Pamukkale: The Turkish ‘cotton’ castle backed by legends

Turkey, the very name conjures up an image of everything that evokes both Asian and European vibes. From traditional Turkish tea to the majestic Hagia Sophia, Turkish delights to baklava, carpets to hammam – the country has the most wonderful blend of oriental and occidental. However, not many know that Turkey is also where world’s only cotton castle is located. Wait, what on Earth is a cotton castle? Let’s find out! 

Welcome to Pamukkale 
It stands at the southwest side of Turkey in a region called Denizli where there is a steep valley with its sides lined with shimmering white stone steps made up of calcium-coated cliffs and mineral pools.  

This is the result of several years of volcanic activity in the region that has not only created fault lines but also subterranean caves underneath (only 3 metres below) the adjacent Anatolian plateau. These caves are laden with mineral water that bubbles all day long. Why? Because they are heavy with noxious carbon dioxide gas. 

Now, as the saying goes, the world is full of natural wonders. That is why, this hot, bubbling and poisonous gassy water ends up in a series of 17 terraced thermal pools that attain a temperature as high as boiling 95 degrees.  

But guess what? Water and carbon dioxide aren’t the only two things in these thermal pools. In fact, they also contain a wide range of minerals such as bicarbonates, colloidal iron, and of course calcium carbonate.  

And it’s this last component that is the most striking feature of Pamukkale and is also responsible for its name. Turns out, when carbon dioxide and water vapour together rise from the steaming pools, they leave behind calcium carbonate deposits that eventually harden into a gel and then turn into an exotic and string-like white stone called travertine.  

This travertine covers the entire region and often hangs down the cliffs and between the pools giving the appearance of candle wax. From far away, it even looks like long shreds of never-ending cotton. Hence the name Pamukkale or cotton (Pamuk) castle (kale).  

The legends of Pamukkale 
Throughout history, Pamukkale has fascinated people. In fact, long before it was famous as modern-day cotton castle, it was a holy city named Hierapolis. The remains can still be seen around the exquisite pool sites, that go way back to 2000 years. And these ruins are full of strange and sinister legends.  

The legend of giants: One such legend is that of a group of giants who preferred to do laundry near the thermal pools, until one day they disappeared silently. They left behind their cotton to dry outside forever.  

The tale of Turkish Cinderella: She was once a simple and poor girl who jumped into the Pamukkale to end her life. Instead, the waters made her beautiful and a passing lord rescued her from it, married her and she lived happily ever after. Till date, locals believe that the pool has some kind of a healing property, while scientists beg to differ.  

The story of Galli: They are a group of hippie priests who, while on a pilgrimage to Hierapolis, discovered a mysterious cave below Pamukkale. But back then, the cave was dimmer and shrouded in fog, which is why the humans didn’t dare to enter it. So, animals were sent to find out what was lurking in those caverns. But guess what? The animals didn’t survive and the priests ended up believing that the mouth of the cave was an entrance to the underworld and they were god’s representatives who have been granted divine protection.  

Modern historians believe that the deaths of the poor and innocent animals were the result of high carbon dioxide content. This is what made their breathing difficult and eventually choked them to death.