PAMUKKALE
Welcome back. How were the history lessons? Boring, was it? Ok, this is the last history blog of this series. Of course, this has a twist too. So, read on and wait for the twist.
We now go around 200 kms from Kusadasi to a small town called Pamukkale. Another historical city beckons here. However, before that I would want to tell a few things about Pamukkale.
As I said, Pamukkale is a small town, however, is important for mainly two reasons. Firstly, this town brims with hot springs. Secondly, this town is famous for its cotton cultivation. I will let you know later why I had to bring up cotton here. First let's talk about hot springs.
Now, what are hot springs? Hot spring is a spring of heated underground water that emerges on the surface of the earth. The heating takes place either by molten magma or through circulation of water along hot rocks deep in the earth's crust. This water often contains different minerals and useful for relaxation and healing.
Due to the presence of hot springs, a lot of thermal plants can be seen around the area.
(A hot spring at Pamukkale)
(A hot spring at a hotel in Pamukkale)
(Hot spring on a road)
(Map showing Pamukkale)
Apart from the hot springs, there is an ancient city - Hierapolis. This is the third ancient city in Turkey after Troy and Ephesus. Hierapolis or the Holy City was a Greek city built in the 2nd century BC. Due to the presence of hot springs, this place was also used as a healing center. The Greeks built many temples here dedicated to Goddess Cybele. It was also believed that this was gateway to hell due to the presence of gases and minerals, which can be fatal at times.
Although the city of Hierapolis is under ruins, some structures have retained its own glory. One such structure is the theater. This is similar to the one we saw in Ephesus; however, the capacity is smaller than that. This theater could hold a capacity of 10000 people. Again, the place was used as a venue for entertainment like drama and music and also for combats. The pillars on the stage are more pronounced than the ones we saw at Ephesus.
(Theater at Hierapolis)
(The city of Hierapolis)
(Ruins at the ancient city)
A few other structures like the Gateway to hell, great baths, necropolis (tombs), temple of Apollo. Among them a popular bath is the Cleopatra pool. The name comes from the fact that Cleopatra, the Egyptian Queen, visited this place and took a bath in the hot spring here. The dip in this pooled is said to have healed many skin diseases. Even now one can take a dip here by paying 125 Turkish Lira.
(Hot spring in Cleopatra pool)
The hot water from the springs settles down here on what are called as terraces. These terraces form a step-like structure giving it a unique scenery. On top of that, the white limestone deposit is like a cherry on the cake, thus, making the place very attractive. One can go down the terraces. The hot water keeps flowing down and ends up in a pool at the base of the hill. The pool is surrounded by a garden and can be visited from the town side.
(Cotton terraces at Pamukkale)
(Panoramic view of the terraces and the pool)
(Hot water gushing down the drain beside the terrace)
(Water stored on the limestone deposits)
(Water gushing down as a waterfall)
(The city view of Pamukkale)
Pamukkale is a must visit place in Turkey, due to its natural hot spring and the cotton castle. Since it is just about 250kms from Kusadasi or Antalya, one can do a day trip from either of the places. However, it is recommended to stay here for a couple more days. There are a lot of hotels which house hot springs in them. A dip in these pools is very relaxing and healthy. Hot air balloons are conducted in Pamukkale too. So, in case, due to weather conditions you missed hot air balloon in Cappadocia, you can always do it in Pamukkale.
By road, as a I mentioned, one can take a cab from Antalya or Kusadasi to reach here. Pamukkale is 15kms from the city of Denzili, which holds a small airport. Many flights ply here from Istanbul and Ankara. So, that is another way to reach this place. Since cotton is famous, the textile industry is a bloom in this region especially around Pamukkale and Denzili. One can shop for clothes, towels, bedsheets etc here.
The best way is to book a hotel with hot spring (Pam Thermal Hotel - one such hotel), take a bath there, visit the cotton castle and then move on to other places. If you love the song 'Tu Jaane Na', then don't miss this place. As I said, this is the end of history in Turkey. I just have one more place to cover and that will be the end of Turkey series. Hope you all had fun reading this. Cya soon.
If you haven't read my previous blogs, here are the link for you:
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