Guide
The Ziga springs are in the village of Yaprakhisar on the edge of the Ihlara valley. The area has been declared a special environmental protection zone and, together with the valley, has become a thermal tourism area. The springs look out over Ihlara, and the water comes out at 47 degrees.
The provincial directorate describes what the water is used for, and describes it as supporting rather than primary treatment: bathing in the chronic stages of rheumatic complaints; together with heliotherapy and ultraviolet light in complaints involving itching and rashes; and in the rehabilitation of orthopaedic and neurological conditions. It also lists metabolic disorders, eye complaints and gynaecological conditions among what the water is held to help.
The mineral content leaves deposits. The travertines and the hot water here are a combination of many minerals, and because the water carries a good deal of calcium, sodium chloride and bicarbonate ion it lays down sediment. Since the cations and anions in it suit travertine formation, the area was planned as a travertine field and a project carried out accordingly: a wide travertine area in yellow was formed at Ziga, where the calcium, sodium and sulphurous deposits give the thermal basin a character of its own.
