Pamukkale is a one day trip.
After watching the epic "Odysseus", filmed in 1997, the only thing that haunted me was: where is the magical island of the nymph Calypso, who "captured" Odysseus? If you have seen the movie, you will remember the island of magnificent white terraces with blue water. I have never seen such magical beauty, but I was sure that not all computer special effects here - such beauty cannot be the work of computer scientists! And I really wanted to know: where is such a miracle and to see it with my own eyes, despite the poverty in the country, crises and in general everything, everything, everything! A few years later, I was convinced that thoughts are material. In the beginning, on TV, they explained to me where this miracle is located - Pamukkale! I recognized those white terraces and the sky-colored water running over them! Now I knew the name of the dream - "Pamukkale" and the address: Turkey, near the city of Denizli! Now nothing could stop me - the goal is clear, it's up to the means! It was a long journey, but finally, in 2006, we are going on vacation abroad for the first time, and specifically to Turkey, with the unbending intention not only to “wet our boots” in the Mediterranean, but, first of all, to get to Pamukkale!
Pamukkale translates as “cotton fortress”. These places have been used as a resort area since ancient times (and the ancients knew a lot about this life! ). For example, here is the ancient resort town of Hierapolis (Hierapolis, or Hierapolis, etc. - in translation: the holy city). There is something profound, to call a spa town sacred! Probably, it is with such an attitude to vacation at the resort that everything should go great and be remembered with pleasure! : ).
For some reason, the guides don’t talk much about the fact that in addition to the natural miracle there are also historical sights, focusing mainly on the Cleopatra pool, which is actually called the Antique Pool, with hot mineral water.
So, in order. We did not take the tour from the hotel guide, because the price was wild. Near the hotel Imeros 3 (Beldibi) was a bunch of travel agencies. Vacationers of our hotel recommended Sadyk, to whom we turned. We bargained for a long time while drinking tea and taking into account all the points (wholesale - there were several of us and the presence of a bottle of vodka, which also went as payment). And when everything settled down, everyone was satisfied, especially when we found out that many people were traveling with us on the bus “from the guide” and “for the price”. We had to get up very early, but it was worth it. The employees of the Imeros Hotel were pleased when, seeing us restlessly sitting in the hall at 5 in the morning, they quickly built us a “dry ration” with them on the road (but I recommend rubbing something else in the canteen in the evening, since the rations are not very plentiful, and take more water). In the meantime, we were waiting for the bus, we chatted “for life” for a long time in the hotel lobby with the staff on duty and learned a lot of interesting things about Turkey. So the trip got off to a good start.
The guides on the bus were a local guy and a Russian girl (who married a Turk). We never heard the guy (I even doubt if he knew Russian), and Natasha led the whole tour. We were presented with classic talismans “from the evil eye” and taken on our first epic “odyssey”. Of course, we also visited shops (well, how could we do without it? ), so we arrived at our destination only in time for dinner. But, the carpet and textile shop, as well as the "silver" workshop, which we stopped by, were very interesting. It’s a pity, we didn’t know where we would be delivered and didn’t plan to waste, and we even regret it a little. Of course, those magnificent carpets that we saw can only be done by the “Arab sheikh”, but one could bargain for small rugs - they are natural (wool, cotton, silk). And every year the wool carpet is getting better (these are not “soviet carpets” with gluing on the back side, but natural ones, from which, over time, a substance is released during use that repels insects, so you need to walk on them! ). The textiles (in the huge Supermarket - I don't know the name) were good too - the satin bed linens are great! There were also sales: German pensioners were like “under hypnosis” from such an abundance of rags: they swarm and felt everything, unable to tear themselves away! In short, there was a lot of everything: fleece items, cotton underwear, tapestries, tablecloths, bedspreads, etc. etc. Calculation at the box office - and it doesn’t matter what currency you have: lira, dolyars or euros, everyone will count correctly and give change in the same variety: lira, dolyars or euros. But,... there was not much money. The only thing I bought (from a private silversmith on the way back) that reminds me a lot of Pamukkale are silver earrings with blue and white enamel that changes color a bit and looks so much like blue water travertines.
So, by noon we arrived at Denizli. As I said, the city is famous for textiles and carpet weaving (which you need to consider if you are going there - take money! ), And is filled with tourists and hotels with swimming pools. The guide joked something about the “pig city” due to the fact that it was periodically flooded with mudflows from the mountains, but I didn’t understand the joke - the city is clean and pretty.
In addition to Pamukkale and Hierapolis, there are ruins of other ancient cities nearby: Laodicea is 6 km away. east of Denizli (the capital of ancient Phrygia, built in the 3rd century BC by the Seleucid king Antiochus II on the site of the old city of Diopolis, and named after his wife - Laodice! This is our way - to perpetuate relatives! ). And Kolossi (later Honaz), who is famous for the fact that the apostle Paul sent the "Epistle to the Calossians", which became part of the "New Testament") and nothing more.
