Blog about Cappadociya

Blog about 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.

30/10/2021

In my never ending attempt to give you conversation topics with which to engage Cappadocians, I have decided to do a semi-regular series featuring “relatively useless facts that make great dinner/tea conversation topics”.

By “semi” I mean whenever I get 10 of them, I will put them in a post. Almost all of these came from local friends; you cannot get most of this information on the web (well, you couldn’t before I posted this!)

I gathered this list over the past few months so do not hold your breath for the next installment!

Thus, without further adieu…

1. GÖREME’S THREE NAMES: Göreme has had three names. Originally it was called Avcılar which means Hunters. My sources could not tell me why (hint: great question for your hosts). This was changed to Maccan (the cc = jj). I could not find the meaning or reason for this name. Then around 30 years ago according to my friend who lives there, the name Göreme was given to this small town. I cannot confirm the timing, but apparently the name was better for tourism. The name means invisible or not seen. The town sits in something resembling a bowl and is difficult to see from even as close as Çavuşin, so it fits. Clearly I need to do more research on this one.

2. BOULDER HOTELS?: Older local Turks use the Turkish word “kaya” which translates to “boulder” in English for what we call Fairy Chimneys as well as for what is translated as cave. Younger Turks use the word Peri Bajası which translates to Fairy Chimney. This is now the official Turkish word for these strange geologic formations (either stone gnome hats or giant ph***ic symbols depending on which ones you are observing). Apparently they were called kaya by the locals but when that word was used outside of Cappadocia, it did not give an accurate picture. They needed a new word and someone decided on Fairy Chimney. No one I asked could tell me why that was chosen. Perhaps legend has it that fairies live in them and chimney works better than other more vulgar words?


Also, cave hotels are another translation oddity. The word kaya is used again. This would make the literal translation “boulder hotels” but that does not fit, of course. In this case the dynamic equivalent translation style works well as no one would be excited to stay in a boulder hotel but a cave hotel sounds really cool.

3. ALIENS?: Some Turks apparently think that Cappadocia’s geological formations are a mystery. One friend said that his Turkish teacher in Ankara told the class in all seriousness that the fairy chimneys were formed by aliens. She said that no one is sure how it happened. He told her about volcanoes and erosion, but she was skeptical.

Cappadocia is one of the best-known places in the world for hot air balloon rides. That’s because the scenic beauty in t...
29/10/2021

Cappadocia is one of the best-known places in the world for hot air balloon rides. That’s because the scenic beauty in the region is stunning, and the flying conditions are excellent.

Cappadocia is a massive historical region in the central Anatolian region largely in the Nevsehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, and Niğde provinces in Turkey. It consists of a series of underground cities and villages that are scattered throughout the region.

A new place has been discovered in the Nevsehir Province by demolition workers at the time of excavation for a housing project. It consists of a network of rooms and tunnels. Numerous underground settlements like galleries, hidden churches, waterways, fountains, living rooms, kitchens, staircases and even wineries and oil presses have been discovered. Government officials say that the size and features of this new discovery could be larger than Derinkuyu, the largest excavated underground city in Cappadocia. Cappadocia is one of Turkey’s tourism capitals due to its rocky terrains, unique culture, and history.

Cappadocia Facts
Cappadocia Location in Turkey
Cappadocia spans an area of about 5,000 square kilometers. It is situated between three provinces namely Nevşehir, Kayseri, and Niğde in Turkey.

Soft Rock Formation in Cappadocia


The place was buried in ash and lava due to volcanic eruptions several years ago. These geological formations or volcanic sediments were eroded by the rains and strong winds and later solidified into soft rocks known as tuffs which are several feet thick. The erosion created bizarre landscape formations such as domes, mushroom-like pillars called fairy chimneys and pinnacles that are seen today.

Fairy Chimneys in Cappadocia
The volcanic rocks of Cappadocia are well-suited for the formation of fairy chimneys and pyramids due to their soft textures. The fairy chimneys vary in height and can reach as high as 40 meters.

Cappadocia Agriculture
The area is an extremely fertile land and apricots, pumpkins, melons, sugarcane, beets and chickpeas are grown here. It is also a major producer of grapes.

Cappadocia Roman Empire
The Cappadocia region was once a part of the Roman empire.

Land Of Beautiful Horses Cappadocia
It is believed that the word Cappadocia is derived from an ancient Persian word Katpatuka, which means “the land/country of beautiful horses.” In the past, Cappadocia was renowned for its horses.

29/10/2021

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.

Cappadocia Love Valley Balloons
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

Neolithic pottery and tools found in Cappadocia attest to an early human presence in the region. Excavations at the mode...
27/10/2021

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.

27/10/2021

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.

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