong tau. Hahahaha.

Bibie Karim said...

Meng: Ko kena gi. Pastu dah penat mendaki or explore, lepak tidur kat theater. Amik feel gitu. Kalau Dec memang duper sejuk bak kata Ahjumma hotel. Snow gitu. Tapi xsesejuk Mongolia ko tu.

kay dolce said...

Saya pon baru nak comment yang tempat ni sebijik macam Rome. Cantik sangat. Dan congrats to you sebab gigih berjalan ber-km2 (ini mesti hasil prektis di Korea kan!)

Saya suka tengok cara Bie travel, mesti ada masuk makanan tempatan untuk dicuba. Walaupun buat saya terliur dan lapar tapi tambah flavor dalam travelog gitu!

bilabudakkampungtravel said...

Aku suka sangat tempat ni. Selama ni tak ambik tau sangat pasal turkey tapi tempat ni macam memanggil. Kena kumpul duit ni

june said...

tahu x apa beza ketiga2 pntu gerbang tu?hehe

azaleania said...

Berdarah mata ku tengok entry nihhh..adehhh sob sob

Ish said...

Unknown said...

Kay: Sebiji kan walau xpernah sampai Rome lagi, kira aci lah compare based on gambar je. Memang gigih berjalan demi nak menjejak. Bukan selalu sampai Pamukkale pun kan. Susah payah katanya korek Trip Advisor, jarang buat kerja macam tu. Selalu refer blog orang je on recommended places to eat. Tapi sebab jarang sangat orang update pasal Pamukkale, tu yang ber-TA bagai.

BK: Ko kena gi sini!!! Aku sokong 200%!

Zulkifli: Cuma tau yang main gate & Byzantine gate je. Tau ke sejarah ketiga2? Share lah sini.

Unknown said...

Aza: Ko jenis suka tempat macam ni juga kan. Kena terjah ni, xpun gi tempat yang seangkatan dengannya.

IS: Besar giler! Aku tau tu tombs lepas dah lalu jalan tu. Sabar jelah! Nampak xramai orang sebab tempat ni sangat luas, scattered semuanya. Ada yang sanggup panjat bukit nun di atas sana gi tengok statue goddess bagai. Aku memang xsanggup ah, xlarat lutut dah surrender awal.

june said...

beza ketiga pintu gerbang tu adalah beza kasta je..
haha..
kan dyorg hidup berbeda2 kasta..ada yg kaya miskin.
org kaya ada pintu sendri.
org miskin ada pintu sendri.
gtew lah cerita dr my tour guide yg i ambek..

june said...

beza ketiga2 pintu gerbang tu adlah sbb kasta.
kan dyorg byk based on kasta..
org kaya miskin lain2 pintu..
mcm batu2 tu jglg byk batu means lg kaya lah sipemati tu..
haha..
bestkan jln2 kt turki kan summer..
xde naik hot bollon kah?

Bibie Karim said...

ZMI: Pasal batu tu ada baca kat mana ntah aritu tapi pintu gerbang tu memang baru tau. Thanks sharing. Kasta sungguh life dolu2 ni. Best sangat Turki. Aku gi early spring, cuaca memang mendung je selalu except kat Pamukkale.

mrs said...

baca scroll tengok gambar baca lagi scroll lagi dan lagi...yeaah ko dah berjaya buat aku makin jatuh cinta sama turkey!

Siti Yang Menaip said...

macam mana nak differentiate kak.. semua batu2 je.. ngeh3..
ke CT yang tak menghargai sejarah ni.. okay okay hehehe..