Egirdir is the name of a lake and of the town situated on the shore of that lake (Egirdir in Turkey. The lake lies in the Turkish Lakes Region and is 186 kilometers (116 miles) north of Antalya. With an area of 482 km2 it is the fourth largest (second largest freshwater) lake in Turkey.
Name
The town and the lake were formerly called Egridir, a Turkish pronunciation of the town's old Greek name Akrotiri. Unfortunately, Egridir means "it is crooked" in Turkish. Therefore, to remove the negative connotations of the name, in the 1980s the “i” and the “r” were transposed in a new official name, thus creating Egirdir, a name that evokes spinning and flowers, although many people in Turkey still call both the town and the lake by its former name.
Islands
Lake Egirdir has two islands, connected to the mainland by a long causeway into the town of Egirdir:
Can Ada (meaning "Life Island") the smaller of the two islands.
Yeşil Ada ("Green Island", formerly known as Nis) - until 1923, was home to a Greek community living in stone and timber houses.
An unusual natural and historical site with the sparkling white castle -like cascades, Pamukkale is one of the most important highlights of Turkey, unique in the world.
• Pamukkale is a famous tourist attraction of Turkey. Tourists travel from the coast of Antalya and the Aegean Sea to Pamukkale, it is also recognized as a World Heritage Sites together with Hiera polis. Only a few other places in the world resemble it.
• The site is named in Turkish as "Pamukkale", that means "cotton castle", parallel to the glorious and spectacular view of the site.
• The dazzling white calcareous castles are formed by limestone-laden thermal springs, creating the unbelievable formation of stalactites, potholes and cataracts. The water of Pamukkale is famous for its benefits to the eyes and skin; and its curing properties to the ills of asthma, rheumatism, as well.
• Waters, containing mainly calcium salts and carbon-dioxide, run off the plateau's by depositing calcium while carbon-dioxide disappearing. The marvelous landscape of Pamukkale has been created by this gradual formation, leaving a cottonlike image. Located above the theatre of Hierapolis, the mineral water sources from the thermal springs of Cal Mountain.
• It is collected ina pool, known as the "Sacred Pool" of ancient times, where you can swim amidst the historical remains of Hierapolis.
The fairyland Pamukkale is a must-see traveling through this region, during a holiday in Turkey.
The thermal springs at Pamukkale which give rise to these geological phenomena cover a wide area. In this area, there are several hot water springs which have a temperature between 35 and 100 degrees. The thermal springs of Pamukkale form an integral part of the regions potential for tourism and have been popular since ancient times. The water, having emerged from the spring, is transported 320 m to the head of the travertines and deposits itself on a section 60 to 70 meters long covering an expanse of 240 to 300 meters square.
When the water first comes out of the ground it is about 35.6 ºC . The water includes calcium hydro carbonate in a big quantity. When it contacts with oxygen, the carbon dioxide and carbonmonoxide escapes and the calcium carbonate settles and forms the travertine. The sediment is jelly-like in the first stage.
The chemical reaction is: Ca (HCO3) + O2 CaCO+CO2+H2O
The travertines are not in contact with water every time as it is seen on the photos and brochures. The photos are taken when the pools are full of water because of its beauties. That is why they are supposed to be full with water all the time. The thermal water is given to the travertines by controlled programme. If the water flows on the same place for along time, it causes moss and pollutes the white travertines. The travertine's area should be dried for certain times to prevent this pollution and to let the jelly-like sediment harden. It is forbidden to walk on the travertines owing to being smooth and broken easily in the first stage of the formation. But the areas are constructed to provide tourists to meet water. These are the artificial pools which are formed on the former road and the area of 5000 square meters which is established on the southern gate
INSUYU CAVE
•Insuyu cave is the second largest in the world and is Burdur's most precious offering to the world.
• It is a 597mtrs long, horizontal and dry. It is good for wandering in little boats.
• The Insuyu Cave is 50 kms from Isparta and as it was one of the first caves to be developed for tourism, it is well connected to other towns.
• What greets the visitor is virtually a world populated by millions of stalactites and stalagmites of various sizes, shapes and formations,
• It is estimated that it must have taken thousands of years for the cave to form. • The cave also has 9 lakes from where water flows out in small streams to other regions of the cave, so that it is possible for you to roam around in small boats. Cool and clean air constantly circulates through the caves
• Visitors also come here to taste the waters of the cave, which is known to cure diabetes. Nearby is a staying facility provided by the City Private Administration.
