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PAMUKKALE
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PAMUKKALE ( HIERAPOLIS)
Pamukkale has always been a very popular settlement where the hot
springs were believed to have healing powers, so the city became the
center of a pagan cult in antiquity and a spa resort today.
The city was on the borders of Caria, Lycia and Phrygia and had a mixed
population. Citizens were usually involved in the wool industry and
little has changed as it is still a textile center.
The Natural Aspect
The terraces were formed by running warm spring water, at a
temperature of 35 °C / 102 °F containing calcium bicarbonate. When the
water loses its carbon dioxide it leaves limestone deposits. These are
of different colors and shapes in the form of terraces with pools,
overhanging surfaces and fascinating stalactite formations. Pamukkale
which means "cotton castle" in Turkish takes its name from
these formations. According to scientists, if the water had always
flowed at this rate, the terraces must have begun forming 14,000 years
ago.A little further away from Pamukkale, near Karahayit village is
another thermal spring, Kirmizi Su (the Red Water) with warmer
water but less carbon dioxide gas where the running water creates a
reddish effect different then the white cotton terraces of Pamukkale.
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