Approaching, we saw high hills (almost mountains), one of which was covered with a white cap. It seemed that it was snow, but it only seemed that it was Pamukkale: the water flowing from the slopes of the mountain formed a system of bizarre reservoirs with limestone walls (travertines). Dazzling white terraces (travertine formations) arose on the mountainside as a result of the deposition of salts from sources saturated with calcium. And all this sparkled in the sun and beckoned to itself.
Impatience reached its limit, and all the delays on the part of the guides seemed like a terrible torment: although I wanted to have dinner, I wanted to go there more! You had to pay for the entrance to the mountain (about 20 Turkish lira), but we had "all inclusive". In addition, as it turned out, earlier it was allowed to walk barefoot on the salt terraces, but due to the large number of tourists visiting Pamukkale every year, this was forbidden, which is correct. Now you can only walk along the path on the side of the mountain (for which there is a fee). You can also walk near the travertines on special sidewalks and admire the magnificent spectacle. It should be noted that this miracle is very fragile, it must be protected! Even the fact that hotels pump water into their pools means that many terraces are empty. And as the guide told us, a few days without water is enough and the white coating disappears! We were told that the area with travertines has significantly decreased since antiquity, like only a third of it remained! We were very upset by this, but we were glad that we visited this miracle, until it died due to its barbaric attitude towards itself. There is still hope for its preservation, because Pamukkale and the ruins of the city of Hierapolis are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. And according to unverified information, since October 2007, the territory of Pamukkale was closed for some time for restoration. But, as of May 2009, it is already open again for tourists to visit. So, if there is an opportunity, do not deprive yourself of the chance to see a living natural miracle, just be very careful and delicate towards it.
Please note that with the exception of a specially designated area for tourists, it is impossible to walk on travertines, as they are very fragile! There, there is a special area where you can even swim in travertines (for free), which the visiting Turks did. And in other places, employees drive "poachers" and do not allow them to disperse. At the moment, swimming pools are being built at the foot and after construction in a year or two it is planned to completely prohibit tourists from accessing travertines - so hurry up!
Also, the so-called "Cleopatra's pool" is open for swimming. An antique pool (as the name on the entrance suggests) because Cleopatra never visited it. The cost of swimming was 15 bucks. You can enter the pool area for free, there is shade, it’s cool, there is a cafe, you can sit, relax and drink mineral water from the source (free of charge). I must say that this is a very picturesque place - water, greenery and antique columns. And there are a lot of cats and kittens, which are groomed and pampered by employees (probably in memory of Cleopatra, who, as an Egyptian queen, revered cats as "sacred" animals). The pool itself consists of 3 parts. At the beginning, there is something like a canal through which they enter the central part - the pool itself: here are the columns on which the bathers rest. By the way, the water is very "heavy" and you will not swim! You can only "crawl" in hot mineral water. As stated in the information, this water contains a very high content of radon, and, as you know, radon baths are simply necessary for healing and rejuvenation! The water temperature in Pamukkale averages 36 degrees Celsius. There are 17 types of thermal waters here. The composition of water in Pamukkale: Calcium - 349.1 mg/kg; Magnesium - 135.2 mg / kg; Soda - 189.2 mg / kg; Chlorine - 42.8 mg/kg; Sulfate - 921.3 mg/kg; Bicarbonate - 999.6 mg / kg; Nitrite (less than) - 0.003 mg / kg; Nitrate - 0.06 mg/kg; Ammonium - 0.11 mg/kg; Density 1.008 (200C). But, if you have heart or blood pressure problems, be careful when swimming. But here they treat: rheumatism, rickets, cardiovascular, nervous, skin and gastrointestinal diseases, lumbago, psoriasis and eczema. And simply, this wonderful water relieves fatigue and stress. The third part of the pool is closed with a grate, here the source is deep and beats. The people sit down on the protective bars and go crazy. Near (above the pool) there is a special column with clean “drinking water” not spoiled by bathers. We drank the healing water and filled it up in our empty bottles and enjoyed the mineral water on the way back.
We walked around, dipped our feet in the warm water of travertines (these calcium deposits are like sandpaper, sometimes with sharp edges, and sometimes, where the algae has grown - slippery), examined the ruins - everything was extremely interesting. But, I’ll say right away - it’s very hot there and sunburns are formed instantly (my legs burned while I was running on water)! Therefore, take with you, anti-sunburn cream and something that covers your arms and legs. In shorts and tops, you will burn instantly. And still necessary for the trip: caps, swimwear, and sunglasses. And of course, take plenty of water with you!
