Visible from kilometres away, the dazzling 100-metre white cliff of Pamukkale is one of the geological wonders of the world. Water from hot springs on the volcanic plateau above bubbles out of the ground at 35C streams down the side of the cliff, depositing calcium carbonate in the form of blinding white travertine as it cools and creates strangely shaped terraces and pools as it goes.

Pamukkale means Cotton Fortress and according to legend the while cliffs were created when the giant Titans left their crop of cotton out to dry. Over thousands of years, the terraces have grown out from the cliff lie a magical giant staircase or solid waterfall.

The site, and the supposedly health-giving effects of the water, has been known about for thousands of years and the ruins of ancient Hierapolis, which grew up around the spring, dot the top of the cliff.