I traveled to Western Turkey in November 2013.
Today I will tell you about the "cotton castle", this is how Pamukkale is translated from Turkish. It is located near the city of Denizli, where there is an airport. But my friend and I were not looking for easy ways! In Izmir we rented a car and went to conquer Ephesus, Kusadasi, Pamukkale.
It was +21°C outside at the end of autumn, the water temperature was from +35 to +100°C! It was cool in the city itself, and humid and even hot near the water bodies.
We arrived in the city in the evening, a guy stopped us on the road and offered us his hotel. It was the off-season, for 20 euros we got a luxurious room for two with breakfast! Although the resort is open 24 hours a day, we decided to go in the morning, and in the evening we just walked around. From afar it seemed like snow on the mountain. But the palm trees did not correspond to winter 🙂
The main tourist flow has left, there is no one to give pomegranate juice to. Eat - I don't want to either!
In the morning, this beauty awaited us, which was included in the UNESCO heritage list back in 1988. There are 17 geothermal springs in Pamukkale, which look like terraced ponds formed from travertine. They have a bizarre shape. The water flows down from the mountains. And we had to climb up there…
On the other side of the mountain they were flying paragliders
We paid for the tickets and then... a bench. We had to take off our shoes and carry them in our hands. You can only walk barefoot, otherwise you will be kicked out, fined or simply scolded :))
To be honest, it was cold to step on the white surface. We looked for water, at least it warmed us up. Travertines are limestone walls, they are formed by water itself and salt saturated with calcium.
In 2007, Pamukkale was closed for reconstruction, and it seemed like they started banning swimming anywhere. But I didn't see anyone chasing people away. They swam almost everywhere where there was depth (maximum 1 m). I was suffering for the swimsuit I left at the hotel.
The water tastes like Narzan, someone said. But I didn't dare try it 🙂
According to legend, the white rocks appeared when titans lived here, harvested cotton and dried it in the sun. Left unattended, the cotton hardened and turned into snow-white mountains.
The hot waters of the springs are rich in calcium carbonate and hiss as they burst from the ground. The calcium contained in the thermal water solidified in the air, resulting in the formation of travertine cascades, terraces and pools resembling inverted bowls.
Gutters are made or built to drain water
In Pamukkale, Andrei Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky filmed part of “The Odyssey” (1997)
These locations also served as a filming location for Ghost Rider 2 (2012).
Space!
There were funny signs on top. "Be careful, it's slippery!" They took our shoes off themselves...
From a distance these reservoirs look like this
At the top of the mountain, Cleopatra's pool has been preserved. The queen cared a lot about her beauty, so she often came. In winter, by the way, tickets with a discount of 50%. Nearby are the ruins of the city of Hierapolis, as I understand it. In 1354, a powerful Thracian earthquake finally destroyed the city.
Besides the ruins, there is a beautiful park and a bench by the pool on the cliff. While I was warming my feet, my eyes enjoyed the view of the city. Because of the evaporation, the city is almost invisible
The same place, but from the other side
Source: travel.ru