Pamukkale and the Hieropolis

If it were only thermal springs, that would still be enough to make Pamukkale in the southwestern province of Turkey a World Heritage Site. From the middle of the plain, on the outskirts of a city, a white hill rises. As you approach, you’ll distinguish azure pools of water clustered on the hillside; the face of the hill seems to be melting.

This alien-like landscape is the result of thousands of years of mineral-rich thermal water flowing down the side of the hill. Calcium carbonate deposits are left behind and harden into a brilliant white coating, in which the crystalline water sparkles. Tourists can bathe in these pools as they climb the slope.

When you reach the top of the hill, refreshed from your therapeutic dip in the thermal pools, take a deep breath and examine the Turkish valley stretching out before you. The bustling city of Denizli lies beneath your feet.

Then turn around.

And find the ruined Roman Hieropolis. Bequeathed to the Roman Empire in 133 BC by its founders from the Pergamon culture, the city grew to become an important medical center. People from many cultures gathered to take the healing waters at Hieropolis: Anatolians, Graeco-Macedonians, Romans and Jews.

Today the city is open for tourists to explore. It is incredibly well-preserved; the theatre is even being used again to stage plays. Some other interesting buildings include the Temple of Apollo, built on purpose over an active fault; the Plutonium, a frightening shrine to Pluto; and the Necropolis, with more than 1,200 tombs.

After you explore the ruins of the vast city, you can relax in Cleopatra’s Pool and watch the sunset from the mountaintop. Pamukkale and the Hieropolis are an easy ride from Denizli. Catch a dolmuş, a shared taxi (3 TL).