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Cappodocia
Area
In the heart of Anatolia lies a rugged, winding landscape where the intricate
carvings of nature and man have been recorded for centuries. Above ground, the
extremely malleable volcanic tuff has been shaped by the elements into a
balancing act of cones and "fairy chimneys."
Many Cappadocian valleys boast collections of strange volcanic cones, but the
ones near Aktepe in northern Cappadocia are the best-formed and most
thickly clustered. Most of the rosy rock cones are topped by flattish, darker
stones of harder rock which sheltered the cones from the rain which eroded all
the surrounding rock.
The valley of Goreme where churches were carved into
the stone of the region between the 7th and 13th centuries. At its height,
Goreme is said to have had a church for every day of the year. The interiors of
the caves are decorated with colorful, biblical frescoes celebrating the beliefs
of early Christians. We explored many of the carved churches.
Underground city:
In the same area one can descend beneath the surface of the earth and visit
cities as deep as 140 feet underground where early Christians fleeing
persecution could live for months at a time undetected.
We walked through different levels of the city.
Ortahisar city is carved into the mountainside.
Many people live in this town. When the bus stopped, children
came to greet us.
Uçhisar
to the south-west is dominated by the Kale, a tall rock outcrop riddled
with tunnels and windows, and visible for miles around.
Here is a Typical Rest Stop.
On to Konya
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