If you’ve ever seen photos of the abundant cascading pools of Pamukkale, they were either taken years ago, are fake, or are not actually spring water. Not even 20 years ago, these layered pools were everywhere but sadly, nowadays, most pools are completely empty and are drying slowly but surely, almost to a point where the damage will be irreversible. But what exactly happened? How has it gone from hundreds of overflowing pools spanning as far as the eye can see to now, all totally dry and parched? Is it still worth visiting?
Brief History
Starting over 14,000 years ago, mineral (calcium) deposits in the flowing spring water gradually built up these travertines by leaving a thin layer of calcium carbonate behind. The flowing water could also create gorgeous rippled patterns on the rock which is particularly beautiful in the night. Over time and many layers of calcium later, these became the pools we see today which is also another reason for the blazing-white color of the rock. A few thousand years later, after being discovered under the order of King Eumanes II of Pergamon in the 2nd century BC, it became a thermal spa, a popular destination for the rich. Although it was first founded by the Greeks, it was soon taken over by the Roman Empire who made major changes to the resort city. You can explore this city, Hierapolis, and what’s left of it, including an amphitheater for resort entertainment, temples, tombs, and other indistinguishable ruins of buildings. Although we didn’t go, if you hike towards the direction of the Amphitheater, you can see the Apostle Philip’s tomb in all of its glory. This 2000-year-old resort may be destroyed now, but it’s certainly impressive thinking that they had resorts back then, so many years before the ordinary beach-side resort you’d see today.
How Has It Dried Up?
As we were walking on the grippy surface of the travertine, we approached the first pool and unsurprisingly, it was empty. The ground might have been muddy from the recent rain, but nonetheless dry. The few pools that were filled however were not warm and steaming but instead were cold and filled with rainwater. It looked the same as springwater, perhaps it was a weaker shade of blue, but that is better than nothing in terms of taking an Instagrammable photo. Flocks of people probably come to Pamukkale after a rainstorm to take the “perfect photo” of the brimming pools, as it is certainly easier than spending a couple of hours on Photoshop.
The truth is these empty pools, or at least pools with rainwater, became like this because of rapid population growth and the creation of resorts. The Romans succeeded in making a resort, so how about us, modern-day humans? Well, it didn’t really go to plan. As these resorts were next to the world-renowned springs of Pamukkale, naturally, they wanted springs too, so from the limited supply of Pamukkale water, they diverted some and channeled it down to the resorts. Nothing could go wrong…right? Wrong. Due to the heaves of water getting constantly drained down into several resort spas and baths, this special and supposedly healthy water quickly became a scarce resource, not just to the resorts, but to Pamukkale’s pools themselves. This rapid decline of essential water caused many pools to get abandoned and left to dry from the scorching heat of the sun. The problem with this is that the calcium that makes up the travertines is incredibly delicate, and over time will turn into stone, which is what a great deal of the ground is made of in Hierapolis. The dazzling white color of Pamukkale will slowly become grey and brown which definitely won’t attract tourists.
Is It Worth The Visit?
Currently, the flowing spring water has been redirected to an untouched, new patch of land with small yet ever-growing pools, observable from up above the main walkway (in Pamukkale). Other than these pools, there are a few large ones which you can swim inside, except it’s not nice and warm but instead, you guessed it, it’s nice and cold rainwater. The only properly warm/hot spring I found while visiting was the Cleopatra Pools which is a separate ticket and absurdly crowded, but worth it. Anyway, not going too off-topic, to answer the main question, I think it absolutely is worth the visit, even if most of the pools are empty. The main ticket includes all of Hierapolis which is definitely worth visiting, especially exploring what a Greco-Roman resort used to look like and what life was like having a vacation here. There were barely any tourists walking all the way to Necropolis (dead city), and other parts of the ancient city as most were hanging out by the springs.
Hierapolis, especially the area near Necropolis is highly underrated, and there is so much to see, including several temples, hundreds of tombs, a bathhouse to cleanse yourself when entering the city, a cathedral, ancient roads, and more! Like I said earlier, if you feel like an adventure, you can hike to Apostle Philip’s tomb, which is near the amphitheater. Needless to say, the “spring” part of Pamukkale isn’t the only thing to see here!
It is unfortunate almost all of the pools in Pamukkale are dry and barren, but it gave a unique experience instead of hanging out in a hot spring and taking many photos. We had a chance to explore Hierapolis, and the Necropolis area, both interesting in their own rights. Walking around these ancient ruins, I can just imagine what the resort must have been like, a beautiful paradise that only the richest of the rich could afford. I still can’t even fathom how Romans (Greeks to start) built a resort 2000 years ago, and it’s even worse if you know that people tried recently and failed miserably. Dry and sad pools, overlooking the beautiful mountain backdrop, I wonder what the place will look like in the near or far future. Perhaps the place will have recovered to its original glory, or on the contrary, will be a complete wasteland with scattered ruins indicating the shell of its former glory. Who knows? What do you think? Maybe we’ll still be here to witness Pamukkale’s promising future.
Additional Info
Cost – The main entrance fee/ticket for Pamukkale was 200 Lira per person, which includes Hierapolis and the archeological museum. The ticket for the Cleopatra Pools is separate and was 100 Lira per person.
Time it takes – If you want to explore the entire area, it will take an entire day to visit. We couldn’t go everywhere, but we visited most of the places including the Cleopatra Pools which we spent a couple of hours at. The sunset is beautiful, and the patterns on the travertines at night are exceptionally dramatic with the contrast from the shadows, so stay until night!
What to bring – Bring lots of water, shaded sunglasses (very bright!), a hat (and sunscreen), and a swimsuit if you want to bathe. Sandals are not essential as you have to take them off anyway.
Rules – You cannot wear shoes whilst on the travertines, and you are not allowed to go off the trail (climbing, walking on travertines, etc.).
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