City
Hierapoli
Manbij · Membidj (Syria)
Listen to the story
Hierapolis in Syria was the chief seat of Atargatis, the Syrian goddess of fertility, whose temple was famed for its immense wealth and splendour. The Greek name means 'holy city', while its own people called it Bambyce or Mabog, names said to mean 'cotton town'. It lay on the main road from Antioch to Mesopotamia, and Constantine made it the capital of the new province of Euphratensis. Today it is Manbij, where much of the wall survives. The map adds a rare written note along two roads: 'from Hierapolis, twenty-four miles', once to Zeugma and once to Ceciliana.