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| Kaklık Cave |
Pamukkale, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has been known for its therapeutic waters for thousands of years. This is underlined by the fact that Hierapolis, the Roman city located at Pamukkale, featured temples to Hygeia, the Goddess of Health, and Asclepius, the God of Healing. The therapeutic waters at Denizli are said to benefit high blood pressure, arthritis, sciatica, skin and heart problems, nervous disorders, acne, kidney stones and urinary tract infections. They are said to be diuretic and good for stomach spasms if drunk warm.
The so-called Pamukkale Cave is located 45km from Pamukkale proper. It also contains a wealth of therapeutic waters. Its clear, colourless waters contain a quantity of sulphur (hence why it is called "Smelly Cave") and are thought to be beneficial in the treatment of certain skin diseases and arthritis. In May 2002, the cave was opened to tourism. A word of warning: it takes a few minutes to grow accustomed to the smell of sulphur.
Kaklik Cave has a circular entrance followed by steps leading you down into the cave. At its deepest, the cave measures 14 metres down. The ceiling height varies from 2-5 metres. The cave has been artificially lit, but is still quite dim. It stretches 190 metres. A wooden walkway leads you in a circle through the cave which is covered in travertine pools. There are also a number of waterfalls.
The cave is filled with pools of water that sparkle and dance in the sunlight that seeps in through the cave walls. A few walls receive enough sunlight for mosses and climbing plants to grow. These touches of greenery add another dimension to this fascinating and mysterious underworld. Although it only takes 30 minutes to tour the cave, you could easily spend a whole day watching the play of light on the walls and listening to the water running under your feet.
Finally, you can be confident that all precautions have been taken to ensure that touring Kaklik Cave is entirely safe and that the cave itself comes to no harm from visitors.
| Helpful hints... |
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* There are daily flights from Istanbul and Ankara to Denizli (Cardak Airport) except Thursday and Saturday. * The town of Kaklik is in the district of Honaz. The cave is on the Denizli-Afyon-Ankara and Denizli-Civril highways and 30km from the city and 48km from Pamukkale. Take a minibus from Denizli. * If you go to Denizli or Pamukkale, stay at the Richmond Pamukkale Thermal Hotel. The hotel features indoor and outdoor thermal pools. Tel: +90 258 271 42 96 www.richmondhotels.com.tr |
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