Pamukkale

I look like a big, fluffy mountain made of soft white clouds. I feel like a pile of cotton balls you could jump into. Warm, sparkly blue water trickles down my sides, making little pools that are just right for splashing. I have been here, shining in the sunshine, for a very, very long time. Can you guess my name? I am Pamukkale. In the Turkish language, that means “cotton castle,” and that’s just what I am. I live in a beautiful country called Turkey.

I was made by a warm hug from deep inside the Earth. The Earth sent up bubbly, warm water filled with special white stuff. As the warm water flowed over me, it left behind a soft, white blanket that looks like snow. A long, long time ago, people called Romans came to visit me. They loved my warm waters so much. They would splash and play in my little pools all day long. They even built a whole city right next to me so they could always be close to my warm water hugs.

Today, friends from all over the world come to see me. They take off their shoes and socks to walk on my soft, white ground. It tickles their toes. They dip their feet in my gentle pools and feel the warm water. In the year 1988, kind people decided I was so special that I needed to be kept safe forever. I love sharing my warm, bubbly waters with everyone. I am a magical cotton castle, here to make you smile and feel happy.