Thermal resorts in Ankara offer healing to visitors

Thermal springs in capital Ankara are attracting visitors looking for a way to heal various health problems.

Thermal facilities in Haymana district have been officially registered as "the best healing water" due to its composition of minerals by Istanbul University's Medical Faculty.

A centuries-old center of healing with its 16 thermal spas, Haymana is home to one of the most prominent thermal springs that hosts 2,000 people each season.

The district is dotted with traces of the past dating back to the Palaeolithic and Neolithic ages, covering the Phrygia, Persian, Byzantine, Hittite, Seljuk and Ottoman periods of time.

"The water temperature soars between 41 and 44 Celsius degrees," District Mayor Ozdemir Turgut told Anadolu Agency on Thursday.

He said hot water was recommended for those suffering from rheumatic pain, skin and metabolic diseases as well as Alzheimer's.

He added the natural hot spring water did not have toxicity, arsenic, cadmium, lead or mercury.

Thermal springs in Kizilcihamam district also offer healing to stroke victims.

Dating back to the Roman Empire, the district has recently become a center of health tourism due to its rich culture.

The thermals also have healing effects on several illnesses including bunion and joint rheumatism treatment.

Visitors, including those from the North and South America, Europe and Arab countries also benefit from anti-stress and hyperirritability cures at such thermal springs.