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Andrys Basten | profile | all galleries >> TURKEY Photos - Anatolia, 2004, with Canon Elph >> Pamukkale photos ( Hierapolis ) tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Flying to Istanbul - First views and photos | Istanbul - Sultanahmet photos | Photos: Istanbul Archaeological Museums: Alexander the Great | Istanbul's Bosphorus Cruise | Ankara , its museum, and Aksaray - photos | Cappadocia Balloon Ride Photos | Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon Ride VIDEOclips (LOUD) | Cappadocia photos 2 | Cappadocia photos 3 | Photos: Goreme Open Air Museum frescos | Antakya and Mosaic Museum photos | Gaziantep photos, mosaics - Zeugma (Belkis) | Abraham's Pool & Harran - photos | Photos: Mt Nemrut heads, Perre-Perin, and Diyarbakir | Photos: Akdamar Island, Lake Van | Ishak Pasha Sarayi photos | Photos: In search of Noah's Ark - Mt. Ararat | Erzurum photos | Ephesus photos | Ephesus Museum and Selcuk photos | Pergamon acropolis ( Pergamum photos ) | Pergamon Asclepion - Pergamum Aesklepion | Aphrodisias site and museum - photos | Pamukkale photos ( Hierapolis ) | Dalyan photos - Turkey | Dalyan to Kaunos boat - photos | Lycian Telmessos | Kalkan - Kas photos | Photos: Kekova - Simena by Boat | Photos: St. Nicholas church. Old St. Nick origin | Myra, Antalya, Aspendos - photos | The Love Boat (Intro)

Pamukkale photos ( Hierapolis )

Photos of Pamukkale's rather beautiful terraced calcium pools, sometimes called calcium terraces or travertines, which are seen next to ancient Hierapolis.
  Pamukkale means cotton castle, and is from "pamuk" for cotton and "kale" for castle, referring to the large white cliff of Pamukkale (often misspelled as Pammukale).

  For centuries, the thermal waters have been considered therapeutic, and people flock there to immerse themselves, only to find this is likely mainly in the hotel emulations, which receive the calcium hot spring waters, so SOME have said there is little left at Pamukkale proper.  However, that's not so, per the note below from Karyn.   More useful info on the area to follow someday.



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Our first view of Pamukkale and its white cotton cliff
Our first view of Pamukkale and its "white cotton" cliff		 The whitish cliff seemed out of place, as nothing else there looks like it.
The whitish cliff seemed out of place, as nothing else there looks like it.		 Our hotel's own warm calcium terrace-pools, water transported from the mountain. Decadent :-)
Our hotel's own warm calcium terrace-pools, water transported from the mountain. Decadent :-)		 Along with the hotel's alternative normal pool
Along with the hotel's alternative normal pool
More currectly known as Hotel Pam Thermal
Amazingly good all-you-can-eat buffet dinner at Pam Hotel

More currectly known as "Hotel Pam Thermal"

The hotel pool later that night
The hotel pool later that night		 Going up to Pamukkale the next day. Note dried-up pools, a problem today.
Going up to Pamukkale the next day. Note dried-up pools, a problem today.		 Mostly European tourists there, walking toward calcium terraces, staglatites visible here
Mostly European tourists there, walking toward calcium terraces, staglatites visible here
Looking down on the town below
Looking down on the town below		 My first view (in the distance) of calcium pools not dried up yet
My first view (in the distance) of calcium pools not dried up yet		 And the terraces there look manufactured.
The terraces they're walking past no longer hold much water (drained away to hotels).

And the terraces there look manufactured.

 And here were the ones nearby.
And here were the ones nearby.
That's the actual color of these strange pools.
That's the actual color of these strange pools.		 u5/andrys/medium/37063967.mImg_3610.jpg But we're not allowed to wade in these. Gorgeous coloring doesn't seem real, even when there.
But we're not allowed to wade in these.
Gorgeous coloring doesn't seem real, even when there.		 The light was nice on the benches across the way.
The light was nice on the benches across the way.
Per DK books, this may have been part of the Temple of Apollo.
This is an odd place - a very clear pool over stones and
columns from an ancient building...now in a cafe area.

