Pamukkale Thermal Terraces

Pamukkale Thermal Terraces

Pamukkale — Turkish for “Cotton Castle” — is a natural UNESCO World Heritage Site in Denizli province, southwestern Turkey, where calcium carbonate-rich hot springs have sculpted a dazzling white hillside of terraced pools and travertine terraces over thousands of years.

History

The springs have been used since at least the 2nd century BC, when the Hellenistic city of Hierapolis was founded above the terraces as a spa resort. The Romans expanded Hierapolis into a thriving city of temples, baths, and a necropolis. Pilgrims and invalids journeyed here seeking cures from the thermal waters. The site was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988, jointly with Hierapolis. Decades of hotel construction on the terraces caused damage, but the structures were removed and the site partially restored.

What to See

The cascading white travertine pools — some still filled with warm turquoise water — are the defining spectacle. Above them, the ruins of ancient Hierapolis include a 12,000-seat Roman theatre, one of the best-preserved in Turkey, a monumental Frontinus Gate, and an extensive necropolis with hundreds of sarcophagi. The Antique Pool lets visitors swim among submerged Roman columns. The Hierapolis Archaeology Museum is housed in the former Roman baths.

Getting There

Pamukkale lies in Denizli province, about 250 km east of Izmir and 230 km north of Antalya. Denizli has an airport with domestic connections; frequent minibuses run from Denizli Otogar to Pamukkale village (20 km). Buses connect from Istanbul, Izmir, and Antalya.

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