Pamukkale,
meaning "cotton castle" in Turkish, is a
natural site and attraction in
south-western Turkey in the Denizli
Province. Pamukkale is located in
Turkey's Inner Aegean region, in the
River Menderes valley, which enjoys a
temperate climate over the greater part
of the year.
The ancient city of Hierapolis was built
on top of the white "castle" which is in
total about 2700 meters long and 160m
high. It can be seen from the hills on
the opposite side of the valley in the
town of Denizli, 20 km away.
The tectonic movements that took place
in the fault depression of the Menderes
river basin triggered frequent
earthquakes, and gave rise to the
emergence of a number of very hot
springs. The water from one of these
springs, with its large mineral content
— chalk in particular — created
Pamukkale.