Pamukkale, meaning "cotton
castle" in Turkish, is a natural
site and attraction in
south-western Turkey in the
Denizli Province. Pamukkale is
located in Turkey's Inner Aegean
region, in the River Menderes
valley, which enjoys a temperate
climate over the greater part of
the year.
The ancient city of Hierapolis
was built on top of the white
"castle" which is in total about
2700 meters long and 160m high.
It can be seen from the hills on
the opposite side of the valley
in the town of Denizli, 20 km
away.
The tectonic movements that took
place in the fault depression of
the Menderes river basin
triggered frequent earthquakes,
and gave rise to the emergence
of a number of very hot springs.
The water from one of these
springs, with its large mineral
content — chalk in particular —
created Pamukkale. |