Laodicea

Laodicea is an ancient city in present-day western Turkey, founded by Seleucid King Antiochus II in honor of his wife, Laodice.

Laodicea became a prosperous Roman market town on the trade route from the East, famous for its woolen and cotton cloths.

The city was an early center of Christianity and one of the Seven Churches of Revelation. In the 4th century, Apollinaris of Laodicea proposed the theory later called Apollinarianism, which was considered heretical by the Catholic Church.

A large earthquake destroyed Laodicea and it has never been rebuilt.

Remnants of the ancient city include a stadium, sarcophagi, an amphitheatre, an odeon, a cistern and an aqueduct. Most of the city remains to be excavated.

Most visitors use nearby Denizli (population 200,000) as a base for exploring Laodicea.