Per DK books, this may have been part of the Temple of Apollo.

 Entering Hierapolis.  I wondered howit might have felt centuries ago to see the building (in better state).
Entering Hierapolis.  I wondered how
it might have felt centuries ago to see the building (in better state).		 The old Byzantine Gate of Hierapolis.
The old Byzantine Gate of Hierapolis.

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Andrys Basten05-Jul-2012 20:46
Salome, we were there on Oct. 11, 2004, not very far from the time you were there, then.
Thanks for your generous words.
Salome Bretagne 04-Jul-2012 12:10
These pictures have brought back wonderful memories from when I was there in 2004! Well done - very good pictures!
Andrys Basten20-Jun-2012 22:58
Thanks, Denise. They were beautiful to see in person...
air ambulance20-Jun-2012 21:46
Andrys, these are really good
Andrys Basten17-Jul-2010 01:19
Ned,
The hotel was "Pam Hotel" -- Have fun !
Ned 16-Jul-2010 00:32
The photos are fantastic! Might I ask what the hotel was called? We're headed here in October.
Andrys Basten03-Jul-2010 09:06
Rudi,
That must have been great to have seen it 46 years ago, as they were all probably full
at the time. Must have been quite a sight. Thanks for the note and your memory of Pamukkale.
Rudi Schnur 03-Jul-2010 02:33
I just visited a very similar scenery in the Yellowstone National Park and my thoughts went back to 1964, when I was enchanted by Pamukkale. Great pictures and still a wonderful place. Thanks for helping me bringing 46 year old memories back to life.
Andrys Basten27-Jun-2010 08:05
Guest,
Thanks very much for posting that information about the distance and time between
Istanbul and Pamukkale.
Guest 27-Jun-2010 06:32
From Istanbul to Pamukkale it's about 667km's and roughly takes about 9 hours, i only know this because i'm looking at doing a tour also from Istanbul to Pamukkale and was trying to find out how long it took so i went to www.maps.google.com and that showed me the distance and time travelled.
Andrys Basten14-May-2010 06:21
Jeanette,
Thanks for posting your experience here already. Much appreciated. So great that
you were able to fully enjoy one of the pools. I think 24" high is more than they were
when I was there.
We were there 4 weeks and still didn't get to see enough. A lot of time is taken in the
driving though although we sometimes took small planes too. April-May should be
ideal, as was October when I was there. Will check out your itinerary and
recommendation. Thanks again.
Jeanette 13-May-2010 11:21
I just got back, May 11, 2010, from a 13 day gate1travel tour to Turkey. Pamukkale was one of the places we stopped at for a couple of hours. And yes, we were allowed to bathe in it. I had to walk down through it to find a pool deep enough, which was about 24 inches deep, enough to completely submerge and float in, and shallow enough to take fist full of calcium and rub it all over. It was a once in a life time experience. We stayed in 4 star hotels over night, and drove 7 hours a day, with stops at different sites along the way. We saw just about everything there was to see. Summer might be unbearably hot. April-May was perfect. I hope this is useful information. You can look at the itinerary at gate1travel.com. Sali was a good tour guide.
Andrys Basten08-Mar-2010 13:19
Guest, I received an amazing email with scenes of Pamukkale in a Powerpoint
presentation, I think, and I agree with you.
Guest 08-Mar-2010 09:51
I am so very impressed with the sight, I want to go there right now. I had received an email with these falls with a much great splendor than what you can appreciate here. For some of you who had the blessed opportunity to be there, I just can say you are very fortunate.
I am just admire the wounders of nature and this one is definetely on my list.
Horacio Sanchez
Andrys Basten01-Nov-2009 20:21
Guest, they do discourage wading in the pools now but I saw some people doing it. I'm glad you enjoyed the scenes (thanks for taking the time to let me know!). They were amazing to me in person, so am glad some of that comes through.
Guest 01-Nov-2009 01:43
Hello-

