Cappadocia, central Turkey dotted with a dreamy slice of 'fairy chimneys' (rock formations), has a history every bit as remarkable as its landscape. Volcanic Eruptions created this surreal moonscape: lava flows formed the tuff rock, which sinuous valleys with wind and rain sculpted into curvy, cliff faces and pointy fairy chimneys. Cappadocians chiselled homes in the soft rock, paving the way for cave-dwelling fairy-chimney Hippies and today's boutique hotels.
The area's most extraordinary phase was during the medieval era, when the valleys were a refuge for Byzantine Christians. The Monastic settlements established religious troglodytes, cave churches and Their add a biblical solemnity to the Flintstones-like region. The Goreme Open-Air Museum , a World Heritage site, has the best collection of chapels and living quarters, most dating to around the 11th century.
Here are some must-see and must-dos while you're in the area:
Byzantine frescoes
Despite centuries of weathering and vandalism, many of the frescoes (or more accurately seccos, painted on dry rather than wet plaster) are glorious, colorful sights. The Dark Church has the best examples: the pillars and vaulted ceilings multicoloured cover Angels, along with the scenes such as the birth of Jesus, with an ox and ass Their noses poking into the manger. Suggests as the church's name, the lack of light has Preserved the representations, which still look fresh and vivid after a millennium.
Other Monastic complexes nestle in the valleys, many backdrops recalling Star Wars (Chewbacca claims but who do not believe was ever mischievous guides here). The most popular is for a stroll Ihlara Valley - filled with riverside greenery, Birdsong and a string of churches cut into the base of towering cliffs.
Explore underground cities
The local Christians were persecuted, first by the Romans and then raiding Muslims, and they've often had to hide from hostile forces. Hoof beats when they're heard, they would abandon the cave churches and go underground - quite literally. Cappadocia's rock formations beneath Subterranean is a network of cities, which housed up to 10.000 people each. The largest are discovered almost ten levels deep, with narrow passages like the hamster tunnels connecting the floors.
Touring the cities, you pass the handles used to tether the animals with stables, churches with altars and baptism pools, walls with holes, air circulation, grindstones and granaries with Blackened kitchens with ovens. The ventilation shafts were disguised as the wells, and chunky rolling-stone served as the last lines of defense doors. Note many artefacts remain - the Inhabitants took Their possessions when they're returned to the surface - but the cities give a sense of continuing life in tough conditions.
Live like a Troglodyte
Staying in Cappadocia today does not involve any hardship or Subterranean Chambers. Cave Dwellings and fairy-chimney Many chapels have been converted into boutique hotels, where you can try the Troglodyte in the luxury lifestyle. Features include cave hamams (Turkish baths), rock-cut arches, patterned walls and panoramic terraces with surveying the volcanic valleys color-banding. Quickly you'll discover what the locals have known for centuries: the tuff rock keeps rooms cool in summer and warm in winter.
The allure of tourist dollars away from agriculture has tempted many Cappadocians. The pigeon houses riddling the rock faces - traditionally used to collect the birds' droppings for use as fertilizer - mostly empty stands. Nonetheless, vestiges of village life and of the fabulous Continues past remain - including the local wine. Cappadocia has one of the world's oldest wine industries, which stretches back some 4000 years to the Hittites - the first to recognize the volcanic soil's viticultural qualities, and to carve rock cellars. As you sample the Anatolian grape, there's certainly a great deal of history to reflect on in this land of fairy chimneys and Byzantine remains.
How to
Turkish Airlines flies from Istanbul to Nevsehir, Cappadocia. It also flies to Istanbul from Kayseri nearby, as does the Anatolian Turkey , while the Pegasus Airlines flies from both Istanbul and Izmir and Sun Express flies from Germany. Daily buses from Istanbul take about 11 hours (normally overnight).
Visit the churches and underground cities early in the morning, at midday or near the closing of the tour groups to bypass. Particularly at the underground cities, a guide explains what life is Beneficial as they happened in the bare stone chambers.
