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Pamukkale, Türkiye
The "cotton castle"
It's not hard to see where these travertine terraces in Türkiye got their name – Pamukkale, meaning "cotton castle" in Turkish. In bright daylight, these huge stair-steps of puffy, porous limestone appear cloud-white, their multilevel pools a dazzling shade of sky blue. When the basins are full of hot spring-fed water, it's a great place to relax after visiting neighbouring Hierapolis for a dose of ancient history.
The "cotton castle"
It's not hard to see where these travertine terraces in Türkiye got their name – Pamukkale, meaning "cotton castle" in Turkish. In bright daylight, these huge stair-steps of puffy, porous limestone appear cloud-white, their multilevel pools a dazzling shade of sky blue. When the basins are full of hot spring-fed water, it's a great place to relax after visiting neighbouring Hierapolis for a dose of ancient history.
When conditions are right and the pools are full, this thermal spring system makes for quite the sight.
© Naked King / iStock / Getty Images Plus 2026-09-11 08:45:51 :