Sunday, October 24, 2010

Pamukkale, Turkey

Rex and Max hopped a plane from India to Turkey to visit Pamukkale, the premier tourist attraction in the country. The have to get out of their clothes and into their swim togs quickly because they are not allowed to wear shoes in these waters. To learn about these hot springs and carbonate deposits read below:

Pamukkale, meaning "cotton castle" in Turkish, is a natural site in Denizli Province in south-western Turkey. The city contains hot springs and travertines, terraces of carbonate minerals left by the flowing water. It is located in Turkey's Inner Aegean region, in the River Menderes valley, which has a temperate climate for most of the year.
The ancient city of Hierapolis was built on top of the white "castle" which is in total about 2,700 metres (8,860 ft) long, 600 m (1,970 ft) wide and 160 m (525 ft) high. It can be seen from the hills on the opposite side of the valley in the town of Denizli, 20 km away.
Tourism is and has been a major industry. People have bathed in its pools for thousands of years. As recently as the mid 20th century, hotels were built over the ruins of Heropolis, causing considerable damage. An approach road was built from the valley over the terraces, and motor bikes were allowed to go up and down the slopes. When the area was declared a world heritage site, the hotels were demolished and the road removed and replaced with artificial pools. Wearing shoes in the water is prohibited to protect the deposits.

1 comment:

  1. I tell you these guys are going to so many places I would love to visit now. This is at the top of the list currently :) Love it :)

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