Gorgeous White Travertines of Pamukkale

In my previous  article , I deliberately omitted the natural wonders of Turkey as one of the reasons to travel to this beautiful country, b...

In my previous article, I deliberately omitted the natural wonders of Turkey as one of the reasons to travel to this beautiful country, because I wanted to make sure you get enough pictures and information to fully appreciate such places. Turkey has been lucky to have some unique natural treasures and Pamukkale, a World Heritage Site, is one of them that attracts visitors from all over the globe.

What makes Pamukkale so appealing is its amazing geological features - white calcite terraces called travertines, a sedimentary rock left by mineral-rich running water from hot springs.
If you ever make it to Pamukkale, you will likely start your experience from the top where the ancient Greeco-Roman city of Hierapolis is nestled.
Both Pamukkale's white travertines and Hierapolis are World Heritage Sites which were established here in 1988 to literally save these treasures from irreversible damage done by mass tourism. 
What I didn't take into account when I was planning the trip to Pamukkale was the daytime summer heat. With the temperatures reaching 41 C / 106 F (pictured below), you risk dehydrating your body and developing sunstroke, a life-threatening condition. 
So we waited in the shadow until around 5 pm when it was not too hot.
Pamukkale is not unique when it comes to its geological features, however, it's definitely the biggest and the most striking place of this kind on Earth. When you take any book with the top 100/200/500 natural wonders, chances are that Pamukkale will be one of them.
The water from its natural hot springs is no longer enough to sustain this place. So the water gets pumped up to fill in Pamukkale's travertine pools. 
Calcium carbonate from the hot springs water is deposited as a soft jelly but eventually hardens into travertine.
The majority of hot spring pools are no longer accessible to visitors since the creation of a World Heritage Site.
Visitors can only bathe or wade into small pools along the pathway.
The turquoise pools made with travertines are simply stunning. I've never seen anything like this before. 
You can get the best shots if you wait until the sun goes down.
Does not look real, does it?
These white calcite deposits remind me of stalactites that you can normally see in caves.


My other posts from the Trip to Turkey

I'm a travel photographer and writer originally from Ukraine and now living in Canada. I have found a way to combine all my passions - travelling, photography, history, science and writing - in a single blog. I hope you will find it enjoyable and useful and will definitely come back.

You Might Also Like

0 comments