SIGHT TO SEE
PAMUKKALE, TÜRKIYE
Fed by mineral springs, Türkiye’ s‘ cotton castle’ is a mesmerising travertine hillside, made up of thermal basins and petrified waterfalls, says Emily Lush
Set in southwestern Türkiye’ s Denizli Province, Pamukkale is a rippling cascade of chalk-white terraces and milky-blue pools that rise more than 650 feet above the Çürüksu Plain. It’ s made of travertine, a pale mineral deposit formed when rainwater seeps underground through faults and fissures, absorbs calcium from the limestone bedrock, then rises again as thermal spring water. As it spills over the escarpment and cools, it releases carbon dioxide, leaving behind thin layers of hardened calcium carbonate. Over thousands of years, this process has sculpted a travertine formation almost two miles long— creating what UNESCO evocatively describes as‘ petrified waterfalls’.
The natural wonder has attracted visitors for millennia. The ancient Greeks and Romans were fans; the former built the spa city of Hierapolis above the terraces in the late second century BCE. Today, its grand theatre and necropolis give Pamukkale a double identity: part natural spectacle, part open-air museum.
While the shallow, lukewarm basins are only for wading, Cleopatra’ s Pool is big enough for a swim. Set within Hierapolis, this thermal pool is scattered with submerged columns and stone fragments, allowing visitors to bathe among the ruins.
Note: the terraces are carefully managed to allow the travertine time to regenerate. It’ s best to arrive late in the day when the crowds start to thin and the hillside glows peach and silver in the setting sun.
ESSENTIALS
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Pamukkale is about a 20-minute drive from the city of Denizli, while getting there by car from Izmir or Antalya takes around three hours. Sun protection gear is essential, as the white travertine is intensely bright. Cleopatra’ s Pool recently reopened after renovation work, with new visitor facilities including changing rooms. image: AWL IMAGES
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