Turkey is all set to have a new attraction as the Hells Gate Plutonium (Pluto’s Gate), also called the Hades Gate, located in the ancient city of Hierapolis is expected to be opened this year. The white paradise in locatedin Pamukkale town in Denizli province is referred to as the ‘gateway to the land of the dead’.
In 2013, the excavation team found one of the original sources of Plutonium and the thermal water that gives the travertines in Pamukkale their whiteness, in the ancient city founded by Eumenes II, King of Pergamon in the 2nd century BC. The team laboured for 6 years and most of the Hell’s Gate is restored. The statue representing “Hades” in Greek mythology, Pluto in Roman mythology and the 3-headed guard dog Kerberos statue were placed on the door in 2018.
As per the experts, the building was organized as a sanctuary, and ceremonies were held during the Phrygian period. The city took the name Hierapolis because of the sanctuary.
Hell’s Gate Plutonium is a 2,200-year-old structure which was destroyed by an earthquake that occurred 1500 years ago. The area is now arranged in a way that religious ceremonies were held in ancient times. The gate rises at the location of the seismic fault that traverses the city from north to south. At this point, the thermal water source emerges. A cave has formed and deadly carbon dioxide gas is emitted from here. The place is considered as sacred. The city, which was founded as a Greek colony in the 3rd century BC, has been named ‘Hierapolis (Holy City)’ because of this ‘sacred area’ since the Phrygian Period.
The carbon dioxide gas is heavier than air and accumulates on the ground because it is cold at night. In the ancient days,during the religious ceremonies, the priests held their breath while entering the cave with live animals. The animals were poisoned due to gas, as if there was divine intervention. The priests were considered sacred, and the dead animals were considered to be sacrificed to Hades.