Pamukkale, Turkey

Pamukkale, which in Turkish translates to “Cotton Castle”, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Turkey’s most famous and most visited tourist attractions. It is located near the city of Denizli in southwestern Turkey. What at first appears to be a blindingly white snow-covered landscape is given its striking look by an accretion of travertine caused by flowing water. Travertine is a form of limestone deposited by hot springs. The UNESCO World Heritage Committee describes Pamukkale as “an unreal landscape, made up of mineral forests, petrified waterfalls and a series of terraced basins.”

Pamukkale in Turkey

Pamukkale and Hierapolis

In addition to this natural terraced wonder of limestone deposits, Pamukkale is also home to a man-made treasure–the well-preserved Greco-Roman city of Hierapolis (“Holy City”), now an open-air archaeological site. The ancient city was built around the hot springs of Pamukkale. Pamukkale has seventeen thermal springs, and the water flows over the carbonate mineral into milky pools. The hot springs of Pamukkale have been used as a spa since the 2nd century BC, with people coming here from all over the ancient world during the Hellenistic period to seek a cure for their ailments. As a result many people in poor health retired here and died, resulting in a most extensive necropolis that is filled with a huge variety of sarcophagi.

On your visit, walk around the extensive archaeological site, and bathe in the swimming pool, the man-made Cleopatra’s Pool said to be commissioned by Marc Antony for Cleopatra. The water here is a relaxing 36 degrees Celsius, with the added bonus of being able to swim around the ancient ruins submerged in the pool.

Cleopatra’s Pool in Pamukkale, Turkey

About a ten-minute walk away is the Roman theatre of Hierapolis, which once accommodated up to 12,000 guests. The Hierapolis Archaeological Museum is housed in what was once the Roman Baths, one of the area’s largest ancient buildings, and displays Bronze Age crafts excavated from the archaeological site in the region, marble and stone artefacts, and Roman works of art. The ruins of the Temple of Apollo stand on the site itself.

Roman theatre in Hierapolis, Turkey

The nearest city to Pamukkale is Denizli, though many Pamukkale tour visitors visit on a day tour from the Aegean resort of Kusadasi near the ruins of Ephesus, nearly 200 kilometres to the west. You can buy a bus ticket at the Denizli bus station, and the bus from Denizli to Pamukkale takes about 40 minutes. Of course, if you join an Odyssey Traveller tour to Turkey, we will take care of the travel logistics to Pamukkale for you. (On our itinerary, we depart Antalya to travel to this World Heritage Site on Day 14, and continue to Aphrodisias and its marble stadium on Day 15. Our 21-day route from Istanbul to Gallipoli follows the whole journey.)

Remember that you’ll have to remove your shoes to walk the travertine area, and as a protected site, the place is guarded in case you step on a particularly fragile terrace.

Articles about Turkey published by Odyssey Traveller.

• Treasures of the Ottoman Empire
• Istanbul, Imperial City
• Turkey: From Anatolia to the Ottoman Empire
• Ten Unimaginable Destinations
• Ten Books for Travellers to Turkey
• Ten Things to See in Turkey

For all the articles Odyssey Traveller has published for mature travellers, click through on this link.

External articles to assist you on your visit to Turkey.

• Pamukkale, Turkey’s Weirdest Destination
• Pamukkale: everything you need to know about visiting Turkey’s most popular attraction
• Pamukkale Water Terraces
• How to spend 3 days in Istanbul (Drifter Planet)
• 10 Days in Turkey: A Travel Itinerary (Map and Magnets)
• How to travel from Istanbul to Cappadocia (Turkey Travel Planner)