Another consequence of the increase in the number of tourists is that the hot water terraces have become algae susceptible. And that isn’t a beautiful (and commercially desired) sight when the algae cause that the perfectly white limestone terraces, will get a yellow or greenish hue. As a result, the baths are dry significant parts of the year (the natural flow of water is diverted), so that the sun can bleach them to keep them in the perfect ‘white’ condition. A good example of how mass tourism can destroy a natural process that managed to survive for thousands, or even millions of years, and is now destroyed in just a couple of decades time by human interference. They water flow over the terraces is now managed and that means that the terraces get the water in rotation, to allow the sun to bleach the terraces when they are dry. So, if you haven’t seen them yet, you are too late and won’t see them anymore as they used to be. Pamukkale transformed itself from a destination with a natural phenomenon, to a warm water theme park.

From Pamukkale we drove east to the ruined city of Sagalassos. The classic city is certainly not the best preserved ancient city in the country, but certainly does belong to the cities with the most spectacular location. It is built against a mountain and studies show that it was already a settlement since around 1200 BC. The central square with a beautifully preserved fountain is one of the highlights of the city, as is the beautifully situated 9000-seats theatre, partially collapsed due to earthquakes, but which has remained impressively well-preserved. The special feature of this ruined city is that the materials of the city have never been looted/reused for other cities in the area thanks to its remoteness.

Our next destination on the way to Cappadocia was Egirdir Lake. This lake and the nearby settlements were in ancient times important stopover places for passing caravans which travelled between Central Anatolia and major coastal cities such as Ephesus. The lake has a spectacular setting and is even today worth a stop. We had booked a small hotel on the Yesilada Peninsula that reaches far into the lake. Egirdir is also a great destination for day hikes. From the hills surrounding the lake you have a magnificent view on the lake.

We took a back road to the city of Konya. We drove through Aksu, Yenisarbademli and Beysehir. Hairpin roads took us to beautiful snowy passes, before we descended to the tremendous Lake Beysehir. If you leave the main roads and take the smaller ones, you will be rewarded with traditional and small Anatolian villages where time seems to have stood still for decades. Konya, however, is a metropolis of over one million people. The main reason for making a stop here is the Mausoleum of Mevlana. Mevlana was a poet and an Islamic scholar/writer from the early 13th century AD and was the founder of an important Muslim sect in Turkey, known as the Mevlevi Sufis. The mausoleum contains the sarcophagi of Mevlana and his family members, and is to this day an important pilgrimage destination for many Turks.

The last leg of the trip to Cappadocia brought us over the steppes of Central Anatolia. It was a dry and warm winter on the steppes this year, covering only the highest peaks with snow. Due to the lack of water, the steppe was yellowish coloured. We chose the village of Göreme as a base for our visit to the beautiful region of Cappadocia, created by volcanic ash. From here we made day trips in the area, mainly on foot. Not only the landscape is impressive, but also the story of human history in this area is remarkable. Especially the Byzantines (4th to 11th century AD) had a great impact by creating houses, churches, stalls and even complete underground cities in the lava rock formations, just by scratching them out of the rocks. One estimates that there are more than 100 underground cities in the area, which were built as protection against attacking armies, such as the Persians and Arabs. Some underground cities could accommodate more than 10,000 people, are a hundred metres deep, and have more than 10 underground levels! All in all a fantastic region to end or start a ride through Anatolia.