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S TA R K & W I L D
PAMUKKALE, TURKEY
Snow white, Arctic blue: the colors of Tur-
key’s strangest landscape appear to belong
in another climate. The white is not snow
but calcium carbonate, deposited when
mineral-laden water from a series of hot
springs cools as it cascades through natural
pools and overflows petrified terraces of
travertine. The ancient Greeks and Romans
swore by the pools’ therapeutic properties
and built temples, baths, and theaters on
the site, the ruins of which add to the magic
of a place the Turks call the “Cotton Castle.”
DON’T MISS
Rise early before the tour groups arrive, put on a
bathing suit, and soak in the shadow of Roman ruins
in a natural pool at the top of the travertine terraces.
Then walk down (no shoes allowed) through the
pools of the “petrified forest.”
Water from hot springs deposits calcium carbonate
as it tumbles over outcrops in southwestern Turkey.
mineral
forest