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Published: November 10th 2011
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From Istanbul, we arrived in the early morning in Ankara, the capital city of Turkey, via an overnight train. Ankara was established as such by Ataturk in 1920 when he chose it as his base of operations in the struggle for independence. It was declared the Turkish capital in 1923. The city’s position in the centre of Turkey made it better suited as capital than Istanbul, both physically and symbolically. We visited the Anatolian Civilization Museum of Ankara which is housed in a beautifully restored 15th-century bedesten (market vault). The museum has displays of artifacts from the earlier Anatolian civilizations: Paleolithic, Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Neolithic, the Bronze Age, Assyrian, Hittite, Phrygian, Uralian and Lydian AND Greek and Roman artifacts as well. You name it; they had an artifact for that era.
Our journey continued to Cappadocia-Goreme. Our four hour bus journey took us through the Anatolian landscape via a salt lake (tuz golu) one of the richest salt beds in the world where over 300,000 tons of salt (60% of total salt production in Turkey) is produced by this lake each year.
As we continued along the Silk Road, we finally came across the 13th century Agzikarahan Caravanserai, which was built
by the Sljuk sultan, Alaettin Keykubad I. Caravanserais, were developed along old trade routes to provide shelter, protection and a resting place for nomadic traders along the Silk Road. The buildings were constructed of stone and housed Caravaneers and their cargos plus their horses, donkeys, and even camels as they made their way along the Silk Road trading route that stretched all the way from China.
Once again the drive continued to Derinkuyu, an incredible underground city that extends as low as seven levels beneath ground level and just one of the 36 underground cities of Cappadocia. Some archaeologists date the earliest portions of these underground cities back 4 000 years to Hittite times. When invaders threatened their peaceful and simple way of life, they went underground to their troglodyte dwellings where they could live safely for up to six months. Storage jars for oil, wine and water; troughs for pressing grapes; communal kitchens and incredibly deep wells were evidence found of troglodyte lifestyle. The underground cities functioned as fortresses as well – huge rolling-round stone doors, with a hole in the centre for attacking the enemy and holes in the ceilings through which hot oil could be poured
were discovered in these cities.
We got back on the bus just one more time. Yes, it’s still the same day! We finally arrive to the enchanting Cappadocia where we spend three days. It’s an extraordinary region formed a millennium ago as volcanic ash first settled, then hardened into soft rock, and finally eroded, forming the strange and fantastic spires, domes, pinnacles and gorges .
The next day was the beginning of another unforgettable and awe-inspiring moment in my life. We rose at 4:45am in preparation for a hot-air balloon ride over the other-worldly Cappadocia landscape. We not only reached heights of up to 1 800 feet but we also descended so low as to touch the treetops of apple trees deep in the valley. I’m not sure; however as the photos will attest, if the 40 to 50 hot-air balloons that ours went up with didn’t also help to make the fairyland like landscape all the more memorable too. The grand finale was a champagne toast (ok, it was sparkling wine – close enough) with our pilots to commemorate such an unforgettable experience. And yes, I checked this one off my bucket list!
Later that morning,
after breakfast we went on a lovely hike to the Kizilcukur (Red or Love) Valley. Why it has this name is not difficult to imagine if you use your imagination when observing the infamous mushroom topped rock formations of Cappadocia. Yes, they do look like what you’re thinking! And that is exactly why it’s called the Love Valley. The peribacalar (fairy chimneys) that have made Cappadocia so famous were formed when erosion ate away at the lava covering the tuff (volcanic ash), leaving behind isolated pinnacles. They can reach a height of up to 40m, have a conical shape and are topped by caps of harder rock resting on pillars of softer rock. Depending on your point of view, they either look like giant phalluses or oversized mushrooms. Just guess what I think they look like? The locals simply call them kalelar (castles). Kizilcukur is also referred to as the Red Valley because of the colour of the rock formations in this particular valley. The rock formations are magnificently sculpted. Small valleys, cones, peaks and fairy chimneys blend with fascinating cave chapels that date back to the early Christian period. Later that same afternoon, we drove to Pasabaglari Valley, where
multiple fairy chimneys formed from the earth and shaped by centuries of erosion give a moon-like landscape and atmosphere to the valley.
Later on the same day, we explored the Goreme Open Air Museum. The people of Goreme, at the heart of the Cappadocia Region, realized that the soft rocks of the area could be easily carved out to form houses, churches and monasteries. This Christian sanctuary contains many examples of Byzantine art found in cave chapels which are exquisitely decorated with colourful biblical frescoes.
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Sue Cantan
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another great experience!
Still enjoying reading your blog Mina and sharing your journey-you've inspired me to write one when I travel in December. Any tips?