Underworld

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We left Istanbul and headed inland to Cappadocia. It's incredible here, the landscape is like something from a different planet. There are solid towering cones all over the landscape that were formed from ancient volcanic erosion. The locals call the cone- like formations "fairy Chimney's". Apparently because they couldn't imagine humans building them, so they figured fairies did (?). The history in this region is quite overwhelming and we hardly managed to get it all. But, it's mentioned in the bible and has been inhabited since the 6th century BC! Many of the caves were transformed into functional spaces and used as houses, churches, and factories. Entire cities were built using the structures. Unfortunately the iconic intolerance of Muslim invaders and European treasure hunters is apparent everywhere. Many of the frescos and ruins in Turkey have either been defaced or just outright taken, but it is still quite a sight to see.


We got to stay in a cave room and fortunately, for me, it had windows and wasn't too small. It was very cozy and the temperature was perfect. The cave was an original, but had been modified with a bathroom and we had a great view over the whole city. There was even a puppy! We could have stayed here for a week or more.

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Photos

An apse depiction of Jesus, not destroyed
The dark church. This church had one small window in the east and was quite beautiful on the inside. It was built somewhere around 400AD