Pamukkale in Turkey
PAMUKKALE
Until
forty or fifty years ago, Pamukkale was a place where travelers who happened
to pass by found peace and tranquillity
and the opportunity for quiet meditation by the side of the sacred spring
that still lies exposed, amid the few ancient columns and in the deep
silence of the tombs that lay scattered over the countryside to the west
and extended out towards the surrounding hills. In spite of the doubtful
merits of present-day developments, and in spite of all the ugly building
construction that has taken place, the seething crowds, the noise and
pollution, one can still confidently assert that Pamukkale has lost nothing
of its former attractions.
Pamukkale is located in the Inner Aegean region
at a distance of 20 km from the town of Denizli. This lovely, rapidly
developing district
in
the Menderes valley, which enjoys a temperate climate over the greater
part of the year, has all the conditions required for an ideal touristic
resort.The tectonic movements that took place in the fault depression
of the Menderes river basin gave rise to the emergence of a number
of very hot springs, and it is the water from one of these springs,
with
its large mineral content, chalk in particular, that has created the
natural wonder now known as Pamukkale, Cotton Fortress or Baumwollenschloss,
a very appropriate name for such a phenomenon...
You may approach Pamukkale by the main roads marked on your map, but there are also other ways, according to the direction from which you are coming. For example, if you approach from the West you can branch off to the left at the sign shortly after Sarayköyü.This will give you the opportunity of seeing and getting to know quite a few very interesting Western Anatolian villages.On approaching Pamukkale, whether you choose the route through these villages or arrive by the Denizli road you will be confronted by one of the most remarkable landscapes to be seen anywhere in Turkey.The first thing you will see is a rock platform over 100 m in height rising up from the plain. The slopes of this hill, which look from a distance like a great white speck, are covered with large numbers of pools and terraces.As you come nearer, you will begin to see this natural phenomenon, which resembles a frozen waterfall, in greater detail.
From
the edge of every terrace and every step in this fascinating natural
phenomenon that has gradually formed throughout the ages hang brilliantly
white stalactites, and you can hear the joyful splashing of the waters
of the hot springs as they cascade down over slopes where their flow
is impeded only by clumps of oleanders.The temperature of the water forming
the travertines, which issues from the hot springs on the hills above,
falls to around 33 C° lower down.On emerging to the surface, the
solution of calcium-carbonate in the spring water decomposes into carbon
dioxide, calcium carbonate and water. The carbon dioxide is released
into the air while the calcium carbonate separates off from the water
to form a grayish-white limestone sediment.The beds of the water-courses
are filled up with these limestone deposits and the water, confronted
with these obstacles, splits up into several branches.The water flows
over the slopes into pools, the small basins surrounding them and finally
into the fields below.It is in this way that these terraces over 100
m in height composed of layers of the accumulated limestone sediment
have been gradually formed in the course of the ages. As the limestone
sediment reaches a certain level the water accumulates in pools and,
as these pools fill up, overflows into smaller pools in the vicinity
and from these flows into the small hollows and depressions around them.The
limestone layers in the pools rise up in steps, one above the other,
and the continual flow of water keeps this process in operation.The stalactites
form one of the most important features in the landscape.
With
the formation of the layers and the emergence of steps and terraces
one above the other, the water leaves the limestone deposit behind it
and drips down in the form of stalactites, as in the Damlatas caverns.The
calcium oxide in the water adds to the thickness of the white layers
and widens the terraces, producing pools in fantastic shapes reminiscent
of oyster shells or flower petals, while the small amount of sulphur
and iron oxide produces stripes of yellow, red and green over the white
of the limestone. Any object left in the water at Pamukkale will take
on a coating of limestone within a very few days. Now, as in the olden
days, the water flows through open channels, and in cold weather you
can see columns of mist dancing over the surface.Although the water flowing
from the hot springs on the southern slopes of Çaldag rapidly
loses heat during its flow through these open channels it is still hot
enough to make it possible for one to bathe throughout six months of
the year in the open-air swimming pools in the motels and on the terraces.
