Film info

Creator / Collector

Description
Moving on a narrow country road we come across solid rocks and a little vegetation that resists the harshness of the landscape. We pass by a small village as the road continues and we record another picturesque village from a distance that is perched on a hill.

We are in the valley of the Menderes River at the natural park of Pamukkale. A snow-white hillside shaped over a long-term salt deposition that is contained in hot springs. Views from the limestone formations as the mineral-rich waters foam and collect in terraces.

Views from Hierapolis, an ancient spa town whose the monuments are preserved. We watch a sarcophagus, the Roman theater and its "koilon" (cavea).

We return to the hot springs, zoom in & out shots in the small white pools that are shaped on uneven levels and in the natural formations that look like sculptures.

As the sun sets, we take views of its reflections on the water.

Coordinates

Film Information

Holder
Bonar, Andrew Graham

Quality
SD (720x576)

Sound
Yes

Color
Yes

Duration (seconds)
267

Format
Super 8mm

Creator's description


This place is called Pammukale, and it is situated near the town of Denizli, in southwestern Turkey. Here, thermal spring waters laden with calcium carbonate spill over the edge of a plateau forming a sparkling white petrified cascade of pools and basins, in various shapes and sizes.
The waters have therapeutic properties, and have been exploited at least since the time of the ancient Greeks. Substantial vestiges of the Hellenistic city of Ierapolis are to be found here, including hundreds of tombs, temples, a gymnasium and a theatre.
But what everyone comes to see and enjoy is the petrified cascade. Do you fancy a dip in the warm waters? Go ahead then. Every hotel and motel has its own pool. You can also bathe in one or other of the natural basins if you feel so inclined. Incidentally the cascade has formed in various directions according to which way the spring waters happened to run. Now the flow of these waters is largely controlled so that different areas are watered at different times.
As the sun goes down the white walls of the steps and basins turn a glowing pink while the waters become a brilliant blue.
Bonar, Andrew Graham