Pamukkale

Walking across the travertine formations (no shoes allowed)

Our most recent sailing trip was from Kaş to Marmaris which is about 100 miles up the coast in order to arrange some boat work.  After Talaria was put on the hard in Kaş last September the starboard fuel tank started leaking.  Captain Andrea cleaned it all up but we now have to replace the starboard tank.  Marmaris has a big boat yard with many skilled workers able to complete just about any boat task.  Kaş does not have that capability.  Our friends made the trip with us and we all decided to visit Pamukkale since it was close by.  It turned out to be a rather rainy, cool day but we wanted to go while we had the opportunity.  Pamukkale in Turkish means "cotton castle" - more on that later.

The Cotton Castle

 

 What you see is the result of calcite rich thermal springs trickling down the mountain and leaving behind deposits.  The deposits formed travertine shelves and small mineral rich thermal pools.  However, the principal crop in the region is cotton.  So the Turkish legend is that the formations are actually the cotton that giants left out to dry. Hence, the name - Cotton Castle 😊.

Thermal pool

What is true is that folks have been visiting the thermal springs for thousands of years.  The ancient city of Hierapolis was built at the top of the mountain overlooking the formations.  It was founded as a healing center due to the thermal springs.  Now the whole area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Hierapolis ruins are well preserved and vast.  

Walking through the Necropolis (cemetery)

The ruins include a very large necropolis and the preserved gates to the city.  At one point in time this was a very large city.  The Jewish population purportedly was around 50,000.  Eventually, it became primarily a Christian city.  The apostle Paul had a church built here and the apostle Phillip is said to have spent the last years of his life here. 

The entrance gates to the city (notice the inscription)

 As an added bonus to this wonderful day the wildflowers were in full bloom.  Poppies everywhere.  So beautiful!

Little red poppies

Although Hierapolis was built on a mountain it seemed to us a much better site than Sagalassos.  It was more like a plateau, suitable for growing crops, rather than just the steep face of a mountain.  And, of course, there was that built in spa.  What could be better! 

The road through the city gates

As with most sites in Turkey, you could easily while away an entire day here but we just spent a few hours as we had to drive those mountain roads back to Kaş.   Mountains, mountains everywhere.

This is the last outing for awhile as we have to get to work now.  We need to find someone to paint the boat and replace the fuel tank.  In Kaş, we were unable to do anything on the boat at all - such as washing the boat or cleaning teak.  They have very strict rules and do not allow any soap in the water (biodegradable or not).  Marmaris is a bit more lenient so we have some serious cleaning to do.  They say that cruising means working on your boat in exotic places - there is much truth in that statement!