Blog Cappadociya

Cappadocia, ancient district in east-central Anatolia, situated on the rugged plateau north of the Ta**us Mountains, in the centre of present-day Turkey. The boundaries of the region have varied throughout history. Cappadocia’s landscape includes dramatic expanses of soft volcanic rock, shaped by erosion into towers, cones, valleys, and caves. Rock-cut churches and underground tunnel complexes from the Byzantine and Islamic eras are scattered throughout the countryside.

Stone formations in Cappadocia; the site is now part of Göreme National Park, Turkey.
Stone formations in Cappadocia; the site is now part of Göreme National Park, Turkey.
© vkph/Fotolia
Neolithic pottery and tools found in Cappadocia attest to an early human presence in the region. Excavations at the modern town of Kültepe have uncovered the remains of the Hittite-Assyrian city of Kanesh, dating from the 3rd millennium BCE. The tens of thousands of clay tablets recovered from the remains of an Assyrian merchant colony at Kanesh are among the oldest written documents discovered in Turkey.

Stone formations and cave city in Cappadocia, Turkey.
Stone formations and cave city in Cappadocia, Turkey.
© Galyna Andrushko/Fotolia
The earliest appearance of the name of Cappadocia dates from the 6th century BCE, when Cappadocia’s feudal nobility was dominated by a Persian satrapy and Zoroastrian temple cults were widespread. Because of its rugged terrain and modest agricultural output, the area remained underdeveloped in antiquity, with only a few significant cities.

Alexander the Great bypassed Cappadocia but sent troops under his general Perdiccas (322 BCE). After a power struggle following Alexander’s death, Cappadocia fell into the dynastic orbit of the Seleucids, although a local aristocracy descended from the Persian satraps continued to rule and Persian religious practices persisted. Cappadocia transferred its allegiance to Rome after the Roman victory at Magnesia (190 BCE) and remained faithful despite the Pontic and Armenian attacks of the 1st century BCE. Cappadocia was retained as a Roman client state until Emperor Tiberius annexed it in 17 CE for its command over strategic passes in the Ta**us Mountains.

4. The Best Views
It’s no doubt that Cappadocia looks great, and exploring the area exposes some stunning sights. Nonetheless, for the best view of the region in all its glory, take a hot air balloon flight across the Cappadocian skies. From the air, the region’s moonscape topography offers one of the most unforgettable sights.

It is no wonder that hot air ballooning in Cappadocia attracts up to more than a million tourists annually. Over 100 hot air balloons take to the skies during the morning, which is spectacular scenery. Therefore, if you want to enjoy the most scenic views of the rock-cut churches and fairy chimneys, a hot air balloon flight is a no-brainer.

Cappadocia Goreme Buckle Church Painted with Lapis Lazuli
5. The Carved Churches
Cappadocia is also famous for its strong historical connection to medieval times, as shown by the rock-cut churches scattered across the land. These churches number up to 600, and there is a possibility that many more are yet to be discovered. The chapels were carved into the soft Cappadocian rock by monks in the dark ages, and some of them retain their original impressive frescoes with amazing detail.

Nonetheless, some of the paintings have been damaged by extensive erosion and superstitious locals who scratched out the eyes of some of the figures due to fear of the Evil Eye. The most visited churches are found in Goreme Open Air Museum, while others are in Zelve, Rose Valley, and Red Valley.

Cappadocia Underground Cities
6. Underground Cities
Hidden beneath Cappadocia’s exquisite landscape are over 50 underground cities. These subterranean towns were carved into the soft volcanic rock thousands of years ago and have hosted different inhabitants over the years. Some of them extend up to eight levels into the earth. An interesting fact about these cities is that they contained all the necessary facilities to lead an everyday life.

These cities had everything a typical town would have, from wine presses to cooking places, oil storage, and livestock pens. The underground cities served as a haven for Christians escaping persecution by Arabs. There are underground cities at Ozkonak, Mazikoy, Kaymakli, Derinkuyu, and several other places.

Amazing Cave Town Goreme Cappadocia
7. Goreme
The village of Goreme is one of the few settlements in Cappadocia that is still inhabited to date and serves as the area’s main tourist center. The town has had a total of three names throughout its history. When it was established, the town was called Avcilar, which means hunters. Later on, it was called Maccan before arriving at its current name, Goreme.

The name Goreme means “one cannot see in here,” which refers to the way Christians hid in the area from Arabs during the invasion. The retreating Christians found hiding places in the many underground cities of the area.

Cappadocia is a land famous for its distinctive rock formation, historical heritage, and scenic hot air balloon trips. Sitting in Central Anatolia, this historical region attracts crowds of tourists from all over the world. The area is such a popular destination that in 2019, it drew a total of 3.8 million foreign tourists.

