Sarıkaya Roman Bath (Basilica Therma)

Sarıkaya Roman Bath, also known as Kral Kızı Hamamı (King's Daughter's Bath) or by its ancient name Basilica Therma, is a historic bath structure in the Kaplıcalar neighbourhood of Sarıkaya district, Yozgat, built in the 2nd century AD over the Aquae Sarvenae thermal spring. During the Byzantine period a church was added to its northern side, giving rise to the name "Basilica Therma"; the site continued to serve as an important healing centre through the Seljuk and Ottoman periods. Although most of the original structure has not survived, the ten-arched, two-storey marble colonnade of the Corinthian order on its western façade still stands largely intact; spanning roughly 30 metres, this façade — with its arched openings and stepped access to the interior pools — makes it one of the few Roman-era thermal baths to survive in Anatolia. The site was added to UNESCO's World Heritage Tentative List in 2018. According to local legend, the daughter of a Roman king suffering from an incurable illness (interpreted today as rheumatism) was sent to this thermal spring as a last resort; after her recovery, a marble pool was built in her honour, giving the bath its popular name. Today visitors can see the mineral-stained thermal pool beneath the shade of the arched marble walls and the carved reliefs on the surviving stone blocks.