Termal: Yalova’s Historic Hot Springs

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1. What is Termal?
2. How do you get to Termal?
3. When is the best time to visit Termal?
4. What is the history of Termal?
5. What is Termal famous for?
6. What can you see at Termal?
7. Frequently asked questions about Termal
8. What do the official records say about Termal?

What is Termal?

Termal is a spa town in a narrow, forested valley in the hills south of Yalova. Hot water rising from the valley floor has drawn bathers for at least 1,500 years, and today the springs feed historic bathhouses, an open-air pool, thermal hotels and the gardens around them. The name is simply the Turkish word for “thermal”.

The heart of the resort is the old thermal complex at the head of the valley: the Kurşunlu and Valide baths, the Ottoman-era hotels, Atatürk’s mansion, and gardens of rare trees and hydrangeas. Down the valley, the village of Gökçedere has hotels and guesthouses that pipe thermal water to their rooms.

How do you get to Termal?

Termal is about 12 km south of Yalova town. Minibuses run regularly from Yalova, close to the ferry port, and a taxi takes around 20 minutes. From Istanbul, take an İDO ferry to Yalova, or drive over the Osmangazi Bridge from Gebze. The nearest airport is Sabiha Gökçen on Istanbul’s Asian side.

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When is the best time to visit Termal?

Termal is open all year, and the hot water is at its most inviting from October to April. Spring brings the gardens into flower, and the hydrangeas around the cascade at the entrance are at their best in early summer. Weekends and public holidays are busy with visitors from Istanbul; weekdays are calmer.

What is the history of Termal?

The Yalova Culture and Tourism Directorate tells the story this way. The springs are said to have formed after a great earthquake around 2000 BC. Steam and hot water rising from cracks in the ground led people to believe the place belonged to an underground god. From the 6th century AD it was known as Pythia Therma. Roman interest raised its importance, and the baths, “elixirs of life”, were first built under the emperor Constantine and restored under Justinian (Yalova Culture and Tourism Directorate).

In 1932 Atatürk ordered excavations that uncovered votive stelae, tombstones, a church, a corridor and columns bearing the monogram of the Byzantine emperor Justin II (565–578). According to the directorate, the church and corridor were used as a place of confession, and patients slept there hoping to receive news of the future; a whisper at one end of the corridor can be heard at the other.

Under Sultan Abdülhamid II the springs regained their reputation. In 1892 the Ottoman medical society examined the waters and found them equal to those of Aix-les-Bains in France, and a hotel and baths were built. Atatürk gave the springs great importance, came often to rest and stayed for long periods, and the resort took its final form in his time.

What is Termal famous for?

• Historic baths: the Kurşunlu and Valide hamams.
• Atatürk’s mansion, now a museum.
• Gardens with hydrangeas and rare trees, and a monumental oriental plane in front of the Çınar Hotel.
• Thermal cures. The inventory lists bath cures for rheumatic diseases, painful disorders of the locomotor system, chronic gynaecological conditions, some circulatory blockages in the legs, and metabolic conditions such as diabetes, gout and obesity.

What can you see at Termal?

Kurşunlu Hamam. The “lead bath”, named for its lead-covered roof, is attributed to Justinian about 16 centuries ago. Buried over time by disasters and wars, it was restored under Abdülhamid II, and an Ottoman inscription is set in marble on its outer wall.

Valide Hamamı. Built with six domes under Constantine, three of which are now missing. It was restored by Sultan Abdülmecid and named after his mother, who was treated here. Its Ottoman inscription is in the steam room.

The open-air thermal pool, used all year, and the modern bath facilities of the thermal complex.

Atatürk Mansion. At the foot of a hill beside the springs, built in 1928 by the State Maritime Lines as a presidential residence. Atatürk stayed here many times when he came to bathe and rest. The ground floor has a large hall and study rooms, the upper floor bedrooms, rest rooms and baths, and his bedroom and bathroom are kept with all their furniture. It is listed by the Yalova Culture and Tourism Directorate as one of the province’s museums.

Yedi Havuzlar. A cascade at the entrance to the thermal complex, surrounded by hydrangeas of many colours and rare trees and flowers. The directorate counts 39 deciduous and 26 evergreen tree species in the grounds.

Panorama Tepesi. A hill 120 m above sea level, green in every season, with views over the valley.

Sudüşen Waterfall. A forest walk above the valley, starting from Üvezpınar village.

Frequently asked questions about Termal

What do the official records say about Termal?

In this area where the springs are found, there are many facilities between the villages of Gökçedere and Üveyspınar. Panorama Hill, 120 metres above sea level and covered in green vegetation in every season, has very beautiful views. Havuzlar is a cascade at the entrance to the thermal facilities. This spot in Termal, famous for its hydrangeas of various colours, has very rare trees and flowers.

The Atatürk Mansion is at the foot of a fairly high hill at the site of the historic Yalova springs, 12 km south of Yalova. It was built in 1928 by the State Maritime Lines Administration as a Presidential Mansion, and Atatürk often stayed in this mansion on the days when he bathed at the springs and rested. (Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Yalova Provincial Tourism Inventory, 2002)

Main photo: Oğuz Han Erol, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.