Pamuk kale Located 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the town of Denizli in the Aegean region of Turkey, Pamuk kale is one of the most interesting places in the world, justly famous not only for the entrancing beauty of its unique geological formations but also for its historical remains. The calcium oxide-rich waters flowing down the southern slope of Caldag located north of the ruins have, over the millennia, built up deposits of white travertine on the plateau thus fully justifying both the site's ancient name of Hierapolis (meaning Holy City in Greek) and its modern one of Pamuk kale meaning Cotton Castle in Turkish.