Pamukkale Travertine Terraces

We took the train from Selcuk to Denizli at a cost of 14.50 Turkish Lira each. The ride was around 3 hours but the scenery from the train was very nice. Once we arrived at Denizli, we took a dolmus to Pamukkale.

The travertine terraces at Pamukkale were  “formed when water from the hot springs loses carbon dioxide as it flows down the slopes, leaving deposits of limestone. The layers of white calcium carbonate, built up in steps on the plateau, have earned the name of Pamukkale (cotton castle).” (DK Eyewitness Travel, Turkey).

Entrance Area

Cost to enter the travertine pools was 20 T.L. each – same cost as Ephesus without the Terrace Houses. But this is a World Heritage site and I’m amazed people are still allowed on parts of it.

After entering, you must remove your shoes – even if they are soft-soled water shoes. I’m sure this is an attempt to hold down wear and tear on the travertine, but my gosh it is hard on the feet! Like walking on shells. We  quickly determined that the whitest color travertine is the smoother than the other colors.

Click to Enlarge Panoramic View

We waded through pools up to knee deep on the very steep climb to the top. Pro tip – wear a bathing suit! Both of us slipped and fell numerous times.

We made it to the top!

Gorgeous view from the top of the terraces.

Hierapolis

We made a strategic error here – we left the guidebook at the hotel and didn’t realize that the ruins of Hierapolis were at the top of the terraces. Serious mistake! I put my water shoes on, but soon had blisters and hot spots from walking in them. Very much regretted not having good shoes with me.

Sadly, we didn’t know that the pool associated with the Temple of Apollo was over the hill until after we were back at the hotel.

Beautiful setting for a bridal photo shoot!

We didn’t spend a lot of time here since we weren’t prepared for a lot of walking. I would advise taking a taxi to the ruins, wander around, then change into a bathing suit and walk down the terraces back to town.

We initially planned to spend 2 nights here but we saw everything we wanted to see in one afternoon and only stayed the one night.

During our drive to Priene, Miletus and Didyma we passed a number of cotton farms. Since my Dad is a retired cotton farmer, I was fascinated to see the farming methods. Tiny little fields, and small tractors and trailers to haul cotton to the gin. We didn’t see a gin.

Sorry for the bad photo – taken from inside the vehicle.

We never saw a pickup, just trailers ranging in size from little bitty to the size in the photo above, pulling trailers with whatever they were hauling.

The day after this trip, we took a train from Selcuk to Denizli – this was a fascinating glimpse at farming practices. We saw cotton strippers as well as hand harvesting. Ancient and modern practices side-by-side.

After Miletus, we moved on to Didyma and the Temple of Apollo. Our driver dropped us off and we walk through a residential area to get to the site.

The temple was built in 7th century BC, later destroyed by the Persians, then rebuilt by Alexander the Great in 350 BC. Only 3 of the 108 original columns are still standing.

Inner Courtyard

Medusa

This was a pleasant daytrip from Selcuk. I think we were gone 6-7 hours, including a stop for lunch. Although we liked Priene the best, I don’t think any of them are worth a visit unless you have plenty of time built into your trip. Luckily for us, we had time to spare which gave us the ability to make spur of the moment decisions to stop and poke around.

After Priene, we moved on to Miletus. Although not as impressive as Priene, there are still interesting things to see here.

The theatre dates to 100 AD and could seat 15,000 people.

Theatre

The mosque seen in the distance of the photo below has an interesting history. It was built by Ilyas Bey in 1403 to celebrate his return from exile at the court of Tamerlane.

We asked our hotel owner to arrange a car and driver so we could visit Priene, Miletus and Didyma. Our driver, Kerzan,  speaks little English and Richard wears out his phrasebook trying to communicate – very entertaining!

The sites are split into 3 posts to avoid one photo heavy post.

First stop is Priene. According to my DK Eyewitness Travel guidebook, Priene had strong Greek ties and was not viewed favorably by the Romans. Consequently, it is “one of the most intact hellenistic settlements to be seen”.

Steep uphill walk to Priene

Mount Mykale

Distant View of the Aegean Sea

According to the guidebook, the Temple of Athena was built in the 4th century AD by Alexander the Great.

Temple of Athena

The theatre was built in the 3rd century BC and could accommodate 5000 people.

Theatre

City Gate

We purchased add-on tickets at the Ephesus entrance to include the Terrace Houses, a  worthwhile purchase. The houses are undergoing restoration and funds were raised to place a roof over them. The roof provided a welcome relief from the sun and heat! These homes belonged to wealthy inhabitants.

We were fascinated by the jigsaw puzzle nature of the restoration.

Glass paths/stairs throughout.

24/7 job keeping the dust off the paths!