A large share of the thyme grown in Türkiye — and of the world's production, the provincial directorate says — comes from the Gözler neighbourhood of Pamukkale. Sage and lavender are grown here as well, and the lavender fields, which are at their most striking in summer, are open to visitors.
The fields draw people for how they look, but the crop goes elsewhere. Lavender essential oil is used most of all in cosmetics and perfume; its scent also takes it into soap and other industries, and the directorate lists its use in the pharmaceutical industry and in aromatherapy for pain, for calming and for sleeplessness. The flowers are also taken as a tea for their sedative effect.
Entry is free. There is breakfast, gözleme cooked over a wood fire, and hot and cold drinks. The natural products counter sells thyme honey, fresh thyme, and soap, perfume, shower gel and cream made from the lavender.
Getting there
- Access
- Fifty kilometres from central Denizli and thirty from the Pamukkale–Hierapolis site. Come by car or by the Gözler minibuses from the Denizli coach station.
When to go
- Climate
- Across Denizli as a whole, monthly mean temperatures run from 6 °C in January to 27.5 °C in July; the mean stays between 15 and 25 °C in May, June, September and October; rainfall is heaviest in January (90 mm) and lightest in August (11 mm). Long-term means for 1957-2025 from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM).
