09 July 2009

Pammukale - the Cotton Castle

These are not snow covered slopes, but the travertine at Pammukale, in Turkey. The side of the hill is covered with calcium deposits from the natural springs, which occur naturally as the water flows down the hill.


On the hill above the travertine is the ancient city of Heiropolis, where people came to bathe in the springs from about 2 BC. I will devote a few posts to Heiropolis later, as it is a fascinating place.

Pammukale has been declared a world heritage site, by UNESCO, but only after it had been unprotected for years. The authorities have done a lot to restore the place to its former glory and it is well worth a visit - in fact it is absolutely stunning.



This is a view of the natural pools from the top of the travertine.

15 comments:

NanU said...

wow. I've always wanted to take a tour of Turkey, and you've certainly put it back to the top of the list!

shabby girl said...

That is incredible! The pools are beautiful!

Andi said...

Absolutely gorgeous photos, the color of the water is breathtaking!

myonlyphoto said...

Hey Max-e happy travels. These are amazing photos, I didn't know that Turkey had snow! Anna :)

poefusion said...

These are some incredible shots. At first glance I thought of snow. Those pools are beautiful with their deeps blues. Hope all is well.

TallTchr said...

Is any of the travertine quarried?

S-V-H said...

Hi Max,

I enjoyed your travel to Turkey trough your great shots!

I know, it's longtime since I have visited your blog - sorry for that! Traveling is very time consuming for me, but beautiful!

Thanks for your visits to my blog, very much appreciated.
Susanne

Sue's Daily Photography

Max-e said...

Tall Tchr there is no quarrying of the travertine

sonia a. mascaro said...

Wow! Wonderful! Great travel to Turkey!

Eleanor said...

I can see that you had an amazing holiday. The excitement and wonder emanates from your pictures and text. Thanks for sharing it with us.

akooz said...

Amazing pictures. Looking forward to future postings. Great work!

myonlyphoto said...

Hey Max-e hope to see you blogging again. How is your trip? Anna :)

Digital Flower Pictures said...

Well this seems like a historic trip. Thanks for taking us along.

You have really been doing a great job with the camera.

myonlyphoto said...

Hey Max-e just checking in, hope all is well. Anna :)

Swubird said...

Max-e:

Wow, how beautiful is that? It looks like snow in Africa!

Happy trails.