Pamukkale

Pamukkale

Pamukkale, which means "cotton castle" in Turkish, is a natural site in the southwestern province of Denizli. The area is renowned for the carbonate minerals left behind by thermal waters in Turkey's Inner Aegean region, in the Menderes River valley, which enjoys a temperate climate for much of the year. Hierapolis, the ancient Greek city, was founded on top of a travertine formation, which is about 2,700 meters long, 600 meters wide and 160 meters high. Since classical antiquity, the area has attracted visitors to its thermal springs. Its Turkish name refers to the shimmering, snow-white limestone surface formed over thousands of years by calcite-rich springs. The mineral-rich water that slowly drips down the hillside collects on mineral terraces and flows down to the pools below. Pamukkale was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list along with Hierapolis in 1988. Hierapolis was founded in the early 2nd century BC as a thermal spa in the Seleucid Empire. It became a healing center where doctors used the thermal springs to treat their patients. However, in 17 AD a great earthquake destroyed the city. The museum houses historical artefacts from Hierapolis, along with from Laodicea, Colossae, Tripolis, Attuda and other cities of the Lycos valley. The museum's exhibition space includes the three enclosed areas of the Hierapolis Bath and the open areas on the east side. Most of the finds in the open exhibition space are made of marble and stone.