Pamukkale in Turkey, Denizli

Introduction :
Pamukkale which means cotton castle in Turkish is a natural site located in the Denizli province of Turkey. THe entire city contains hot springs and travertines together with terraces of carbonate minerals left by the flow of the waters making it an important tourist attraction in the region together with the ancient city of Hierapolis which is built on top of the castle. Due to its scenic natural beauty, it was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1988. There are a total of 17 natural hot water springs on the Pamukkale’s terrances with temperate raning from 35 deg to 100 deg and is extremely popular with tourists.

View from above of the town at Pamukkale

Closer look at one of the travertine hot springs
Image attribution to Denverbabushka @ Wiki

Viewing the travertine landscapes from above
Image attribution to adam79 @ Flickr

A great place for relaxation
Image attribution to ykpoon2010 @ Flickr

History :
The Romans gain control over the region in 129 BC and built a city named Hierapolis near the Pamukkale which was founded by Apollo. It was considered the sacred hot springs whose gases were associated with Pluto, who was the ruler of the underworld in Greek mythology. The natural hot springs in the Pamukkale has been used as a spa since the Romans took control due to its high mineral content and scenic beauty.

Hanging wall of limestone
Image attribution to Paddy @ wiki

The hot springs area of Pamukkale
Image attribution to TheBrockenInaGlory @ wiki

Beautiful sunset at the unique landscapes of Pamukkale
Image attribution to yumen @ Flickr

Getting there :
The nearest airport to the Pamukkale is the Denizli Cardak Airport (DNZ) served by flights from the capital Istanbul itself and is 65 km away from Pamukkale. The closest international airport is the Dalaman Internatiaonl Airport (DLM) which is 137 km away from the attraction.