The ancient Greek city of Hierapolis was built on top of the travertine formation. It can be seen from the hills on the opposite side of the valley know as Parmukkale (Cotton Castle) or ancient Hierapolic (Holy City). This area has been drawing visitors to its thermal springs since the time of classical antiquity!
The Turkish name refers to the surface of the shimmering, snow-white limestone, shaped over millenia by calcite-rich springs. Dripping slowly down the mountainside, mineral-rich waters collect in and cascade down into pools below. In 1988, Pamukkale itogether with Hierapolis is a World Heritage Site. We can see why - it was beautiful! The hot springs forces carbon dioxide into caves.
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| Frontinus Gate |
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| Frontinus Gate |
Due to my painfully sore hip, we rented a golf car with driver at the North entrance. We saw most everything along the way to Cleopatra's Pool. We arrived with time to soak in the pool before the rest of the group arrived.  |
Basilica Bath
There were ruins dating back to before Christ. There was a well-preserved theater and a necropolis with sarcophagi that stretch for 2 km. |
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| Temple of Apollo ? |
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| Theater |
Well Preserved theater
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| Ploutonion - Pluto Statue |
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| Pamukkale - Travertine was beautiful |
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Cleopatra's Pool Surrounded by Trees
For us, a trip highlight was "swimming" in Cleopatra's Pool! It is an ancient hot springs rumored to be a gift to Cleopatra from Marc Antony! This pool is in the Greco Roman excavated city of Hierapolis dating back to 190 BC. There were ancient pillars in the waters from when an earthquake took them down in the 4th Century!
We were awed by what the ancient city contained and especially liked the underworld statue of Pluto and the white travertine terraces that contributed to making it a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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| We absolutely loved "swimming" in Cleopatra's Pool with pieces of ancient columns underneath! |
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