Turkey's Magical Highways Day 7

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Up early for balloon ride over Cappadocia. After the ride, we had a toast of Champagne which was fun as we watched the pilot's crew deflate the balloon. This ride was magical over the fairy castles. We then departed for Uchisar where we walked among the town and the fairy castle homes. Many of the people live in these cave-homes and it was an interesting journey through town, looking into their homes. We had tea on the balcony of one which had an absolutely spectacular view. The tufa rocks are as high as 250 feet so one can imagine how impressive these structures are. In ancient times the people used pigeon dung to fertilize their crops. They carved out small holes in the rock for the pigeons to enter into a cave room where the pigeons would roost. The people would then enter these pigeon abodes and collect the dung to dry, then use as the fertilizer.

We visited a rug weaving co-op which we have done in previous trips. However, we have to say this visit was the best. The owner is a boyhood friend of our guide and was not only personable, but knowledgeable, allowing for a pleasant visit.

The most memorable part of the day was Kaymatkli, an underground city said to be the largest of it's kind. It is built inside the caves, has 8 floors all having sub-floors which in my mind, is more than 8 stories. It is 250 ft deep and spreads out in all ways to create several cities linked together with very small tunnels (you have to essentially crawl through). This is all inside, no windows. It houses stables on the first floor, food storage, kitchens, water cisterns, living quarters, grain mills, wineries, churches and of course, the living quarters. It is hard to describe, you have to see it to believe it. They first built an air shaft for air circulation then like spokes, each area would branch out into concentric circles. Thousands of people lived here, protected by the enemy in the cave structures. This all started in about 200-300 BC & continued until the time of the Romans.

This evening we witnessed the Ritual of Sema -- a 50 minute long religious ritual conducted by the Semazens, better known as the Whirling Derviishes. they believe in the scientific world view that the planets and all beings, even cellular structures, revolve which is part of our being. They whirl as they go on their spiritual journey. It was an experience, never to be forgotten. We were caught up spiritually with these men as they entered into their spiritual beings.

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Photos

Our balloon budies.
Bob, Linda, Art. Overall, there were 20 in our balloon that was divided into 4 sections of 5 each.

Balloon descending into valley
We did as this balloon is, descended deep into a valley for a close-up view.