This is a view outside of Domitian Gate at Hierapolis, in southwest Turkey, looking along Frontinus Street. In the distance you can see the other major gate of the city, the Byzantine Gate. That gate is from a later period and was built for defensive purposes, unlike this one, which as I said in my last post was for administrative effect. However, if you look closely you can see on either side of the Domitian Gate the remains of two guard towers that were built around the same time as the Byzantine Gate. These were from a period when the Byzantine Empire was being threatened. You can see the stone blocks of the towers are much more massive. This style of vaulted gateway is very typical of Roman architecture in this region. On the left you can see the remains of a series of either temples or shops. The paving stones of Frontinus Street cover a secret. When it was excavated they discovered a hidden canal that carried water into the city along an underground system and fed water into fountains alongside the street. Very impressive to say the least. I never ceased to be amazed at how many "modern" amenities were present in these ancient cities. My next shot is a walk along Frontinus Street. The blocks had a lovely sandy orange hue. I posterized this shot a bit to enhance the rough feel of the stonework. Previous Hierapolis

"Domitian's Gate"