National Geographic Special - The World\'s Most Beautiful Places

123 STARK & WILD

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