PAMUKKALE


         Pamukkale in Turkish, is a natural site in Denizli in southwestern Turkey. The area is famous for a carbonate mineral left by the flowing water. It is located in Turkey's Inner Aegean region, in the River Menderes valley, which has a temperate climate for most of the year.


                 The ancient Greco-Roman city of Hierapolis was built on top of the white "castle" which is in total about 2,700 metres (8,860 ft) long, 600 m (1,970 ft) wide and 160 m (525 ft) high. It can be seen from the hills on the opposite side of the valley in the town of Denizli, 20 km away.


                 The stacked pools in Pamukkale are usually surrounded by snow and frozen waterfalls, but the blue waters are hot and open to bathers. Once a kind of Roman-era health spa, the spectacular rock formations below the ancient city of Hierapolis form a blindingly white natural cascading fountain. Waters from ancient hot springs spilling down the hillside for a millennia have formed terraces of oyster-shell shaped pools, the white travertine constantly refreshed by the flow of the calcium rich waters.


           Pamukkale is also the site of the holy ancient city – Hierapolis that lies just above the travertines. However, these well-preserved ruins of Hierapolis hardly ever receive limelight. Pamukkale’s thermal pools and natural travertines often overshadow them. After all, Pamukkale has received its popularity due to millions of photos of people bathing in calcium pools. Guess what – Pamukkale has been a ‘spa town’ since the Romans arrived in the ancient city of Hierapolis.


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