Tourists flock to Pamukkale, Turkey's thermal paradise

By Mustafa Degirmencioglu

DENIZLI, Turkey (AA) - Pamukkale, one of southwest Turkey's oldest tourist attractions, hosted some 70,000 local and foreign tourists over five days of celebration during the Muslim religious holiday of Eid al-Adha.

Pamukkale is a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its mineral-rich thermal waters and white travertine terraces.

Located in Turkey's Aegean province Denizli, the world-renowned Pamukkale is popular among tourists from across the globe, particularly Europe, East Asia, Latin America as well as Russia.

Sen, the president of a local tourism and hotel management association, told Anadolu Agency that Pamukkale was also visited by many tourists thanks to its location on the crossroad of resort cities along Turkey's coasts.

"We would like to welcome more visitors by publicizing Denizli's tourism potential," he said.

With the ruins of the ancient city of Hierapolis nearby, Pamukkale has been known as a center for thermal health for millennia since Roman times and is especially famous for its white limestone travertines, shaped by calcium-rich hot springs.

Visitors walk barefoot in the hot springs along the travertine terraces, which remain at comfortably warm temperatures even in the winter.

* Writing and contribution by Jeyhun Aliyev from Ankara