Ice Age

**NOTE: We had some trouble uploading photos, so you can read about our adventure and we'll post more photos later.

On the 5^th day of our whirlwind journey through historic western Turkey, we arrived at Pamukkale in the afternoon after a 3 hour drive, yummy buffet lunch (with half-bottle of wine!), and a tour of an onyx carving workshop. Both of us were not sure what to expect from this location. We guessed it had to do with ruins (as our last 4 stops were all Greek and/or Roman ruins). Well, we got some ruins, but we also got something completely unexpected and fantastic.

The ruins at Pamukkale are the ancient city of Hieropolis. It was founded in 200BC and like every city went through Greek and Roman rule until an earthquake covered the city with dirt. Currently there is only a theater, bath, main street, necropolis (cemetery), and agora uncovered. There are some other stones that have been excavated but they look more like a pile of stones rather than something important. Our guide gave us a quick tour of the site, pointing out the main locations, took us to “Cleopatra's pool”, and finally the travertines. More on that later...

Looking into a sarcophagus

Our first look at the travertines.

Agora

When we arrived at the ruins we were were pretty underwhelmed. After seeing Pergamon, Priene, and Ephesus, these ruins were not exciting. The city was twice the size of Ephesus, but only half the population. The city also did not use aqueducts like most Roman cities; they relied on the warm water from underground springs to provide water.

This is why people come to Pamukkale – the warm, underground springs. The pool our guide took us to is a thermal spring that is 'good for health'. The water was a lovely 32.5 Celcius. Unfortunately, it's also 25 lira (about $18) to go swimming in it. We didn't have our bathing suits, so decided against it. In the summer, though, it's apparently packed with people lounging in the pool, on the deck, and at the cafes around the pool. If you don't want to pay for the pool, you can visit the travertines.

This part was by far the best of our Turkey trip. Pamukkale in Turkish means “Cotton Castle”, mainly because of it's color. The mountains outside of the village have a strange white color, because of calcium carbonate from the thermal springs. The water runs down the side of the mountain and leaves behind pools of chalk, warm water, and strange, white rock formations. You can take photos of it from the top (where the ruins of Hieropolis are), or you can take a walk in the pools and on the rocks as you descend the mountain.

Richard and I were staying in Pamukkale village for a night, so after our guided tour of Hieropolis, relaxing pool-side, and taking photos from the top of the mountain, we descended. The travertines are a UNESCO world heritage site, so you must take off your shoes and wade in the water in bare feet. On the top of the mountain, the water is warmest (almost the same temperature as the thermal spring pool). As the water runs down the mountain, it gets colder, and in some places where there is no water running at all, the rocks are ice cold. The silt from chalk and calcium deposits act as sand in the bottom of the pools, and it's all squishy when you walk in it!

Close up of what the travertines look like

Wading in the warm water pools

The water ran down the mountain in these channels

Kiss

A big channel and the side of the mountain

Hi Rich! The path from the top

The water continually runs down the mountain, shaping the white stones and creating pools, until it reaches a large lake at the base of the mountain. The water began forming the travertines around 14,000BC. If you go to Turkey and you manage to get out to this point, spend at least a day and night in this area to really enjoy Hieropolis, Cleopatra's pool, and most importantly the travertines!!