Time-warp for visitors in Cappadocia's wonderlands

By Iftikhar Gilani

NEVSEHIR, Turkey (AA) - More than 300 kilometers (186.4 miles) southeast of Turkey's capital Ankara, nature and history integrate into the vast landscape of Cappadocia -- spread over the Nevsehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kirsehir, Malatya, Sivas, and Nigde provinces in the central region of the country.

Famous for its geological oddity of honeycombed hills, fairytale scenery, cave dwellings, remarkable rock formations carved from volcanic ash, and hundreds of hot air balloons soaring in the sky at the time of sunrise, the region, which comprises 30 different valleys, has attracted two million tourists in the first 10 months of 2021, according to official figures.

The region is also known as Turkey's handicraft capital, with incredible masters weaving carpets, shaping ceramics, and carving onyx stones.

Such is the love for the craft that almost the whole of the 35,000 population of Avanos town has mastered either weaving carpets or shaping delicate pottery. One may be a top government officer or an executive of a multinational company, learning the art is a must.

Tuncer Kayikci, a local who also works as a tourist guide, told Anadolu Agency that a man must know pottery to get married, and a woman will only find a partner if she knows the art of weaving.

“While children are sent to schools to learn modern education, parents make sure that they learn pottery or weaving as well,” he said.

The patterns and designs produced in this town have adored iconic structures in Istanbul like Topkapi Palace, Sultan Ahmed Mosque, and Selimiye Mosque, besides various other structures.

“The most important reason that these patterns have not been deformed and are even today fresh after many centuries is that the clay in the region has a considerable amount of quartz in it,” said Zeki Dincer, the owner of Sultan Ceramic -- a large factory cum showroom situated in a cave.

The Kizilirmak River, which runs through the town of Avanos, brings this unique red mud, which craftsmen shape into distinctive forms to make the town famous for its pottery.

Such is the attraction of tourists to this area, that in the nearby town of Goreme, hardly any resident lives. They have converted their dwellings into hotels, as it is located near the fairy chimney rock formations. The town hosts some 400 hotels and all are filled to the brim in tourist season. During COVID-19 related restrictions, it had become a ghost town, which has of late now come to life again.

“Before COVID-19 in 2018 and 2019, we received an average of four million tourists a year. But then everything dried up. We are now hoping to revive our businesses,” said Ayaz Bilici, who owns a tea stall near the Goreme heights, where one can get a panoramic view of the valley.

This year among the famous visitors who brought hope of revival of tourism were famous Indian film actors Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, shooting the title song for the upcoming movie Tiger 3, in Cappadocia.

- 60 million years old history

Geologists say the Cappadocia region was formed 60 million years ago by the erosion of soft layers of lava and ash from Mount Erciyes (Argeus), Mount Hasan, and Mount Gullu composed with wind and rain over millions of years. The Kizilirmak River runs through the region on the north, the Taurus Mountains on the south, the Kayseri plain on the east, and the Tuz Golu salt flats on the west.

Driving from Ankara through the plains of Nevsehir, one can find small volcanoes scattered throughout the area.

According to geologist Stev Eckert, the mammoth eruption that spewed the rocks that now form the fairy chimneys is thought to have started 11-12 million years ago and reached its peak six to seven million years ago. He believed that clouds of ash may have reached over 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) into the sky at the time of the eruption.

“The sound of the explosions could probably have been heard as far away as in Spain and Moscow. The rocks tell us that it was extremely large and explosions,” writes the geologist in the book Fairy Chimneys of Cappadocia: Evolution of a Landscape.

Among the numerous valleys, the Zelve Open-Air Museum is an amazing cave town, honeycombed with dwellings, religious and residential chambers. It was closed to the public for a week in September to allow the shooting of an Indian film. The 2007 Hollywood movie Ghost Rider, based on the Marvel Comics character and starring Nicolas Cage and Eva Mendes, was also filmed in this cave town.

According to Kayikci, people lived in caves in this area until five decades ago. The presence of a cave mosque and church in the area tells that Christians and Muslims used to live together, until 1924.

“Then Christians had to leave the valley because of the exchange of minorities between Greece and Turkey,” he said. The rest of the population was forced to evacuate the valley in the 1960s due to erosion concerns. They left the site to set up a modern village a short distance away, which they named Yeni Zelve (New Zelve).

The Zelve may be a ghost town as its erosion continues, but tourists flocking the site climbing rocks make it a happening place.

- Valley of Imagination

On the other end at the Devrent Valley, which is also known as Valley of Imagination, there are no caves, but the rock formations have taken varied shapes, left to the imagination of visitors to decipher them. There is a rock shaped like a camel, horse, marching army, and bird. A rock resembles the picture of French military and political leader Napoleon Bonaparte, giving directions to his troops.

But the best view in Cappadocia is to see the sunset from the Uchisar Castle – located in the middle of the small but beautiful town of Uchisar. Approximately at the height of 100 meters, the Castle comprises two giant fairy chimneys. On the bottom of this Castle, residents have built their houses inside mountains.

Who says cavemen have become extinct? Many residents in Uchisar, still live in caves. But these caves have modern amenities. In fact, cave houses are costlier than normal residences. The local government ensures there is no distortion in the structure. Some hotels carved inside caves have swimming pools, SPA, and almost every modern luxury.

The history, however, comes alive in the ancient underground cities of Kaymakli, Derinkuyu, and Ozkonak. Among them, Ozkonak is built into the northern slopes of Mount Idis, about 14 kilometers (8.7 miles) northeast of Avanos. Its larger areas are connected by tunnels, and it contains a pipe communication system reaching each of its levels. Each carved room had ventilation provided by further piping when the city was sealed during sieges.

According to Kayikci, the city must have been built around the 2nd and 3rd centuries, when Christianity had started to become popular and Romans were still averse to it. To avoid prosecution Christian converts used to live in these away from the prying eyes of persecutors.

Local farmer Latif Acar is believed to have discovered the city in 1972 accidentally when he got curious about the disappearance of water that he was giving to crops. When excavated, it revealed a whole city that could house 60,000 people for up to three months. Although only four floors are now open, the complex contains a total of 10 floors, to a depth of 40 meters.

There are holes above the tunnels used for dumping hot oil on the enemy. These cities have water wells, ventilation systems, wineries, and moving stone doors. Kaymakli is the widest underground city in Turkey, awarded UNESCO World Heritage status in 1985.

- Cradle of civilization

Although costly for budget tourists, a trip to Cappadocia is incomplete without hot air ballooning. As the sun rises in the east, the skyline of the region is dotted with colorful balloons. The region’s potential for ballooning was first discovered by two US Air Force pilots, who had visited the region in the 60s. But, it started in 1991 with the competition of professional hot air ballooners from all over the world. Currently, 25 balloon companies are owning some 250 balloons.

“Currently, Cappadocia is considered one of the best places in the world to make hot air balloons. This number is increasing year by year. However, the civil aviation authorities are very strict in maintaining standards and allow them to fly only when there is proper wind speed,” said a balloon pilot Tugrul Kaya. That means that they do not get not more than 200 days in the year to fly in the air. The pilots get a license only after completing a two-year course in the flying club.

Cappadocia's landscape is not just for a picture-perfect postcard. The cradle of civilization brings ancient history alive in this wonderland, where a visitor is transported to ancient times in a time warp.