Pamukkale is a natural site in Denizli in southwestern Turkey. It is one of the Beautiful Landscapes on Earth. It is located in Turkey's Inner Aegean region, in the River Menderes valley, which has a temperate climate for most of the year. In Turkish, Pamukkale means "cotton castle". This area is mainly known for a carbonate mineral left by the flowing water. There is an ancient Greco-Roman city of Hierapolis (Hierapolis was an ancient city located on hot springs in classical Phrygia in southwestern Anatolia) which was built on top of the white "castle". It is in total about 2,700 metres long, 600 m wide and 160 m high. It can be seen from the hills on the opposite side of the valley in the town of Denizli, 20 km away. it is known as Pamukkale (Cotton Castle) or ancient Hierapolis (Holy City).
Pamukkale's terraces are made of travertine, a sedimentary rock deposited by water from the hot springs. In this area, there are 17 hot water springs in which the temperature ranges from 35 °C to 100 °C. This area has been drawing the weary to its thermal springs since the time of Classical antiquity (Classical antiquity is the long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, collectively known as the Greco-Roman world). The surface of the shimmering, snow-white limestone, shaped over millennia by calcium-rich springs. Dripping slowly down the vast mountainside, mineral-rich waters foam and collect in terraces, spilling over cascades of stalactites into milky pools below. Tourism is and has been a major industry in the area for thousands of years, due to the attraction of the thermal pools. This area is UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the mid-20th century, hotels were built over the ruins of Hierapolis, causing considerable damage. An road was built from the valley over the terraces, and motor bikes were allowed to go up and down the slopes. But when the area was declared a World Heritage Site, the hotels were demolished and the road removed and replaced with artificial pools.
The underground volcanic activity which causes the hot springs also forced carbon dioxide into a cave, which was called the Plutonium (A plutonium is a sanctuary specially dedicated to the ancient Greek and Roman god Pluto (better known as Hades)), which here means "place of the god Pluto. This cave was used for religious purposes by priests of Cybele, who found ways to appear immune to the suffocating gas. The terraces are all currently off-limits, having suffered erosion and water pollution at the feet of tourists. Pamukkale’s well-preserved Roman ruins and museum have been remarkably underestimated and unadvertised. In this museum, alongside historical artifacts from Hierapolis, there are also artifacts from Laodiceia, Colossae, Tripolis, Attuda and other towns of the Lycos (Çürüksu) valley. Artifacts from the Caria, Pisidia and Lydia regions are also on display in this museum. Pamukkale is a tourist attraction. It is recognized as a World Heritage Site together with Hierapolis. Hierapolis-Pamukkale was made a World Heritage Site in 1988. The hotels built in the 1960s were demolished as they were draining the thermal waters into their swimming pools and caused damage to the terraces. Access to the terraces is not allowed and visitors are asked to follow the pathway. Due to the new regulations, visitors are only allowed to dip their feet into the small pools, with their footwear removed. Pamukkale is really a very beautiful and natural place to visit. You will certainly be stunned by the splendid beauty of these natural rocky pools.
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