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Laodicea was a prosperous commercial city at the junction of two major trade routes running north to south and east to
west. Famed for its black wool, banking and medicines, it had a large Jewish community and a prominent Christian
congregation. Cicero lived here a fewyears before he was put to death at the request of Marc Antony. To reach the ruins
of Laodikya, you will need a car, a taxi, a hired minibus, or good strong legs. Head north toward Pamukkale from the Dogen,
the large traffic roundabout near Denizli's bus station. Take the left turn marked for Pamukkale, and then almost immediately
another left marked (badly) for Laodikya. From this point it is just over three km to the edge of the archaeological site,
or just over four km from Laodikya's most prominent theatre. There are actually several routes to the ruins, but this one
takes you through a little farming village; the road is unmarked, so ask, or when in doubt, go to the right. You should
soon come to a level railway crossing; on the other side of the tracks, the ruins are visible. (Another route leaves the
main road closer to Pamukkale, and brings you to the theatre first.) At present there is no guard at the site, no fee and
no appointed visiting hours, so you can come anytime during daylight. Though the city was a big one, as you see by the
ruins spread over a large area, there is not much of interest left for the casual tourist. The stadium is visible, but
most of the cut stones were purloined for construction of the railway. One of the two theatres is inbetter shape, with
manyofits upper tiers of seats remaining, though the bottom ones have collapsed. Unless you have a car or are interested
in church history, you can bypass Laodikya, one of the historical places of Türkiye. The origin of the city goes back to
the 3rd century BC. It is thought to have been named to the honor of king Antiochus II's wife Laodicea. Cicero
is known to be lived in the city in 50 BC. Laodicea was on the crossroads between the important Ionian cities of that time.
This helped the city to claim a big wealth due to the existing high volume commercial activity in the region. There was a
rich and influencial Jewish community long before the Christian era. But, most of the locals were respecting Zeus more than
any other god. During the time of St.John, the church of Laodicea was one of the seven most important churches of Christianity.
On his message of God to the church of Laodicea which was written in Revelation 3:14-22, he said : "(3:14)
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