These photographs are beautiful, and it is an incredible natural feature. Thank you so much for posting these! I don't suppose it is possible to wade/swim in these pools any longer???
Guest 27-Mar-2009 21:40
I also waded in these waters and swam in the pool in 1998 :)
meghana & saikiran 21-Nov-2008 13:47
meghana and sai kiran

thanks for the help to show a sceen from turkey it was like in a heaven we are travelling
charles 31-Jul-2008 04:29
been there few years ago. but it was in winter. very cold and rainning day. nothing much that we can see and experience.
Iqbal 16-Mar-2008 07:52
simply great
shaun 08-Jan-2008 05:17
been to pammukkale went in the pools they stopped people going in them to let them get back to there normal colour but spectacular
Mike 10-Dec-2007 22:35
This is a wonderful stop for the photographer. Once you've viewed the calcium hot springs, there is a +/- 1 mile walk past the Necropolis, thousands of tombs and sarcophogi, on the way to the back bus parking lot. A truly remarkable site.
Andrys Basten04-Jul-2007 09:10
I hope someone from there sees your question. We flew from Erzurum to Izmir VIA
Istanbul, so it's probably a good distance to drive.
From Izmir we drove to Ephesus and later to Pamukkale. FODOR or Rick Steve's forums
would probably be best place to find out actual driving times from Istanbul or Antalya.

Guest 04-Jul-2007 08:39
can somebody please tell us how long will it take to to travel to pamukkale from istanbul or antalya?
Cathy Trent 12-Sep-2006 12:39
Thank You! Absolutely breathtaking!
Andrys Basten06-Sep-2006 02:53
Karyn,
Thanks very much for this excellent information. Very appreciated !

I did write Shannon privately to say it's certainly worth a visit, but forgot to make a
note here.

Karyn - a Pamukkale resident 06-Sep-2006 02:13
Just a bit of background info on Pamukkale - the hotels now days don't actually steal the Pamukkale water - there is an irrigation system in place now to stop algy from growing, hence there being some pools dry on some days. The system then changes every day so some pools have water, while others dry out to prevent algy (a legacy of the previous use, abuse and pollution of the area) from forming. As the water source is subterranean, it will always be present, so the excess that is not used on the travertines is allowed to run naturally downhill down into the villiage, where it is diverted into hotel swimming pools when needed and also used in agriculture further down in the valley. There is a big sign up on the ridge near the travertines explaining this - but unfortunately it's only in Turkish. Great photos here - and to all the people who see these and are tempted to travel here to see the 'cotton castle' - do it! there's all this and much more to see in the area.
Shannon 25-Aug-2006 03:42
I would like to know if the photographer would recommend this location for a vacation spot.... some of the comments seemed like they are taking the water away, etc... It would be a big trip for us, and would hate to be disappointed. The photos are outstanding.
zoe lewellyn 21-Sep-2005 06:51
hello, i find that the pictures are really cool but when i came onto the site i was looking for staglatites and stalagmites
Birsen 09-Sep-2005 11:15
How beautiful these photos are. Very impressive. After seeing these photos , I am tempted to see these places again, from where I have wonderful memories .
Cappadocia seems so unreal again and again. and so does Hierapolis and the rest of my country...Thank you so much .

Birsen Demirci
Dennis 19-Feb-2005 07:31
The photographs of the Pamukkale Terraces are the best I have ever seen. The angles and composition is great. I just stumbled across this site while surfing photos and it is wonderful. Cappadocia is grand as well. Dennis
Guest 24-Jan-2005 23:56
Thank you for your work and the useful advice about the hotels having the water.

Mary Saunders
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