It is impossible to talk about the beauties of Pamukkale - you need to see them! Therefore, I am attaching photos taken on this trip. There is a saying: "He who has not been to Pamukkale has not seen Turkey. " But, I have a feeling that we saw not only Turkey, but also Greece, Italy and even Spain (some landscapes are very reminiscent). Wonderful place! In general, it seems to me that when teaching ancient history at school, they somehow do not focus on what exactly is on the territory of Turkey, i. e. in Asia Minor there were so many historical and epochal things concentrated! And here everything is so concentrated and intertwined! Well, for example: the famous Troy is in Turkey! House of the mother of Christ - in Turkey! Saint Nicholas also lived on the territory of modern Turkey. By the way, he was a Christian bishop, he was distinguished by an explosive character and dissolved his hands, i. e. liked to fight, as a result, his nose was broken in a fight. But, he became famous not for this! And the fact that he loved children very much and loved to give them gifts, as you know! : ).
And even the ruins of ancient Hierapolis, which you will see, will also confirm how “historical” everything is here. The first buildings appeared in the 2nd millennium BC! But, the Holy City itself was built by the king of Pergamon Eumenes 2 in 190 BC. e. True, there is also a legend that this king named the city in honor of his wife Hera (Hiera) - that is, Hierapolis (Hierapolis). Maybe that's why this city was destroyed by an earthquake (the goddess Hera, after whom, apparently, the king's wife was named, had a difficult character) as well as neighboring Laodicea (also named after the wife of another king). Although there is another version of the legend: the city was named Hieropolis in honor of the mythical founder of Bergama - the wife of Telephos, the queen of the Amazons, Hiera. Well, yes, now it does not matter - it is no longer possible to check all the legends. The main thing is that due to regular earthquakes, the city was periodically destroyed and rebuilt, but in 1534 a strong earthquake finally destroyed the city, and the people did not live here anymore. Maybe that's why everything is so well preserved. Excavations have been carried out here for more than a century. It was possible to restore such historical monuments as the Agora, Latrina, Domitian's Gate, the Temple of Apollo, etc. And the Amphitheater is already perfectly preserved (but it is difficult to go there in the heat, in addition, you also need to pay extra for the entrance).
But earlier, (from 133 BC), i. e. in the Roman period, the city was under the auspices of Rome, which means that rich Roman tourists (the Roman aristocracy) come to this resort to be treated and relax, they build their own villas and go crazy in the pools. According to legend, there was also an entrance to the kingdom of the dead. The souls of those who found eternal rest at local sources (did not recover) went straight to the kingdom of Hades. The entrance through which the souls of the dead entered the world of shadows - the grotto, has survived to this day. It was during the Roman period that the city flourished. The former grandeur is still visible from the ruins: magnificent ancient buildings, several "ancient theaters".
By the way, there is also a paid museum (it seems that there were 2 lira from the nose), where statues and other historical values are collected, so there is something to see and admire!
In 395 the city passed under the control of Byzantium. Constantine the Great made the city the capital of the region of Phrygia and at the same time the center of the bishopric. The city played an important role in the spread of Christianity. Probably because in this very Phrygian Hierapolis, one of the 12 apostles, Saint Philip, preached and died (for preaching Christianity, he was crucified head down in 87 during the reign of the Roman emperor Domitian).
So, when visiting these places, try not to miss anything - everything here breathes history and antiquity! Approaching the springs, we passed through the Roman cemetery (very beautiful, with sarcophagi and mausoleums). We asked to stop, we were promised later (like our queue to the mountain is busy, you can’t miss it), but they didn’t take us there. It’s good that at least we managed to take a few shots from the bus window. So, do not fully trust the guides - their plans change twenty times a day. And if you see something interesting - shoot it, because you can never come back here again! We photographed a lot of Roman buildings, but especially, we liked the remains of a majestic building with columns. The guide intrigued us for a long time: what do you think, what happened here? Senate? Castle? It turned out to be more interesting - a public toilet! That's how "cool" the ancients lived, if that's true. In addition to us, there were many excursions and tourists - even the Japanese with the same umbrellas and cameras. There were a lot of impressions from visiting Pamukkale: unexpected, but very pleasant and exciting.
It was already dark when we returned to the hotel, and we were tired, but happy. We made sure that you can see everything in one day, although with an overnight stay, it is probably more convenient and less tiring. On the other hand, they will force you to visit more stores in 2 days. If we hadn’t stopped by anywhere, then definitely we would have managed earlier, but in Turkey this is not possible, therefore 300 km. on mountain roads not in 4 hours, but much longer. And, even with shopping, we managed to combine everything in one fine day in Pamukkale - our mini-"odyssey" was a success. In general, the tour was wonderful - an old dream came true and this is the most important thing: it is right to dream!
