Dear Steemit friends
I want to write something about Pamukkale (which is my hometown as well). Located next to the ancient Greek-Roman city Hierapolis, it is one of the most spectacular places in Denizli province of Turkey.
Word by word translation from Turkish, Pamukkale means “the cotton castle”. It is located next to the ancient Greek-Roman city Hierapolis. The area is popular with hot springs. It is a very good combination for the travellers, who can combine two different type of visit at the same time. As you expect, this incredible place is already in the World Heritage list. It is a little bit sad but when I was a child, it was much more beautiful. Because of the wrong management of the local authorities, some part of the white “travertines” turned into yellow, especially in the outer side.
There is also a pool inside, Cleopatra Pool. The water in this pool is always around 40°C. There are some ancient pieces in the pool, which make you feel like you are enjoying a pool in the ancient times.
After you enjoy the Cleopatra pool, don't miss the museum.
The ancient city Hierapolis was founded early in the 2nd century and directly became a healing center. Because of the earthquakes in the region, the city has been re-builded many times in the history. The bigger theatre (there are two theatres in the city) is still in a very good condition and used for the concerts sometimes. According the some findings, the big theatre was for the rich people of the city, while the poor people had to enjoy the smaller theatre.
Important information for the history of Christianity, Philip the Apostle, one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus, died in Hierapolis. There is a church named after him, on the top of the hill.
Since ancient times, it was a popular destination for health tourism, especially for the old people. Therefore, the biggest ancient graveyard of Anatolia is also in Pamukkale, no surprise.
If you are interested in photography, you should definitely go there. You will get many special photos in this area. You may see many couples going there for their wedding photos as well. There are local professional photo studios doing this for you.
It may be too crowded there, especially in the high season. Therefore I can suggest you to overnight in the village Pamukkale and enjoy the hot springs and the ancient city Hierapolis in the early morning.
If you are coming from Istanbul, the best way is flying to Cardak Airport, which is located around 70km away. It’s a very small airport; don’t be surprised when you see it. Pegasus and Turkish Airlines are the two airliners with regular flights to Denizli. With an early booking, you may book Istanbul-Denizli flight around 40€, with return. Last time when I was there, I saw some direct flights from Azerbaijan and Iran as well. The easiest way to reach to Pamukkale from airport is renting your own car. But if you don’t have the budget for this, there is a local bus company, Ismail Baytur, who is responsible for the transportation to the city center. With this bus you can go to the central bus station of Denizli and then take another bus to the village Pamukkale.
If you are already around Pamukkale, for example in Ephesus, Antalya etc., you can use the bus transportation to reach Denizli central bus station. You can use the bus companies like Pamukkale (yes, the same name :D) or Kamil Koc. Their service is among the best. You will have Internet connection and good service with these companies.
If you plan to visit Pamukkale, feel free to ask your questions.