General Information About Pamukkale & Hierapolis
A brief travel information about Pamukkale & Hierapolis, online maps, videos, tourist attractions, museums, mosques, historical sites, old churches, sightseeing places and more...
Pamukkale, meaning "cotton castle" in Turkish, is a
natural site in Denizli Province in southwestern
Turkey.
Shaped by the hand of nature and extant since the
ancient times, Pamukkale is one of the world's most outstanding
legacies. The area is famous for a carbonate
mineral left by the flowing of thermal spring water. The site is comprised of terraces and
travertine formed by hot springs and streams depositing
carbonate minerals; you will be amazed with the dazzling
white Pamukkale travertine terraces. The water from
these springs ranges in temperature from 35-100°C
(95-212°F) so it’s been used as a spa since the second
century BC. Pamukkale’s waters
believed to have curative powers and been used as a
thermal bath since centuries.
Pamukkale has also become a crucial site
to Christianity after one of the apostles of Jesus, St
Phillip, was murdered in this city.
To preserve their appearance, tourists are asked to
remove their footwear and follow a set pathway, along
which are shallow pools where you can dip your feet
whilst crossing the travertines. Noted for
its extraordinary characteristics, the ancient site has
been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List
in 1988.
Hierapolis
Located near to Pamukkale, Hierapolis is an ancient cite that attracts worldwide
attention for its majestic buildings and monuments. Once a Roman and Byzantine spa
city, it has considerable ruins and a museum.
The ancient Greco-Roman city of Hierapolis was built on
top of the travertine formation which can even be seen from the hills on
the opposite side of the valley in the town of Denizli,
20 km away.
The ancient city was built in 200 BC by Eumenes II. He built it in dedication to the Amazon
Queen Hiera, wife of Telephos the founder of Pergamum.
It lost its Hellenistic facade due to a series of
earthquakes; however, it gained a new facade reflecting
the influences of Roman architecture during the
reconstruction period.
The large necropolis is filled with sarcophagi, most
famously that of Marcus Aurelius Ammianos, which bears a
relief depicting the earliest known example of a crank and rod mechanism. The
great baths were constructed with huge stone blocks without the use of cement
and consisted of various closed or open sections linked together.
Cleopatra’s pool (Antique Pool)
Pamukkale Antique Pool, famously known as Cleopatra’s
pool, is the perfect stop to alleviate those exhausted
travel muscles in mineral-rich hot spring water. It is
said that the pool was one of the favorite places of
Cleopatra, the former queen of Egypt. You get to paddle
amongst centuries-old columns and marble blocks which
apparently, they fell into the pool during an earthquake
and nobody removed them since then.
Paragliding over Pamukkale
There are companies there that offer tandem paragliding
over Pamukkale and Hierapolis. Even if you are not a
thrill seeker, just watching the paragliders’ and bright
colors striking against the white and blue of the
terraces, it will feel like giant butterflies are
floating across the sky.
Pamukkale & Hierapolis Transportation
There are many ways to get to Pamukkale depending on where you’re coming
from. You can reach Pamukkale by car, bus, train or airplane. It makes a
great overnight stop as you travel between İzmir, Selçuk, Ephesus, Kuşadası
or Marmaris and Antalya or Konyaand Cappadocia.
From Istanbul: There are direct flights from Istanbul to to Denizli Çardak (DNZ) which is the nearest airport to Pamukkale.
Denizli Çardak Airport is about an hour from the city so a taxi will be
expensive. The cheapest option would be to go by airport shuttle bus* from
the airport to Denizli city’s otogar (bus station).
From the otogar, you can then catch a minibus to Pamukkale. Minibuses
depart for Pamukkale every 15-20 minutes; which will drop you off on the main street in Pamukkale.
From Selçuk (Ephesus): The cheapest and most reliable way to travel from Selçuk to Pamukkale is by
train. The train from Selçuk to Denizli takes a little over three hours.
Soon as you arrive at the gar (train station) in Denizli, walk over to the
otogar which is on the other side of the highway and take a minibus to
Pamukkale as described above.
You can take a bus from Selçuk to Denizli as well. Though comfortable, they
sometimes wait to fill up their buses with passengers so the three-hour
ride can take much longer.
From Cappadocia: There are no direct flights from Cappadocia to Denizli so your best bet
would be to go by overnight bus. Which isn’t such a bad thing since
Turkey’s buses are very modern and comfortable.
A direct bus ride from Cappadocia to Denizli is long, around ten hours, so
it’s best that you take an overnight bus. They usually depart around 8 p.m
and arrive the next day at 6 a.m. You can purchase your
tickets at the station itself. If you’ll be traveling during peak season,
it might be better to reserve your tickets beforehand.
Pamukkale & Hierapolis Travel Map
Pamukkale & Hierapolis Travel Activities
Daily Pamukkale & Hierapolis Tours and Excursions
Daily Pamukkale & Hierapolis tours and excursions from Kusadasi, Selcuk and
Izmir by reputable travel agency of Turkey. Tours are operated in
English and Spanish.
Pamukkale & Ephesus - Everyday Tour from Istanbul by Plane (2 Days-1
Night)
Flights from/to Istanbul, hotel transfers, 1 night
accommodation in 4 star hotels , English speaking tour guides,
entrance fees, some meals . 2 full day tours of Ephesus and
Pamukkale.
Click here for more details about this tour.
Click here for other Turkey tour packages
with Pamukkale
Pamukkale & Hierapolis Hotels
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