Denizli Travertine: A Heritage Stone Resource from Western Türkiye

Global heritage stones are natural stones that have been widely used in historical buildings and monuments in the past (hundreds of years, even thousands of years) and are still used and today traded at the national and international level. The aim of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of being a global heritage stone of Quaternary travertines, which are common in the Denizli Basin in Western Türkiye.

The Denizli Travertine, is a widely used as a building stone in the Denizli Basin, from the 2nd century BC in the ancient cities of Hierapolis, Laodicea, Tripolis and Colassae that were the leading settlements of the region. Hierapolis/Pamukkale takes place in the of UNESCO World Heritage list and the First 100 IUGS Geological Heritage Sites. The travertine-dominated buildings have given a privileged feature to the aforementioned ancient cities. In these ancient cities, public buildings such as theatre, agora, bath basilica, monumental fountain, bridge and fortification walls were predominantly built using travertine. Use of the travertine also continued in the buildings of Seljuk period (eg, caravanserai, castle walls) from the 13th century.

Some exposures of the Denizli Travertine of Quaternary age observed in different parts of the Denizli Basin take place either very close to or under the ancient cities. In light and dark colors, their textural properties are extended to a wide range. The main texture types are peloid, bacterial/crystalline dendrite, coated grain, mostly wackestone to packstone, a small amount of grainstone containing plant-derived components. Another type is banded travertine, which occurs as a fissure fill or vein, has a completely crystalline texture and is mostly used for decorative purposes.

Travertines of the region, which were operated for thousands of years, received a geographical indication in 2008 with the name of ‘Denizli Travertine’. Today, it is widely used in many areas such as flooring, wall covering, stair step, countertop, table, coffee table and sculpture. The Denizli Travertine is exported to many countries (e.g. USA, UK, European Union and Middle East countries) both blocks and processed products like slab, tiles, mosaic, etc.). The travertine, which has been widely used in the region in the past, is traded worldwide for the last few decades.