Our Cappadocia trip

Just got back from a few days away in Cappadocia.  WOW!

 

Goreme, Cappadocia (central Anatolian region of Turkey)

If you’ve visited Turkey, you have probably seen pictures of the ‘fairy chimneys’. The strange landscape is the result of cracks and fissures in the soft rock being eroded by wind and rain to make isolated pillars, whose geological name is hoodoo.  The region forms a 1000m high plateau riddled with valleys and from most parts of it you can see the distant peaks of the extinct volcanoes which formed it.  The largest, at nearly 4000m, is Erciyes Mountain which is a popular ski resort.

hoodoo ('fairy chimney')

The geography is so unusual that Cappadocia is a popular place for filming.  It used to be the place they filmed low-budget Turkish ‘kovboy’ movies (westerns – say it out loud!) but more recently many countries have used it as a location, especially for sci-fi films.  Parts of Nicholas Cage’s Ghost Rider II were shot there.

Besides the incredible scenery, Cappadocia has a fascinating history.  Through the ages, it has been under the control of the Hittites, the Persians, Alexander the Great and the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman Empires, all of which left their mark in some way.

church at Goreme Open Air Museum

As early as the fourth century it became an important centre of Christianity.  Christians fleeing persecution by the Romans arrived in some numbers and established communities here. They dug out the chimneys to make dwellings and churches, which can be seen best at Goreme and Zelve Open Air Museums.

Zelve village

Some of these are decorated with simple motifs – crosses and symbols – from the eighth century when the Eastern Church banned the use of religious images (a period of iconoclasm).  The later ones are decorated with beautiful frescoes which, thanks to the dry air and lack of light in the caves, are well-preserved.

As well as the Christians suffering persecution, the area of Cappadocia has often found itself on the edge of rival empires.  The residents responded by digging underground settlements, which have been found all over the area.  These were not lived in permanently but each house would have access to them and whenever there was a threat the people would disappear underground.  Some of the largest cities housed thousands of people together with their animals!

Underground cities like the ones at Derin Kuyu and Kaymakli were easy to defend as the narrow tunnels made fighting difficult.  There were also stones that were used to block access tunnels and holes through which spears could be dropped!

Apart from visiting the churches and underground cities, the most popular thing to do in Cappadocia is ballooning.  It’s the best way to see the landscape and with 50 or more balloons taking off each morning just before sunrise it is a magical experience.

It’s a long way from Fethiye to Cappadocia (700km) but it’s possible to do it by car (preferably breaking the journey somewhere) or by overnight bus and I would highly recommend it!