For thousands of years an underground spring located deep
in the earth has been pouring out streams of hot mineral-saturated
water.  The water has shaped the area by depositing limestone.
The Pamukkale Springs form part of a network extending
on the north-west as far as the city of Alasehir (the ancient
Philadelphia) 70km. away, and on the west to the
Meander valley and the Aegean Sea beyond.

Pamukkale, in Turkey is famous for its limestone terraces,
waterfalls and thermal springs.  These natural springs form
open air pools in the stepped limestone deposits.  The warm
mineral-rich water has been acknowledged as having
therapeutic powers for centuries.

The waters coontain calcium magnesium sulphate and
bicarbonate with carbon dioxide is solution. The mineral
content of the water is 2430 mg/litre, with a pH of 6
(more-or-less neutral) and a radiation count of
1537 picokuri/litre.  The springs flow at a rate
of 400 liters per second.

The waters are used both for drinking and bathing.  They
are recommended for the treatment of rheumatic, dermatological
and gynaecological diseases, mental and physical exhaustion,
minor digestive problems and nutrition disorders.

The name Pamukkale means "cotton castle". Local legend
has it that in ancient times giants were known to dry cotton
crops along the terraces.

When the water emerges from the springs the pressure drops
causing the CO₂  in the water to vapourises and the calcium
carbonate (limestone) to be precipitated out, to form the "travertine"
formations that now constitute the distinctive features of the site.
The formations have been described as "frozen waterfalls".
The terraced layers cover an area of about 3000m by 300m at a
height of about 100 m above the surrounding plain.

The Pamukkale springs have been affected from time to time by
the strong earthquakes characteristic of the region. Some springs
have even dried up altogether, the water sometimes re-emerging
from a completely new spring nearby.

The stepped pools at Pamukkale, fed by natural thermal springs.
 

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