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Bright Sun
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As you approach Pamukkale from Denizli,
you'll see the white calcium travertines high
on the hillside.
As you approach Pamukkale
Town, at the base of the
steep hillside, these calcium formations
take on definition
and beauty.
The principal sights are
above the
travertines,
on the plateau half way up the mountainside. There
are three
entrances to the plateau,
all of them with their difficulties.
As it is an archeological site
and
tourist
attraction, you'll
pay a fee (TL20
per person) to enter at any one, plus
you'll pay for parking at either of the
official entrances (North or South):
— Pamukkale
Town: from the town you
can walk up the
travertine slope in your bare feet,
carrying your shoes, to the top
of the plateau in about 15 minutes. (No
parking fee.)
— North
Entrance: drive from
Pamukkale Town toward Karahayit for about
two km to reach the best entrance.
Pay the fee, then drive for one
km through the vast necropolis (cemetery)
to the top of the travertines,
sacred pool, and ruins of Hierapolis.
Unfortunately, there is very
little public transport along
this 3-km (2-mile) route. You may
need to take a taxi (if you can
find one).
— South
Entrance: poorly
planned from the outset, the South Entrance
requires you to drive to a large
parking lot south of the plateau,
then walk in the hot sun for 15
minutes to reach the plateau. Archeologists
are now excavating in this area,
making it even more difficult to
reach the plateau, so avoid the
South Entrance for now.
Hierapolis
The Roman spa town of Hierapolis
grew wealthy from its rich-but-sick
visitors. Its vast necropolis (cemetery),
colonnaded street, baths (now the Archeological
Museum) and grand theater are well
worth touring. More...
Sacred Pool
The
sacred center of Roman Hierapolis,
this broad pool of warm mineral
water,
surrounded by oleanders and littered
with tumbled marble columns, is the
best place to experience the spa's
waters—for a fee. More...
Travertines
Beneath
the plateau are these natural terraces
and pools of gleaming white calcium
precipitated from the cooling mineral
water. Once rippling and splashing
with water, they are now largely dry
and brittle, but still a sight. More...
Roman Theater
The great theater of Hierapolis, up
the hillside from the Sacred
Pool and the Archeological
Museum, was
beautifully restored by Italian stonemasons
in 1972, and is well worth the walk
up the hill to see. More...
Archeological
Museum
The
former Roman baths of Hierapolis have
been converted to a nice little museum
of artifacts discovered among the extensive
ruins of Hierapolis. More...
Karahayit
The
town on the plateau, west of Hierapolis,
now has a dozen luxury hotels, but
less character than ever before. More...
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