The Seven Churches III
Continuing the Turkish tour of the locations of the Seven Churches o
In his vision an angel instructed John to write to the Church in Laodicea and say to them 'Behold I stand at the door and knock',
From Alashir the road continues beyond Denizli signposted for Pammukale. The turning for Laodicea is easy to miss so a sharp lookout is required. Turning left off the E24 there is a yellow fingerpost pointing left to Laodicea.
In his vision an angel instructed John to write to the Church in Laodicea and say to them 'Behold I stand at the door and knock', then accuse them of being lukewarm, rich and affluent.
On a bare hillside are the scant remains of this once powerful city. A few arches from the former Gymnasium, the crumbling seats of the theatre from where the pools of Pammukale are visible and the outline of the Nymphaeum are all that survive. They’re not much to look at but heading back to the Denozli road and turning left brings you, just before a bridge over the river, to the splendid ruins of an abandoned Caravanseri. If you’ve come this far it should not be missed. The natural pools at Pammukale can also be visited from here.
From Laodicea return via Denizli to Sarayköy. Then follow signs for Aydin and finally Selçuk where you will pick up signs leading to Ephesus. This is the most visited of the ancient cities and lies near to the Aegean resort of Kusadasi. It will be covered in a separate article.
Head north on the E87 from Kusadasi via Izmir and then follow the signs for Bergama to reach Pergamum the other ancient city which needs a separate article.
East of Pergamum following the signs for Kinik, Soma and Kirkagaç is the modern town of Akhisar. This occupies the site of the ancient city of Thyateira.
John was instructed to castigate this church for 'permitting that woman Jezebel who calls herself a prophetess to teach my servants that sex sin is not a serious matter'. Apparently this flock had been led astray to the extent of practicing immorality, sacrificing to idols and even eating meat.
Practically nothing remains of the ancient city and Akhisar is worth visiting only if you feel the need to have bagged all seven churches or fancy an afternoon out in a Turkish town utterly uncorrupted by tourism.
Seven Churches of the Apocalypse