So, if you are planning to be one of the millions of visitors that will tour this magical land this year, here are ten interesting facts you might want to know about the place.

Wild Horses Cappadocia Name
1. The Made-up Name Comes in from the Cold
Whereas Cappadocia is famous today for its otherworldly topography and a strong connection to the past, the region was known for something else altogether in ancient times; horses. Even the name itself, Cappadocia, is derived from the Persian word “Katpatuka”, meaning the land of beautiful horses. Ancient sources mention gifts or tributes of horses from the region presented to ancient Assyrian and Persian kings.

When Cappadocia was under Persian governance, horses were part of the taxes paid. The locals today still value horses, which sometimes offer visitors an alternative mode of transport.

Unique Geological Formations at Red Valley in Cappadocia
2. Rock Formations and the Landscape
The Cappadocian region was formed during the tertiary period around 60 million years ago after a sequence of volcanic eruptions hit Central Anatolia. The eruptions formed what is known today as the fairy chimneys and many others. The famous stunning landscape of Cappadocia was formed by volcanic erosion.

Volcanic eruptions that formed Cappadocia rained ash across the region. With time, the ash hardened into the tuff, which was covered by basalt. Tuff, soft and porous, wore down as the millennia passed, forming pillars up to 130 feet high. Basalt is harder and erodes slowly; therefore, it created a mushroom-shaped cap over each pillar. The results of this million years process are the iconic fairy chimneys of Cappadocia.

Rock Cut Churches Cappadocia Dark Church
3. Inhabitants
Cappadocia has had human settlers since the Paleolithic Era. Between 2500 to 2000 BCE, the Hatti culture called this region home and was closely followed by the Hittites, who settled here around 2000 BCE. The Assyrians also established trading posts in Cappadocia at around the same time. From 1250 BCE, the region has changed rulers from Phrygians and Persians to the Romans in 17 CE. In medieval times, the area was home to Christian communities and people escaping religious persecution, and thus, the inhabitants led a monastic way of life for a thousand years.

The name Cappadocia derives from the Persian word Katpaktukya, which means ‘the land of beautiful horses’ for in ancient times the region was known for its equine offering. Horses are still important to the locals who call Cappadocia home and they also offer an alternative mode of transport for visitors.

5. There are a number of underground cities in Cappadocia, some connected by a network of tunnels. These subterranean settlements were made possible thanks to the pliability of the soft rock. Many are open to visitors, however, a lot of the land in the area is private property.

6. There are as many as 600 churches carved from the soft Cappadocian rock, and possibly many more that have not yet been discovered. These churches date back to Medieval times and display beautiful painted frescoes, which have retained an amazing amount of colour and detail over the centuries though some painted figures have had their eyes scratched out by superstitious locals afraid of the Evil Eye.

7. The village of Göreme serves as the region’s main tourist centre and is also one of the few Cappadocian settlements still inhabited today. Christians gave the town of Göreme its name meaning ‘you cannot see here’, as they hid in the area during the Arab invasion.

8. The Göreme Open-Air Museum encompasses the best known religious complexes in the area. Alongside the other rock sites of Cappadocia, it was enlisted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.

9. Music concerts are often held in the surrounding cave buildings of Cappadocia, including the week-long Cappadocia Music Festival which showcases choirs and orchestras.

10. The region of Cappadocia is a large grape producer and it’s believed that wine-making has a long history here. There’s a number of wine-tasting shops where visitors can sample the goods and in recent years wines from the region have won international awards.

Famous for its unique rock formations and amazing hot air ballooning opportunities, the otherworldly landscapes of Cappadocia are one of Turkey’s most popular natural wonders. Unusual honeycombed boulders rise from the plateau of Central Anatolia and have, over the centuries, served as the backdrop for a history equally as fascinating. The region was once the heartland of the Hittite Empire and later gave rise to some of Christianity’s earliest philosophers. Cappadocia is now a prime tourist destination with plenty of interesting facts to discover. Here’s ten of the best.

10 Interesting Facts About Cappadocia - hot air ballooning

1. Three to four million years ago a series of volcanic eruptions shook the Central Anatolian area, forming what we now know as the Cappadocia fairies or ‘Cotton Castles’.

2. Cappadocia’s landscape was formed by volcanic erosion. Thick ash solidified into a soft rock, called tuff, and over time the tuff rocks eroded with wind and water, creating the iconic fairy chimneys we see today.

3. Cappadocia spans a distance of 5,000 kilometres and sits on an altitude of over 1,000 metres, cutting through three Anatolian provinces – Nevsehir, Keyseri and Nigde.