Cappadocia

The ancient region of Cappadocia lies in central Anatolia, between the cities of Nevsehir, Kayseri and Nigde. Here, the traveller finds one of the most fantastic landscapes in the world. Wind and weather have eroded soft volcanic rock into hundreds of strangely shaped pillars, cones and fairy chimneys, often very tall, and in every shade from pink through yellow to russet browns.

Cappadocia is an extraordinary land, combining unique and beautiful natural features with a fascinating cultural and historical past. Hittites, Byzantines and early Christians established important landmarks here, as did Mother Nature with her stunning erosion of the soft volcanic deposits.

Goreme is the most famous town of Cappadocia and is an important area for shopping, with its wonderful carpets and kilims, onyx souvenirs, and very fine local wines. It is also a wonderful region for trekking and for photo-safaris. The scenery is breathtaking in all four seasons: miniature poppies in the springtime, the fruit and flowers of summertime, autumn's grapes and blaze of gold, and the winter blanket of snow.

Millions of years ago lava and volcanic ash from the now extinct volcanoes Erciyes, Hasandagi and Golludag, covered the plateau with tuff, creating a malleable medium for Mother Nature's artistry. Her wind, rain and floodwaters have gently sculpted the area creating unforgettable valleys, magical cone-shaped monoliths, and a landscape that almost defies description.

Humans have added their touch to the landscape as well. Beginning in the 2nd century BC, Christians fleeing persecution carved small, defensible refuges, high up in the rocks of hard-to-find valleys and gorges. A very positive crowd of early hermits, they dug monasteries and churches and completed their work with heavenly frescoes of Jesus and stories from the Bible. Others who added their touch to the landscape included the Hittites, Phrygians, Medes, Persians, Romans, Seljuks and the Ottomans.

There are countless monasteries, chapels, churches, dwellings and pigeon lofts carved into the Cappadocian landscape as well as 37 known subterranean cities. The underground city of Derinkuyu, about 50 kms south of Goreme, was at one time the home of up to 20.000 people. There are 8 floors of tunnels open to the visitor. The ventilation shafts, circular and descending from the surface to the lower levels, bring home the scale of the labyrinth, massive circular doors were rolled across the passages to seal the occupants safely inside.