For the recent spring break I traveled with friends to Denizli to visit Pamukkale and the two ancient cities located there. I picked them up in Ortaca (near Dalyan) and we drove to Pamukkale, stopping off to see and visit Lake Salda along the way.
Technically speaking, Lake Salda is in the Burdur province (not Denizli). But I will include a photo of it here anyway–as I found it more naturally stunning, or perhaps more deeply appealing, to me than Pamukkale itself.
I expect this is a personal preference; so many I know have “oohhed” and “aaahhed” to me about Pamukkale. I AM very happy to have visited the site, but it did not move me in the same way it has others. I’ll offer theories as to why not–but for now, please enjoy this stunning photo of Lake Salda. I also took a couple of short video clips to give you a sense of the landscape and the stunningly beautiful blues of the water.
While in Pamukkale, we stayed at the Pam Thermal Hotel and it was a great choice. It provides access to the red (hot) thermal waters with a variety of pools–both inside and outside. These waters come out of the earth at 56-58 degrees Celsius, or 132-136 Fahrenheit–pretty intense, as you can imagine. I couldn’t make it to the top two layers of their pool, but I did sit fairly close to the source for a time. It felt great on my sore hamstrings and glutes!
After we got checked in and visited the pools, it was time to clean up and head to dinner. Included in your room cost are two buffet meals: dinner and breakfast. I haven’t done a buffet meal like this in a very long time, and never in Turkey before now. They offered a mix of Turkish foods and foreign flavors. The clientele at the hotel was assuredly international–Russians, visitors from assorted Asian countries to include China and Korea as I could tell, as well as Europeans and Turks. The hotel is also a site that provides physical therapy and treatment for injured or handicapped individuals.
For our full day in the area we made the most by getting an immediate start after breakfast. We parked at Hieropolis and took the provided transport up to the top of the travertin terraces of Pamukkale. We made a little walk down the terraces, barefooted, took pictures, and then wrapped up. This is a high traffic place and even around 10.30 on a Thursday morning, it was busy. The featured image for this post is taken from the terraces and looking out across the city of Denizli (population of about 1M) to the snow-capped mountains in the distance.
One of the highlights of our time in Denizli was the time we spent swimming and sunbathing in the ancient Cleopatra pool which is part of the ancient city of Hieropolis.
Serap and Charles had visited Pamukkale for the first time in January, and had not been prepared to enjoy this pool–so they made sure we were ready to enjoy the fun this time around. I’m grateful for their reconaissance. It was a delight to soak, like turtles, on the ancient marble slabs and pedestals that lay around the pool, all the while sunbathing and chatting with one another.
After our time in the ancient pool, we changed out of our suits and proceeded to meander through the ancient city of Hieropolis including stops for the stunning theater, a walk through the Agora, and in the lower park a walk amongst the sarcophagi (aka cemetery).
The weather was beautiful–not too hot, nor too windy or cold. As you can see in the pictures, I was perfectly comfortable in shorts and a tank top whereas my Turkish friends opted for long pants and long sleeved shirts. Different attire for different thermostats!
We stopped off at the grocery store on the short drive home to the hotel where we relaxed for a couple of hours before meeting up for dinner. I sunbathed poolside and enjoyed a cold beer.
On Friday morning before we parted ways for our respective journeys home (they by bus to Ortaca, I would drive home to Izmir), we visited Laodiciea–another ancient city. This one is located on a hilltop with a 360 view–off to the mountains beyond Denizli and to the white terraces of Pamukkale on the other side. This city has one of the seven churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation and there are active excavations on-going at this time. The church has a covering and there is a glass platform used to walk around the church and through which one can view the floor. The mosaics were stunning!
On my drive home to Izmir I stopped off to stretch my legs and to see one more ancient city, the city of Nysa on the meander. This city, said to be the homeland of Dionysus, the god of wine, is located on a hillside over-looking the modern city of Sultanhisar. The hilltop was covered with olive trees and I found myself pretty much alone as I walked the paths to explore various sites spread around such as the agora (shopping center), the Senate house, the theater, and the library.
As with every other location in Turkey, this is not more than an overview of a few sites in the Denizli region.
I very much enjoyed the ancient cities; the travertine terraces were a bit of a disappointment and I can’t exactly tell you why. They are unique and distinct. I am told that the water level was low and that over time they have changed. I’m not sure if that is because of climate change, human impact, both, or something else. I am glad to have visited them, but they would not require a second visit unless it was included as part of a larger journey and/or I was traveling with friends or family who were seeing them for the first time.
I liked the location of our hotel, up against a hillside and near the smaller village of Karahayıt. In the evening, after dinner, I wandered down the hill to explore the village. I will leave you with a picture of the mosque there as it was stunning in the evening light and it was a near full moon when we were there.
